Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Thou Shalt Kill??

Forgive me if I am wrong .... I've not been to church in a loooooooong time ..... but wasn't one of the 10 commandments: "Thou Shalt NOT Kill"?? It was, right?? At what point did they drop the "not" from that commandment? Because I missed the memo on that one if they did.

But apparently Pat Robertson ... of the "Conservative CHRISTIAN broadcaster" Pat Robertson ... got the memo. Because I just spotted this news article. See?

Pat Robertson: 'Take out' president of Venezuela

Some excerpts from this CNN article:

Conservative Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson has called for the United States to assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, calling him "a terrific danger" bent on exporting Communism and Islamic extremism across the Americas. Robertson called Chavez "a dangerous enemy to our south, controlling a huge pool of oil, that could hurt us badly."
"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 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."


Really ... I need to get back to church to get the updated version of the commandments. Cuz maybe that whole coveting and adultery thing are A-Okay now too and how sweet would that be?? ;)

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

You gotta love people who use the public forum for um....good?! I don't know what God Mr. Pat Robertson is talking to, but he should check the number, I bet he misdialed and then misunderstood "Hello, Beelzebub" as "Hello, wuzzup?"

Anonymous said...

Robertson is a senile nut job was owns his television station, he doesn't really speak for anyone except himself.

If you wanted to think Robertson mispoke, the best possible way to view what he said would be:

This is to Mr. Bush our God fearing leader. If YOU Mr. Bush, wanted to start a war, say down in Venezula, I would just send a couple commandos and kill the dude, because well, we don't have more a couple military people that are not in Iraq, just came back from Iraq, or heading to Iraq and we don't have any money for things like Soca Shecurity for those people livin on the Floridian penishula.

That being said, there is a difference between personal ethics and national ethics. Americans typcially have issues with this distinction. The ten commandments are ones of personal ethics and one can make the argument that the standard does not apply to the country as an entity or those persons acting in its service (our military). It goes both ways in that we should not expect the country obey the ten commandments just as the country should not force us to obey them, e.g. you must not have any other God and you may not covet nor commit adultery. A theocracy.

Kat said...

I definitely understand the distinction between national ethics and personal ethics. My issue with Mr Robertson was his association with "Christian" leadership. (Ya know, with Christianity touting that ole "Thou shalt not kill" thing and all.) Had he just been some other American non-associated with Christianity .... it wouldn't have made my blog.

Sam Freedom said...

Though Shalt Not MURDER. If we weren't supposed to kill then we would just stand still while someone threw spears and shot bullets at us.

I'm amazed that people continue to interpret old testament and other works to suit their own disbelief. You certainly have the right to defend yourself pre-emptively, even.

Instead of quoting the current version of an ancient text as if you understand it, go ask a Rabbi instead. Dare to investigate beyond your undeveloped thinking apparatus.

Don't take offense at my comment, just go study already.

Bye
Sam

Sam Freedom said...

ps #0, I hope this is a fair blog in that I am allowed to rebut you without deletion.

It's people who make comments like you that get us into trouble. It's your liberal behaviour that foreign cultures hate, not our freedom of speech. The throat-slitters and head-cutters of the world don't hate America because Pat Robertson suggested a violent course of action against a violent dictator who might very well use Venezuelas as a launchpad for inviting terrorists into his country.

They hate us because they are backwards and have been in teh Dark Ages for years. And because our tolerance of free speech allows people like you to give your warped view and hinder effective policy, they really hate you.

If you were swatted down immediately and made to shut up, those foreigners would respect us a lot more I'll tell you. You can't make the world love you, but you have to make some savages fear you until they are brought into the modern world.

You're so backwards it isn't even funny.

Sam

Kat said...

Hi Sam-

Actually, I was aware that it was "murder". Was just using "kill" under the guise of creative license. (ya know, going with what (to me) lended more to The Funny)

And in this case of Pat Robertson ... he was touting "murder" anyway so I didn't feel my using the more generalized term was a big issue. To most.

Thanks for dropping in. No offense taken ... and none meant.

-Kat

Anonymous said...

Sam - you might not mean to be offensive, but making generic statements about foreign cultures hating America because "they are backwards and have been in teh Dark Ages for years" is (I'm sure) offensive to people who don't consider themselves backwards or in the Dark Ages.

I might suggest that you do some studying yourself. What you consider backwards or midevil is what others consider part of their heritage. You should check out some courses in ethnicity and cultural anthropology before making generalized statements about people you don't understand.

I believe what people hate about America is a lack of empathy and the heavy doses of ethnocentricity that are displayed not only in the media, in foreign policy but also in individuals such as yourself.

So, please educate yourself. I would hate to think that you would continue to think that way about other cultures simply because you are not informed. If you still choose to believe the way you do, at least it will be a choice and not out of ignorance.