Posted on 08/27/2005 2:01:44 PM PDT by wagglebee
Pat Robertson made headlines this week when he offered his opinion that the United States should assassinate Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez. What surprised me the most is that so many FReepers took offense to this statement. While nearly all of us fully support the war against Islamofascist terrorism, many here were outraged that a religious personality would call for the death of a totalitarian dictator.
From the outset, let me say that I often disagree with Robertson. I live in Virginia Beach and have been listening to his outrageous statements for a long time. I remember ten years ago when he took full credit for "praying away" a hurricane which was heading toward Virginia, and I wondered why he couldn't "save" other communities from similar fates. But on this statement about Chavez, I find myself in full agreement.
Chavez is a dictator who is allied with Castro and possibly Islamic terrorist groups. He is a rabid anti-American and his oil wealth makes him all the more dangerous. Prior to last week, I think that FReepers would have been nearly unanimous in their desire to have Chavez removed from power. Yet in the past week, I have witnessed people here justify his regime in a manner similar to the way the left justified Saddam Hussein a few years ago.
The opposition to Robertson's statement basically centered on the theme of "we don't like Chavez, but Robertson is a religious person and it is not against Christian principles to say such things."
While Christ never called for anyone's death, He also never advocated the oppression of mankind. Throughout history great men have called for the end of tyranny, in fact, our Republic was built upon such principles. Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Adams and the other Founding Fathers were some of the greatest thinkers of their day or any other, and they championed liberty and freedom above all else. And this theme has continued through American history to this day.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran minister and considered by many to be one of the premier theologians of the 20th century. But what he is probably best known for is his work with the German resistance against the Nazis, including publicly speaking out against Hitler and aiding Jews in escaping the Holocaust. In his widely read book, The Cost of Discipleship, his theme was, "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." And Bonhoeffer did die. He was executed in a Nazi concentration camp in 1945. The crime for which he was executed? His personal involvement in the plot to assassinate Hitler.
So the question then becomes, is it proper for a man such as Robertson to call for the death of Chavez? And I believe the answer is yes. Because freedom is a right given by God and as such it is proper to ensure the freedom of others. That is what can happen if Chavez and dictators like him are removed from power -- the birth of freedom in other nations and the further security of freedom in the United States.
Just a ping to a few people on some extended thoughts I had on Robertson's call to assassinate Chavez.
Was Pat Right? Yes. Chavez needs to go--but Pat's advocacy of assassination is wrong--in my WorldNetDaily commentary
www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45985 there is an alternative method that we might employ--but the bigger issue is that so many Americans do not want to deal with the threat of Chavez or China and the Chavez connection--we are sticking our heads in the sand. We are buying more trouble when we delay until the problem requires another engagement on another continent. Chavez is providing a new islamic training ground....
MJ Anderson
I agree, that at this point in time, there are probably more effective ways to remove Chavez. But I don't think it is improper for a television commentator to offer assassination as an option.
"I'm willing to at least consider the advantages and disadvantages of assassinating Chavez, but the problem is, once you give it any serious reflection the disadvantages so outweigh the possible positive outcomes, that only someone speaking on pure impulse would have come out with a statement so loaded with backfire potential. Loose lips sink ships indeed."
Very well said. I don't usually give new posters the benefit of the doubt, but that was well stated, and I couldn't agree with you more.
We'll obviously have PLENTY to disagree about, based upon your chosen Freeper name. ;)
I used Dietrich Bonhoeffer as an example of a well-respected Christian who not only agreed with killing a dictator, he participated.
Just as if I were to say "we ought to go ahead and assassinate Chavez if we're going to be blamed for attempting it anyways." Pat Robertson is entitled to say the same thing. The only difference is he has a platform and a soap box from which to pontificate. The President, the SoD, or the CIA have no need to respond to him, his supporters or his detractors. If there are covert ops underway, Robertson has no knowledge of any plans or particulars of them. He's merely another talking head with a microphone and something to say.
I agree with him by the way. Chavez is nothing less than a headache, he insults America, our President, our people, our military and most of all, Condi Rice:-) He was ushered into power by Jimmy Carter, an affirmed idiot and is allied with the enemies of freedom. For the sake of the Venezuelan people and peace on Earth, he should be unceremoniously removed from office.
I agree with you 100%.
"You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he (Chavez) thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it."
Big deal! Hugo Chavez is a psychotic dictator, who calls Fidel Castro his mentor, funds Al-Qaeda and is now in possestion of Cuba's biological weapons program. Both men are a danger to US interests. Both men should be taken out. We ignore them at our own peril.
If we object to European courts trying extradite foreign dictators guilty of human rights violations, do we justify Americans killing or supporting the assassination of dictators who oppose the US or contract with our enemies? Or do we, by the same reasoning, support those European courts?
Is Chavez a dictator? He was popularly elected and won a recall election. I'm not saying he's a great guy. He certainly doesn't sound like one. But is he Hitler? Robertson's words brought up a lot of questions that political observers will have to spend a lot of time to solve. Shouldn't preachers and clergymen be more circumspect than journalists and commentators and political scientists?
The double standard is creepy. Of course, it's no surprise that the MSM and Hollywood have basically called for an internal jihad against America.
You think killing a dictator is wrong? Why?
So what if people in his own country don't want a socialist government and attempt a rebellion? Would that be wrong in your opinion? It's already happened there, btw.
not necessarily---yet we ought to be darn sure that assassination is the best most efficient method in the LONG run to neutalize him---better to insure his humiliation on the world stage--what we have at the moment is a sort of competition to see who can grab the most coverage for being a rogue...let's not play into that, but find a means to humiliate the man on the global stage by turning his own excesses against him.
if the people elected him and want his brand of government--that is their option. What we ought to do is curb his do-si-do with China and isalmic groups--an occult blockade of sorts, beginning in WTO with pressure on China.
MJ Anderson
Thanks for this.
I stand with what Pat says.He is a realist( although a lot of people will disagree)It would be a lot cleaner and cheaper. He is a real threat to the US and other freedom loving countries.
He also now has brought attention to this man, no news story could of. Chavez needs to worry.
It is in the best interests of our national security to have Chavez out of power. The ban against political assassination has never been a legislated law, it has only ever been in the form of an executive order. That means that Bush could (and for all we know he may already have) lift this ban with a simple signature, and there would be no requirement whatsoever that he make this information public.
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