Re Pat Robertson's assassination calls, part II

London 24.08.05 | Just watched an interview of Pat Robertson to Thor Halvorssen. The media frenzy generated by Robertson's assassination calls has brought to the fora the issue of Hugo Chavez and it's still early days to analyse in its full dimension the political repercussions that such remarks will have. A quick review of yesterday's news suggests that, indeed, Venezuela, for the first time in a very long period, made it to the headlines, albeit for all the wrong reasons. Assassination calls make an attention junkie, read Hugo Chavez, reach climax and certainly Robertson's views will play into the former's hands, that by now has nearly 7 years accusing the US of plotting to kill him. Lack of evidence notwithstanding, Robertson's faux pas will become the pillar upon which the chavista assassination conspiracy theories will be built (expect another bestseller by Eva Golinger to hit Amazon soon). Did Chavez's failed attempt to assassinate a democratically elected president, and his family, back in 1.992 created such a fuss? Nah...

Thor Halvorssen views are to the point, accurate and compelling enough to alert a broader audience about the perils that the Castro-Chavez duo represent for the hemispheric stability. We, Venezuelan citizens, have been denouncing the impending danger for quite some time now only to be treated with utmost contempt by the international democratic community. Of course there are billions to be made by cozying up with banana republic's strongmen (isn't that right Zapatero?), alas only when the latter are bold and stupid enough to take on the world can one expect some sort of reaction by the former. Hugo Chavez is an issue that has transcended the limits of our country. His continental expansion plans, should these succeed, shall impact very negatively across a region that has already lost a couple of decades in democratic, social and economic evolution terms.

Unfortunately the chances of putting an end, democratic and peacefully, to the militaristic Cuban project in Venezuela are rather slim. We built our forces and we gained momentum only to be sacrificed by the OAS's and Carter Center's coup de grâce last August. The validity of the recall referendum results remain questionable to this very day and the many abnormal and illegal procedures that took place prior, during and post election day remain unaddressed by those contracted and paid to safeguard the transparency of the process. The observers' imprimatur unrein, irresponsibly, a gullible and utterly ignorant galloping megalomaniac who shall propagate misery and despair amongst the citizens of La Gran Colombia.

The least the international community can do now is help us get rid of the neo-communist plague. Assassination calls or attempts are not the way to deal with the growing menace. As Halvorssen rightly pointed out, democratic and law abiding citizens categorically reject Robertson's stance, for what Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro deserve is the treatment given to criminals like Saddam Hussein, Manuel Noriega, Milosevic et al. They must be held accountable for their many crimes and they should be judged, sentenced and sent to solitary confinement for the rest of their lives in an ADMAX prison.

PS: BTW Venezuela's Ambassador to the US remarks in the clip are, as customary, utterly ludicrous for the US' administration duty of care and security remains within the confines of their country and citizenship. Besides the task of protecting the physical integrity of the failed coupster figures in the job description of the Cuban G2s signposted in Miraflores.