Robertson’s Fire & Brimstone
Is A Call To Murder And Hate

By William Finucane

Once, many years ago, kids could sit in front of the television, agog, listening to Big Brother Bob Emery, knowing every word was gospel.

This was television.

People believed because it was television.

Even little kids knew that everything Bob Emery said was true.

Years have passed, of course, and kids don’t believe everything they see or hear on television.

Except of course for televangelists.

They are supposedly sworn to God and naturally stick to that which is provable, demonstrable. This is, after all, the word of God passing through the medium of a televangelist; the televangelist himself or herself is just the amplifier. Some people believe God is on TV.

And when it comes to someone with the religious zeal and the political connections to be able to discuss national government policy with President George W. Bush, well, then we are talking about a man with sterling believability.

Pat Robertson is the man.

Founder of the Christian Coalition of America. A presidential candidate at one time. Pal of presidents, worker in the religious fields, he recently had this to say on the Christian Broadcast Network’s The 700 Club: Assassinate Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez and we will stop his country from becoming "a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism."

Such wisdom.

But wait, there was more; he elaborated.

"We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability," declared Robertson, the so-called holy man, adding: "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."

Simple, holy words from the lord’s messenger. Kill Chavez, end problems.

Pres. Chavez is a strong, passionate leader. He seem to be trying to run his nation as best as he can. But he is not taking direction from the U.S., which means friction. And that friction becomes intense when Chavez colludes with and offers support to Fidel Castro and other leaders that are on the American black list.

Ergo, snuff him.

We Americans are lucky, we have religious and political leaders who can explain all these complicated international matters with easily digestible bits of "fact." Oh, Robertson did some later semi-rearranging of what he had said, but the message was brilliantly clear – murder Chavez.

To wallow in Chavez’s problems is to ignore the paramount importance of American interests. So naturally the prudent thing to do is quickly eliminate the problem.

Now, unfortunately, everybody knows America can get someone killed. Pick up a phone, give a few orders, create a story to cover it up, wire some bereavement flowers, install an American robot, everything goes back to the way it should have been in the first place. This is exactly what Robertson wanted.

After all Chavez is one of Bush’s loudest critics.

"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."

Oil shipments – now we’re talking.

Chavez controls huge amounts of oil. According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), America buys around 59 percent of Venezuela’s oil. It’s interesting that it’s the CIA that provides this number; it’s just an economic number, not a state secret, yet it is put forward by the intelligence agency.

America of course is currently fighting its hardest in Iraq, where there is lots of oil and precious little reporting regarding how it is being currently used. But perhaps it was with oil on his mind that Robertson made is assassination suggestion; America could avoid another bloody battle by just taking out the leader.

Of course this is not Robertson’s only brilliant idea. For example, he said in 2002 that the State Department should be blown up with a nuclear bomb. Bush fixed the problem, however, simply by replacing troublesome Collin Powell with charming Dr. Condoleezza Rice.

And who can forget Robertson’s homily on the perfect home, in which he preached that feminism tells women to "kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians." The clear, unarguable logic of this messenger’s mind is breathtaking. What a fine example of the Christian Right he makes, posturing religious zealotry on the small screen.

Why certainly there are homes throughout the nation where kids of all ages are sitting in the living room with some soda and popcorn listening to Pat Robertson and watching their parents nodding in agreement. What a fine example for youth.