Terrorist State Harbouring Terrorists?

President Hugo Chavez has upped the ante in his confrontation with the USA.

The US Administration has been attempting to dethrone the popular president of Venezuela because capitalist America doesn’t like his socialist spreading of wealth. Since coming into power, Chavez has conducted much needed land reforms and used oil revenue to build educational, health and community facilities. Helping peasants goes against the interests and ideology of both the US multinational conglomerates and their rich and powerful Venezuelan buddies.

But up till now, Chavez has successfully resisted the US manipulations and interference to de-stabilise his government, including an alleged US involvement in a coup d'etat that toppled him for 47 hours in April 2002. Chavez enjoys overwhelming support of the Venezuelan people, which thus far has been his best protection, even against the coup d’etat.

Recently Pat Robertson, an American right wing Christian evangelist and a close political ally of President Bush, publicly called for the assassination of Hugo Chavez. He subsequently retracted that criminal act by claiming he lost ‘control’ of his words in a moment of frustration.

But in reality Robertson was unrepentant because immediately after he retracted the assassination call, he then went on to compare Chavez to Saddam Hussein, suggesting that the US could one day be at war with oil-rich Venezuela. Remember in my earlier post Christian Evangelist says “Kill Chavez!”, Robertson had in his assassination call made the assuring claims that oil shipments from Venezuela would not be affected by killing Chavez.

Hmmm, OK, I see the connections now between Iraq and Venezuela – no, it’s not Saddam and Chavez. Guess what?

The White House predictably did nothing against one of Bush’s staunchest supporter, merely brushing off the criminal incitement to kill as “inappropriate”, though mind you, not as “inappropriate” as the Islamists' call to kill Americans!

Chavez stated that he might complain to the UN and other international bodies about the US non-action against Robertson for his criminal act. Inciting others or threatening to kill someone, especially a foreign head of state is a criminal offence.

He accused the US in its refusal to act against Robertson of "giving protection to a terrorist, who is demanding the assassination of a legitimate president." - somewhat like the old Libya, which the US accused of being a terrorist state for harbouring terrorists. To day, Libya is no longer a terrorist state, while the USA has become one? Ahhh, what a dynamic world, with its eternal yin and yang of perpetual changes.

Chavez is of course absolutely right. The US has shown its double standards, once again.

US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson who is currently visiting Venezuela condemns Robertson's remarks as "repugnant, immoral, illegal". Jackson wants the US Justice Department to investigate Robertson’s criminal incitement.

But if the Christian Lord has forgiven Robertson, being the evangelist he is, Hallelujah, why wouldn’t a God-fearing Christian country like the USA forgive the Reverend Robertson?