Investigating Pat Robertson By Deborah James.

On Monday, August 22nd, right-wing televangelist
Pat Robertson called for the assassination of
democratically elected President Hugo Chavez of
Venezuela.

Robertson (a candidate for the GOP's Presidential
nomination in 1992) and the millions of supporters of
his television show, The 700 Club, are a key
constituency of the Republican party.

In his Monday show, Robertson said, "If [Chavez] thinks
we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really
ought to go ahead and do it."

In an apparent reference to past US invasions of
countries like Vietnam and Iraq, he added that "It's a
whole lot cheaper than starting a war. We have the
ability to take him out, and I think the time has come
[WINDOWS-1252?]that we exercise that ability. ... It's a
whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives
do the job and then get it over with."

President Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice,
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Speaker of the House
Dennis Hastert, and House Majority Leader Tom DeLay
should be lining up to condemn -- in the strongest
terms possible -- such immoral statements from a leader
of their political base. Instead, State Department
spokesperson Sean McCormack merely referred to
Robertson's statement as "inappropriate."

Calling for terrorist homicide against a democratically
elected president is not merely "inappropriate" -- it
is illegal, unethical, and it must be investigated for
potential violations of federal and international law.

Fortunately, there are a few Congresspeople who
understand the implications of this extremist act.
Representative Serrano said the comments were "beyond
the pale." Representative Lee chimed in that "President
Bush should quickly and clearly condemn Pat Robertson's
call for the assassination of the democratically
elected leader of Venezuela, particularly since his new
Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy, Karen
Hughes, has appeared on Robertson's show."

In addition, the National Council of Churches stated:
"Pat Robertson's call for the murder of Venezuela
President Hugo Chavez is appalling to the point of
disbelief. It defies logic that a clergyman could so
casually dismiss thousands of years of Judaeo-Christian
law, including the commandment that we are not to
kill."

Reverend Jesse Jackson, Jr. said that Robertson's
"rhetoric, especially if taken to their conclusion,
only undermines international diplomacy and dialogue,
and has no place in today's world."

On Monday Venezuelan Vice President Jose Vincent Rangel
noted in a Caracas press conference: "Before, they were
openly calling for Chavez's overthrow, now the call is
to assassinate him."

The next day, Robertson "clarified" his comments,
incredulously stating that "I didn't say
'assassination.' I said our special forces should 'take
him out.' 'Take him out' could be a number of things,
including kidnapping."

Finally, on Wednesday, Robertson apologized -- but put
the blame on Chavez for provoking him: "Is it right to
call for assassination? No, and I apologize for that
statement. I spoke in frustration that we should
accommodate the man who thinks the U.S. is out to kill
him."

His apology is welcome, but it calls attention to the
larger picture: the context of ongoing US aggression
towards Venezuela.

Robertson's Comments Consistent with US Government
Policy

For years the US government has been working to create
a climate hostile to the democratically elected
government of Venezuela -- Pat Robertson's statements
are, unfortunately, consistent with the actions of the
Bush administration. The administration supported the
2002 coup against President Chavez, and has continued
to fund coup leaders in their efforts to remove
President Chavez from office after the coup.

Recently, the US has stepped up efforts to isolate
Venezuela in the region (although these efforts have
been largely rebuffed by other Latin American leaders.)
Last week, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld continued the
Bush administration's rhetorical assault against
President Chavez, re-issuing old and unsupported claims
regarding Venezuela.

Yet in August 2004, President Chavez won a referendum
on his presidency by 59%, results which were certified
by the Organization of American States (OAS) and Carter
Center as free and fair. His popularity currently
stands at over 70% -- much higher than his US
counterpart's, and one of the highest in Latin America.
There is complete freedom of press, assembly, speech,
and civil rights in the country, and there are no
serious human rights organizations that have argued
that these rights have been reduced under Chavez, nor
do they compare unfavorably to other regional
governments.

The policy of America's governmental antipathy towards
Venezuela stems more from that country's creation of an
alternative economic vision than unsubstantiated
concerns regarding democracy. President Chavez has
embarked on a series of economic reforms, such as
funneling billions of oil industry profits into massive
programs for health care, education, literacy, and
clean water, and promoting regional integration, which
fly in the face of Bush's failed efforts to promote
corporate globalization by establishing a Free Trade
Area of the Americas.

The US "free trade" economic model has failed to
deliver growth in the region; according to the Center
for Economic and Policy Research, Latin Americans have
experienced less than .5% per capita economic growth
overall in the last 25 years. Meanwhile, Chavez's
economic policies (combined with oil profits) have made
Venezuela the fastest growing economy in the region.
But the American government's dislike for Chavez's
vision certainly does not give anyone a license to
kill.

In his comments, Robertson invoked the Monroe Doctrine,
the primary instrument of the US policy of intervention
and domination in the Western Hemisphere since 1823.
"We can't allow this to happen in our sphere of
influence," he said.

Past US involvement in the overthrow of democratically
elected governments weighs heavily on the minds of
Latin Americans from countries like Chile, Guatemala,
Haiti, Grenada, and the Dominican Republic. In
addition, the US government has been connected to the
1963 assassination of South Vietnamese President Ngo
Dinh Diem, as well as the murders of Congolese
President Patrice Lumumba, Chilean President Salvador
Allende, and repeated attempts on the life of Cuban
President Fidel Castro.

Robertson's comments have little basis in US or
Venezuelan reality. He stated that if Chavez were to be
assassinated, he didn't "think any oil shipments will
stop." President Chavez has repeatedly stated that oil
shipments from Venezuela -- which represent
approximately 15% of US imports -- will continue
steadily as long as the US does not commit violent acts
of aggression against Venezuela's sovereignty. Articles
quoting his repeated declarations on this topic are
available here.

Venezuela is expanding exports to other countries,
including China, the Caribbean, and South America, but
has maintained shipments to the US, which light up our
Eastern Seaboard with heating oil and keep 14,000
Venezuelan-owned Citgo gas stations in business. Chavez
has also offered to provide lower-cost gasoline to
struggling Americans. But in the case of an attack on
the physical integrity of the Venezuelan leader, the
immediate cessation of exports from the US's fourth
largest source would be all but guaranteed.

The US government's ongoing hostility towards President
Chavez has created a climate in which a Republican
leader feels comfortable in calling for the US to kill
an elected head of state as part of US foreign policy
on the cheap. Robertson's comments should be a clarion
call for a new foreign relations policy with Venezuela
- one based on respect for a thriving democracy and an
important economic ally.

Obligations Under Federal and International Law

Despite his apology, Pat Robertson should still be
investigated -- and potentially prosecuted -- for
calling for the murder of a democratically elected head
of state. Under Title 18 of US Code Section 1116,
"whoever kills or attempts to kill a foreign official,
official guest, or internationally protected person
shall be punished." Section 878 of the same title makes
it a crime to "knowingly and willingly threaten" to
commit the above crime.

The US government is also obligated under international
law to prevent and punish acts of terrorism against
foreign heads of state, if those acts are conceived of
or planned on US territory. The 1973 United Nations
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes
Against Internationally Protected Persons makes it a
crime to commit a "murder, kidnapping, or other attack
upon on the liberty of an internationally protected
person;" [including] a "threat to commit any such
attack."

The US is also a signatory to the 1971 Convention to
Prevent and Punish Acts of Terrorism Taking the Form of
Crimes Against Persons and Related Extortion that are
of International Significance of the OAS, Article 8a of
which obliges "[t]he contracting states undertake to
cooperate among themselves by taking all the measures
that they may consider effective, under their own laws,
and especially those established in this convention, to
prevent and punish acts of terrorism, especially
kidnaping [sic], murder, and other assaults against the
life or physical integrity of those persons to whom the
state has the duty according to international law to
give special protection, as well as extortion in
connection with those crimes." This includes foreign
heads of state as internationally protected persons.

The Christian Broadcasting Network should also be
investigated for the potential illegality of using
federally licensed airwaves to call for an
assassination. In light of the $550,000 fine against
CBS for the accidental airing of Janet Jackson's
"wardrobe malfunction," it would be extremely ironic if
the CBN were not similarly punished for airing a call
for terrorist homicide.

Considering the history of US involvement in the
overthrow of democratically elected governments, along
with the current US hostility towards Venezuela, the
incitement by a key Bush supporter to kill
democratically elected President Chavez should be a
clarion call: It's time to turn over a new leaf in our
policy towards Venezuela, and build relations of
respect with the most popular democratically elected
leader in Latin America.

Deborah James is the Global Economy Director of Global
Exchange, and a frequent traveler to Venezuela. She is
reachable at deborah@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

(c) 2005 Independent Media Institute. <43> ^

AlterNet Posted on August 25, 2005,
http://www.alternet.org/story/24541/

.

Relevant Pages

  • President Chavez at UN: Bush smells just like shit
    ... "The devil came here yesterday", Chavez said, referring to Bush's ... Venezuela's President Chavez holds up a copy of Noam Chomsky's book ... for the re-founding of the United Nations, so as to avert this danger. ... Chavez repeated four proposals that he said Venezuela had ...
    (soc.culture.iranian)
  • Re: Chavez at UN: Bush smells like shit
    ... "The devil came here yesterday", Chavez said, referring to Bush's ... Venezuela's President Chavez holds up a copy of Noam Chomsky's book ... for the re-founding of the United Nations, so as to avert this danger. ... Chavez repeated four proposals that he said Venezuela had ...
    (soc.culture.iranian)
  • Chavez: Bush smells just like shit
    ... "The devil came here yesterday", Chavez said, referring to Bush's ... Venezuela's President Chavez holds up a copy of Noam Chomsky's book ... for the re-founding of the United Nations, so as to avert this danger. ... Chavez repeated four proposals that he said Venezuela had ...
    (soc.culture.iranian)
  • Re: Chavez: Bush smells just like shit
    ... "The devil came here yesterday", Chavez said, referring to Bush's ... Venezuela's President Chavez holds up a copy of Noam Chomsky's book ... Chavez repeated four proposals that he said Venezuela had ... America's Quest for Global Dominance" (The American Empire Project). ...
    (soc.culture.iranian)
  • Chavez at UN: Bush smells like shit
    ... "The devil came here yesterday", Chavez said, referring to Bush's ... Venezuela's President Chavez holds up a copy of Noam Chomsky's book ... for the re-founding of the United Nations, so as to avert this danger. ... Chavez repeated four proposals that he said Venezuela had ...
    (soc.culture.iranian)