Pat, Pat, Pat

Brandon J. Snider at the antiwar.com blog:

Pat Robertson's statement that the US should knock off Hugo Chavez, president of Venezuela, because he is a "terrific danger" to the US and Venezuela will become "the launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism." is a perfect illustration, outrage not withstanding, of the difference between public and private morality. It's alright for Robertson to suggest murder, as long as it's the State that's carrying it out. If, on the other hand, Robertson were to seriously suggest that he was planning to kill his neighbor, or a competitor, what do you suppose the reaction might be? As I said, the comments have caused some public sensation, but not as much as they should have. In a more civilized era, Robertson would no doubt have been shunned to the point of effective non-existence for comments like these.

Charles Featherstone at LRC blog on how Robertson broke four of the Ten Commandments all at once:

Of course, there is the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill." While Chavez is not actually dead and Robertson has not actually pulled a trigger or signed an order, he has murdered in his heart.

There is the tenth commandment, "Thou shalt not covet any thing that is thy neighbor's." The whole reason Robertson wants Chavez dead is to make sure Venezuelans cannot use their oil resources as a "weapon" against the US -- that is, their property as they see fit. What else is that but coverting?

There is the ninth commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." I have seen no compelling evidence, aside from paranoid musings in my favorite daily humor rag the Washington Times, or the occasional blurb from the State Dept. that Venezuela is actually engaging in anything remotely resembling "communist subversion." Or subversion of any kind, for that matter. And certainly not sponsorship of "Islamic terrorism."

And, of course, there is the first commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." We all know that Robertson worships at the Asheroth pole of the Republican Party and the bloody altar of the United States gummint.

So, I count four commandments violated. Any others I have missed?

Finally, here's Jeff Wells at Rigorous Intuition:

Disaffected Goths telling each other vampire stories - that's not Satanism. And Satanists, worshipping without doing injury to innocents or the world - that's not True Evil, however delicious it is to them to pretend otherwise.

In a world gone upside-down and inside-out, we're all dancing on the ceiling now. Don't be taken in by the surface of things. You want to see True Evil? Chip away at the paint darkening the windows of America's Hosanna Churches. You want to see a Wicked Man? Look at the desolate eyes peering out from behind his Halloween mask of Jesus.

It was Sinclair Lewis, in It Can't Happen Here, who predicted "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross."