Can we deport Pat Robertson to Venezuela and try him for acts preparatory to terrorism? Probably not: Venezuela is a reasonably civilised democracy where they don’t torture people, so the US is unlikely to deport anyone there; and Pat Robertson is a member of that religion which is universally acknowledged to be peaceful…
He’s much like Ann Coulter. Only a couple of years ago he advocated the nuclear bombing of the State Department. I don’t know why.
When Labour passes the new incitement to hatred laws, will they cover foreign nationals visiting Britain? Can we get the CPS to investigate said nationals? Can we have a lot of fun getting the CPS to investigate a huge number of right-wing American types when they visit the UK?
I imagine there’s some loophole which says "no" to one of the above…
Since Venezuela accounts for something like 20% of US oil imports, is mostly jungle and full of newly recruited militia….I’d love to see him try. In a purely porno/schadenfreude sense. In fact, there could probably be no possible consequence of assassinating Chavez that was better than the worst possible consequence of not assassinating him.
I remember a couple of years ago reading an interview with Carl Hiaasen, who remarked that living in Florida meant "it was hard to stay ahead of the curve of weirdness".
Well, I take it you are aware that Venezuela is trying to extradite a terrorist from the US. Meanwhile, I just wrote this on Chavez.
Hmmm. I think Pat Robertson and Hugo Chavez deserve one another.
BTW, I’ve just logged on here for the first time in months. I used to read regularly, while I was living in the US (while I was not pining for a better life under rule of law in Venezuela, I guess, although I don’t seem to have any memory of doing so. Guess that’s what’s meant by false consciousness). I used to really get annoyed by John B. here, mostly by his public schoolboy abrasiveness, cuz our political views probably aren’t really that far apart. Reading John’s writing is like chewing tinfoil — it’s awful, but if you accidentally get a bit from a chocolate package on your tongue, you can’t keep yourself from doing it.
Any road, now my work has moved me back in fmr. USSR, and nothing I read here makes me feel anything at all. Odd how inconsequential the whole Western moral outrage bit is when everyone you spend all your working day around makes about a hundred dollars a month. So many people with REAL problems. And not one of them has a blog!
Well fuck off then.
And Chavez’s revenge is: he sez he’ll send the American poor discounted petrol. How they laughed…(btw Petroleos de Venezuela SA owns downstream assets including a chain of petrol stations in the US, so he could do it too..)
Pat Robertson is a member of that religion which is universally acknowledged to be peaceful…
Ah, the classic left-wing position. Criticising Islam: bad. Criticising Christianity: good
Ah, the classic right-wing position. Talking shite!
Ah… The classic Bolshy twat pissing himself laughing…
Pat the Twat… "Kill lesbians and Commies"
The pinko liberal media… "Hey, you just said something really fuckling stoopid, you realise that?"
Pat… "Hang on. I never said it at all"
The commie-lovin’ left wing (not in anyway affiliated to big business with an axe to grind, at all, honestly) journo types… "Erm… Here’s a video of you saying exactly that, in triplicate, and you also said we should kill Islamic babies, on the grounds that they’d only grow up to be suicide bombers"
Pat… "Well yes, but what those words meant was ‘free ice-cream and love for all mankind’"
All I’m asking for is balance. You can’t criticise people for hysterically slagging off Islam and then do the same to Christianity. You can’t have a go at people who use Omar Bakri as an excuse to denigrate Islam, and then do the very same thing with Pat Robertson and Christianity, yet with Pat Robertson is a member of that religion which is universally acknowledged to be peaceful… that is just what is happening.
There is no way you would have accepted a statement like Omar Bakri is a member of that religion which is universally acknowledged to be peaceful… and then linked to a webpage which reported on a woman being stoned for adultery in Iran or something.
Er…Tom I think that’s the point of the post. That if a Muslim cleric had made such comments about a foreign head of state he would have the McCarthyites all over him, and yet and yet. You wwant balance? Go tell it to the witch-hunters on Harry’s Place.
I think you’ve slightly missed my point, but I would accept your argument if it wasn’t for the final sentence and the web link.
And I’d accept yours if it wasn’t for your email address.
Dear Hell (what an apt name!): You illustrate my point perfectly. All this money, time, leisure, education, and technology and the end effect is a society spouting obscenities as it crawls up its own ass. Hey, Everyone! Get out of your room once in a while, for God’s sake! Plant a tree, read a book, go down and ask yer mom if you can help her fold your laundry! If you’re really feeling brave, write a check to a charity that’ll actually spend it on people who don’t have the time, leisure, money, etc. that have here so deftly and miraculously combined to allow Mr. Hell to tell me to fuck off! Instead of playing virtual slag-off, why not do something to make yourself somewhat less of a net drain on humanity!
Or not, if you’re really so self-absorbed. You’re lucky enough to have that choice.
Duly fucking off,
Greg
Remember Greg? Smug, self-satisfied, patronising Greg, who commented above, just to let us know how much he pities us fools?
Well rather than take my advice, or slug it out on here, he sent me the following note. Some people take themselves SO seriously:
"So, that’s how you relate to people you don’t know? What are YOU doing to make life any better for anyone else? University lecturer? Forty-something? Are you happy about yourself?
That same attitude you displayed in your follow on, my friend, is EXACTLY what I was talking about in my post. So, what can you show me about yourself that makes your feelings, thoughts, and knee-jerk obscenities meaningful?
Have a very nice life,
Greg Gardner
Berdachiv, Ukraine"
Greg, you’re right about one thing. You’ve proved how truthful and apt my name is.
There’s something odd about someone complaining about people who have nothing better to do than post randomly on some random web-log (sorry John, for saying SBBS is random). That is, if the person complaining is also posting randomly on a random weblog? I mean, shouldn’t Greg, by his own argument, be doing something other than slagging us all off here? Or, indeed, writing nasty emails to people?
So, Greg, my advice to you is to: "Get out of your room once in a while, for God’s sake! Plant a tree, read a book, go down and ask yer mom if you can help her fold your laundry! If you’re really feeling brave, write a check to a charity…"