Jennifer called my attention to the latest manifestation of Pat Robertson’s wisdom: “You know, I don’t know about this doctrine of assassination, but if [Hugo Chavez] thinks we’re trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. It’s a whole lot cheaper than starting a war … and I don’t think any oil shipments will stop.” This, as Michael Crowley notes over at Talking Points Memo, comes from the same man who suggested that activist judges (the ones who aren’t conservative activists) endanger the U.S. more than Al Qaeda does: “Over 100 years, I think the gradual erosion of the consensus that’s held our country together is probably more serious than a few bearded terrorists who fly into buildings.”
Mmmmm hmmmm.
This is also the same man who suggested in October of 2003 that the State Department be blown up with a nuclear device. He has also said that feminism encourages women to “kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.” Sheesh.
He is ready to assassinate Chavez not because because he is evil (a la Saddam Hussein) or some other reason that might persuade a few folks to agree with him, but simply because he is afraid Chavez will turn Venezuela into a base for communist infiltration into the United States or for Muslim extremists. (As if we don’t already have those things here without Chavez’s help and as if political assassination is acceptable for any reason.)
When asked what he disliked most about Christianity, Ghandi said (approximately), “Christians.” With people like Robertson giving us such pearls of wisdom on the air, I can sympathize with Ghandi’s opinion. And I fail to see how Muslim extremism could be any more dangerous or obnoxious than Christian extremism.
All I could do was rant.
As it happens we had a Bishop’s Committee meeting at church last night, and Robertson’s tirade was on everyone’s mind after the official end of the meeting. I was relieved to hear that everyone else was just as horrified as I was; politics and (other people’s) religion don’t come up often in our conversations. Maybe they should, because I’m of the “Mmmmm hmmmm” opinion myself. 😉
bill, i’ve heard that attributed to ghandi, but don’t know where that’s from. in his autobiography, he says it was because he wanted freedom from sin NOW, and the Christianity he was offered gave him atonement in the future. he struggled with celibacy and crankiness, and wanted help today, not sometime far off.
sorry. tangential, but i’m tired of hearing ghandi misquoted.
Having ranted about Robertson on my blog (see 8/23 piece entitled “6th Commandment – Revised” at: http://www.nobodyasked.com/archives/2005/08/23/6th-commandment-revised/
and read so many others, it is still incomprehensible and scary that a man of no morals and with so little left to offer still has such a large following.