U.S. Veteran Pat Robertson calls for assassination of Chavez

U.S. Veteran Pat Robertson calls for assassination of Chavez
Televangelist calls Venezuelan president a terrific danger’ to U.S.

Is a Call for State Sponsored Assasination right for America?  Illegal? 

Some U.S. Church Leaders Call for his Arrest on Inciting Terrorism.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Religious broadcaster and U.S. Veteran Pat Robertson called on Monday for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, calling him a terrific danger to the United States.

Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition of America and a former presidential candidate, said on The 700 Club it was the United States’ duty to stop Chavez from making Venezuela a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism.

Chavez has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of President Bush, accusing the United States of conspiring to topple his government and possibly backing plots to assassinate him. U.S. officials have called the accusations ridiculous……..

You know, I don’t know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we’re trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it, Robertson said. It’s a whole lot cheaper than starting a war … and I don’t think any oil shipments will stop.

Electronic pages and a message to a Robertson spokeswoman were not immediately returned Monday evening.

Venezuela is the fifth largest oil exporter and a major supplier of oil to the United States. The CIA estimates that U.S. markets absorb almost 59 percent of Venezuela’s total exports.

Tense relations
Venezuela’s government has demanded in the past that the United States crack down on Cuban and Venezuelan terrorists in Florida who they say are conspiring against Chavez.

Robertson accused the United States of failing to act when Chavez was briefly overthrown in 2002.  We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability, Robertson said.

We don’t need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator, he continued. It’s a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with.

Venezuela’s vice president on Tuesday accused religious broadcaster Pat Robertson of making terrorist statements by calling for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said Venezuela was studying its legal options, adding that how Washington responds would put its anti-terrorism policy to the test.

The ball is in the U.S. court, after this criminal statement by a citizen of that country, Rangel told reporters. It’s huge hypocrisy to maintain this discourse against terrorism and at the same time, in the heart of that country, there are entirely terrorist statements like those.

This man cannot be a true Christian. He’s a fascist, added Venezuelan legislator Desire Santos Amaral. This is part of the policies of aggression from the right wing in the North against our revolution.

Santos said she thinks U.S.-Venezuelan relations could still improve but comments by charlatans and fascists like Robertson only get in the way.

The State Department distanced itself from Robertson’s comments. We do not share his view, and his comments are inappropriate, spokesman Sean McCormack said.

Critics immediately objected to Robertson’s statements.

It’s absolutely chilling to hear a religious leader call for the murder of any political leader, no matter how much he disagrees with such a leader’s policies or practices, said the Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

David Brock, president of Media Matters, a liberal media watchdog group, said the remarks should discredit Robertson as a spokesman for the religious right.

A Robertson spokeswoman, Angell Watts, said he would not do interviews Tuesday and had no statement elaborating on his remarks.

Robertson has made controversial statements in the past. In October 2003, he suggested 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.

Joe A. Jennings, a U.S. Veteran, Christian leader in Alabama, and frequent watcher of the 700 Club says that Pat Robertson has gone over the edge. 

 “A call for murder is against Christianity.  Mr. Robertson has therefore forfeited his right to be a Christian leader.  Furthermore, if any one inside or outside of America called for the murder of President Bush, we would call him a terrorist” says Mr. Jennings

“Thus, if we are to return our country to being honest brokers and defenders of freedom and democracy, we must be bold and call Mr. Robertson a terrorist and have him immediately arrested for incitment of terrorism using our Patriot Act laws.  We cannot stand by and continue to be duplicitious while the world watches.  We must be stronger and demonstrate by action and deed that we are very serious about freedom and democracy.  And that anyone who threatens the life of a head of state who is democratically elected must be brought to justice.  It time to end this charade of morality.  We can do right and do much better than this – Shame on Pat Robertson.” says an emphatic Mr. Jennings.