So Much for “Thou Shalt Not Kill”
So, Pat Robertson has called for the assassination of Hugo Chavez, the president of Venuzuela. Media Matters has the video and transcript.
ROBERTSON: There was a popular coup that overthrew him [Chavez]. And what did the United States State Department do about it? Virtually nothing. And as a result, within about 48 hours that coup was broken; Chavez was back in power, but we had a chance to move in. He has destroyed the Venezuelan economy, and he’s going to make that a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism all over the continent.
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. It’s a whole lot cheaper than starting a war. And I don’t think any oil shipments will stop. But this man is a terrific danger and the United … This is in our sphere of influence, so we can’t let this happen. We have the Monroe Doctrine, we have other doctrines that we have announced. And without question, this is a dangerous enemy to our south, controlling a huge pool of oil, that could hurt us very badly. We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don’t need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator. It’s a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with.
Chavez has been in the news lately for slamming the U.S. in his speeches.
Chávez spoke alongside Cuban President Fidel Castro during his regular Sunday television and radio show, Aló Presidente, from the western tip of the island, flaunting the close ties between the two leftist leaders that U.S. leaders say are threatening democracy in the region.
”The grand destroyer of the world, and the greatest threat . . . is represented by U.S. imperialism,” Chávez said.
Chávez was responding to remarks Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made on his way home from visits to Paraguay and Peru last week. Referring to social uprisings in Bolivia that have pushed out two presidents in less than two years, Rumsfeld told reporters that Venezuela and Cuba have been influencing the Andean nation “in unhelpful ways.”
Uneasy about the close relationship between Castro and Chávez, Rumsfeld and other U.S. officials have repeatedly said the two men are fomenting instability in Latin America. Both leaders have consistently denied the accusations.
Chavez has also threatened oil exports to the U.S.
Oil exports to the US could stop amid growing tensions between the two countries, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has said.
He described recent US government actions as "aggressive" in a speech at a youth festival in Caracas.
As a result, Venezuelan oil "instead of going to the United States, could go elsewhere," he said.
Venezuela exports about 1.3 million barrels a day to the US and is the world’s fifth largest oil producer.
And in case you’re wondering how much Venezuelan oil matters to the U.S., here’s a 2002 BBC analysis.
The ability of Venezuela to continue pumping oil also has wider implications for oil markets around the world.
Venezuela is the fifth largest oil exporter in the world, and supplies about 13% of daily oil imports into the US.
The removal of any such significant oil producer from the supply chain is almost certain to squeeze prices higher.
And the US, in particular, is left scrabbling around for alternative cargoes of not just crude oil, but also refined products such as petrol, jet fuel and diesel.
Secure supply is especially important at present, given the ongoing uncertainty surrounding supply from the Middle East in the case of a US-led war against Iraq.
But back to Robertson. Can someone explain to me how anyone who professes to be a christian can call for another person’s murder? I’m not saying that Chavez is a nice guy or anything like that, but I just don’t get it. How exactly does calling for someone’s assassination jibe with the "culture of life"?
Via The Left Coaster.
August 22nd, 2005 at 9:36 pm
T, After all these years, and you still don’t get it.
He’s brown. (ie”not white”)
He’s a foreigner.
And not a christian
Killing Thooooose people don’t count.
August 23rd, 2005 at 12:56 am
What makes Tim’s point even more interesting is the fact that Robertson accuses Chávez of trying to spread “Muslim extremism.” Yes, that’s right, the secular socialist leader of a South American country is trying to spread “Muslim extremism.” Which is pretty much the same thing as communism, right? Muhammad, Marx… both are m names. Good enough for the wingnuts.
The whole thing about the U.S. “ignoring” the “popular uprising” is also fairly bizarre, because the reality of the situation is exactly the opposite. In all likelihood, the CIA and various minority right-wing business interests in Venezuela were behind the whole thing. Indeed, the so-called “coup” was more a protest involving mysterious gunshots that the right-wing, corporate media sensationalized into a rebellion.
August 24th, 2005 at 2:04 am
Very old-school vatican-esqe for a protestant, eh?