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Puck The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004 Posts: 5596
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 5:22 pm Televangelist Calls for Chavez's Assassination |
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Robertson Calls for Chavez's Assassination
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. � Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson (search) has suggested that American agents assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (search) to stop his country from becoming "a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism."
An official of a theological watchdog group on Tuesday criticized Robertson's statement as "chilling."
"We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability," Robertson said Monday on the Christian Broadcast Network's "The 700 Club."
"We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator," he continued. "It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with."
Chavez has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of President Bush, accusing the United States of conspiring to topple his government and possibly backing plots to assassinate him. U.S. officials have called the accusations ridiculous.
"You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it," Robertson said. "It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war ... and I don't think any oil shipments will stop."
On Tuesday, critics objected to Robertson's statements.
"It's absolutely chilling to hear a religious leader call for the murder of any political leader, no matter how much he disagrees with such a leader's policies or practices," said the Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State (search).
David Brock (search), president of Media Matters, a liberal media watchdog group, said the remarks should discredit Robertson as a spokesman for the religious right.
Robertson, 75, founder of the Christian Coalition of America (search) and a former presidential candidate, accused the United States of failing to act when Chavez was briefly overthrown in 2002.
A Robertson spokeswoman, Angell Watts, said he would not do interviews Tuesday and had no statement elaborating on his remarks.
A call seeking comment from the U.S. State Department was not immediately returned Tuesday.
Chavez was believed to be in Cuba, but his whereabouts were unknown and no media access was announced.
In Caracas, pro-Chavez legislator Desire Santos Amaral accused Robertson of shedding his Christian values.
"This man cannot be a true Christian. He's a fascist," Santos said. "This is part of the policies of aggression from the right wing in the North against our revolution."
Santos said she thinks U.S.-Venezuelan relations could still improve but comments by "charlatans and fascists" like Robertson only get in the way.
Venezuela is the fifth largest oil exporter and a major supplier of oil to the United States. The CIA estimates that U.S. markets absorb almost 59 percent of Venezuela's total exports.
Venezuela's government has demanded in the past that the United States crack down on Cuban and Venezuelan "terrorists" in Florida who they say are conspiring against Chavez.
Robertson has made controversial statements in the past.
In October 2003, he suggested that the State Department be blown up with a nuclear device.
He has also said that feminism encourages women to "kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians."
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What a good Christian guy. Advocating assasination of Presidents. I can think of some other religious extremists that do that....
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IntrepidIsMe Pimp Handed
Joined: 14 Jun 2002 Posts: 13057 Location: New York
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 5:25 pm |
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Wow, what a freak. Hopefully he'll be banned from television.
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"Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being."
-Wuthering Heights
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Theresa Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001 Posts: 27256 Location: United States of America
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 5:25 pm |
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Someone ought to cancel the guys show... He seems to have totally gone off the deep end...
-------signature-------
Some of us fall by the wayside
And some of us soar to the stars
And some of us sail through our troubles
And some have to live with our scars
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Republican_Man STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004 Posts: 14823 Location: Classified
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 5:31 pm |
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Theresa wrote: | Someone ought to cancel the guys show... He seems to have totally gone off the deep end... |
That's a deep thing, but he is NOT someone who should be thrown off the air or anything. And he's not a freak. Sometimes he goes radical, but usually not. He's a good man, just he sometimes says things that he shouldn't.
I've watched his show several times before. It's on multiple times a day on ABC family, with CBN--Christian Broadcasting Network.
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Puck The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004 Posts: 5596
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 5:42 pm |
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Umm. Ok, let's see. Religious leaders who calls for assasinations. You have got to be kidding me, right?
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Republican_Man STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004 Posts: 14823 Location: Classified
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 5:51 pm |
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Puck wrote: | Umm. Ok, let's see. Religious leaders who calls for assasinations. You have got to be kidding me, right? |
Well, I do have questions about how appropriate that is for a religious leader, but for having his show and being a conservative, he's not that extreme.
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Puck The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004 Posts: 5596
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 5:58 pm |
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This is not about having a show or being a conservative. This is about some religious fanatic advocating assasination. Am I the only one drawing the connection with Osama?
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LightningBoy Commodore
Joined: 09 Mar 2003 Posts: 1446 Location: Minnesota, U.S.A.
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 6:02 pm |
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I've always liked Pat Robertson, and today I like him more.
Hugo Chavez is a pretty evil guy, and Veneseula has been the unspoken evil in our hemisphere. Almost no news covers it! I'm glad Pat Robertson said what he did, maybe it will finally bring Veneseula to light.
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LightningBoy Commodore
Joined: 09 Mar 2003 Posts: 1446 Location: Minnesota, U.S.A.
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 6:03 pm |
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Puck wrote: | This is not about having a show or being a conservative. This is about some religious fanatic advocating assasination. Am I the only one drawing the connection with Osama? |
Here's a question for you, would you advocate the assassination of Bin Laden? I really hope you would.
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Republican_Man STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004 Posts: 14823 Location: Classified
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 6:07 pm |
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LightningBoy wrote: | Puck wrote: | This is not about having a show or being a conservative. This is about some religious fanatic advocating assasination. Am I the only one drawing the connection with Osama? |
Here's a question for you, would you advocate the assassination of Bin Laden? I really hope you would. |
Good points. And I don't see a connection with Osama here at all.
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Link, the Hero of Time Vice Admiral
Joined: 15 Sep 2001 Posts: 5581 Location: Kokori Forest, Hyrule
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 6:27 pm |
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this guy is a far right religious nutjob who needs to be removed from TV before he causes any damage. He's supposed to be a Christian and a religious leader and he's talking about the assassination of a POLITICAL LEADER.
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"Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." President Thomas Jefferson
"A man's respect for law and order exists in precise relationship to the size of his paycheck." Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
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Hitchhiker Rear Admiral
Joined: 11 Aug 2004 Posts: 3514 Location: Ontario, Canada
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 6:29 pm |
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Republican_Man wrote: | Good points. And I don't see a connection with Osama here at all. |
Osama is a religious fanatic who advocates extreme measures (such as assassination) against what he perceives as threats to Islam.
Pat Robertson is a religious fanatic who advocates extreme measures (such as assassination) against what he perceives as threats to the United States.
Just because he's "on our side" doesn't make it any different or better.
Now, I would have advocated the assassination of Saddam Hussein rather than an invasion of Iraq. Given the choice between assassination or incursion, I would choose the former as the lesser of the two evils. But neither are desirable. He is correct that it's easier to use covert operatives rather than invade and trample about the entire country. I still don't think either is right.
I think Huxley would call Chavez a "Peter Pan." He's eloquent and charismatic. Potential threat? Yes. Assassination? I sure hope not.
:;goes back to reading Island::
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Republican_Man STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004 Posts: 14823 Location: Classified
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 6:30 pm |
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Link, the Hero of Time wrote: | this guy is a far right religious nutjob who needs to be removed from TV before he causes any damage. He's supposed to be a Christian and a religious leader and he's talking about the assassination of a POLITICAL LEADER. |
Pat Robertson has said things similar to this before. But it does NOT mean that he's going to "cause any damage." He doesn't have that kind of power. So you hear a conservative say something that you dislike, and so he has to be pushed off the air? Right. And what about those liberals out there who call for the assassination of President Bush? Should we get rid of their forum to "speak their opinions?"
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Link, the Hero of Time Vice Admiral
Joined: 15 Sep 2001 Posts: 5581 Location: Kokori Forest, Hyrule
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 6:34 pm |
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Republican_Man wrote: |
Pat Robertson has said things similar to this before. But it does NOT mean that he's going to "cause any damage." He doesn't have that kind of power. So you hear a conservative say something that you dislike, and so he has to be pushed off the air? Right. And what about those liberals out there who call for the assassination of President Bush? Should we get rid of their forum to "speak their opinions?" |
So the fact that he's a RELGIOUS LEADER preaching for the ASSASSINATION of a POLITICAL LEADER on TELEVISION doesn't seem wrong to you?
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Republican_Man STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004 Posts: 14823 Location: Classified
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 6:48 pm |
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Link, the Hero of Time wrote: | Republican_Man wrote: |
Pat Robertson has said things similar to this before. But it does NOT mean that he's going to "cause any damage." He doesn't have that kind of power. So you hear a conservative say something that you dislike, and so he has to be pushed off the air? Right. And what about those liberals out there who call for the assassination of President Bush? Should we get rid of their forum to "speak their opinions?" |
So the fact that he's a RELGIOUS LEADER preaching for the ASSASSINATION of a POLITICAL LEADER on TELEVISION doesn't seem wrong to you? |
It seems wrong, yes. Of course it's wrong. I'm not endorsing what he's saying. I just think that he shouldn't lose his place to speak out because of the occasional extreme view--which this one was only said once in his commentaries on a bunch of issues, and his commenatries on each issue last about 1 minute each (there are usually 5 or so issues, I think). It wasn't like he KEPT dicussing it.
However, he is right, though, that it would be better to assassinate a murderous dictator than cause another war that costs much.
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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LightningBoy Commodore
Joined: 09 Mar 2003 Posts: 1446 Location: Minnesota, U.S.A.
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 6:48 pm |
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Link, the Hero of Time wrote: | removed from TV |
Against feedom of speech now, are we?
If it were a senator who made a call for his assassination, it wouldn't be a big deal. The religious are allowed to interject important political opinions too. If he were calling for the assassination of OBL, it wouldn't be a big deal either.
Fact is, it's a little known evil dictator, who hasn't got the coverage he should, and it's a well known political talking head, who happens to be a reverend. It's simply an unexpected and unheardof situation.
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Puck The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004 Posts: 5596
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 7:13 pm |
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LightningBoy wrote: | Link, the Hero of Time wrote: | removed from TV |
Against feedom of speech now, are we? |
Only just as much as some of the other people in this topic .
LightningBoy wrote: |
If it were a senator who made a call for his assassination, it wouldn't be a big deal. The religious are allowed to interject important political opinions too. If he were calling for the assassination of OBL, it wouldn't be a big deal either.
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And we think it would have been ok for a senator to call for the assasinatin? We think it is ok, for someone who actually holds political power to call for the assasination? I would laugh, if I weren't so concerned about some of the things that have actually been said in this thread already .
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Jeff Miller Fleet Admiral
Joined: 22 Nov 2001 Posts: 23947 Location: Mental Ward for the Mentaly Unstable 6th floor, Saint John's 1615 Delaware Longview Washington 98632
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 7:41 pm |
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I thought Christians were spose to belive in peace? this isn't very peacefull
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Theresa Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001 Posts: 27256 Location: United States of America
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 7:44 pm |
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You thought wrong.
Anyway, like RM said, this isn't the first time he's done something like this. Anyone else find that alarming? As a "celebrity", he has a responsibility to be... responsible, Could you imagine someone saying that about Bush? Because face it, that's how some people view him, too.
-------signature-------
Some of us fall by the wayside
And some of us soar to the stars
And some of us sail through our troubles
And some have to live with our scars
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Republican_Man STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004 Posts: 14823 Location: Classified
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 8:57 pm |
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Theresa wrote: | You thought wrong.
Anyway, like RM said, this isn't the first time he's done something like this. Anyone else find that alarming? As a "celebrity", he has a responsibility to be... responsible, Could you imagine someone saying that about Bush? Because face it, that's how some people view him, too. |
I know that. And yet I'm sure people like Link would preserve HIS right to speak his mind, but not this man's right. This man is a brutal dictator, anyways, so it's DIFFERENT from calling for Bush's assassination anyways. However, yes, he shouldn't say things like that, but in his SHORT commentaries, he's supposed to speak his mind. And that was his opinion. Keep in mind that these are SHORT commentaries, and people are making a fuss about something that's not even really a big deal.
EDIT: Okay, the short comment thing could come back to haunt me in the future, as I may pick at a short comment/commentary, and I do not want to be hipocritical, so I say: there is a DEFINED difference between someone saying that Bush should be assassinated and one saying that this evil dictator should be assassinated. Should he have said it, particularly considering his status and position? No. And I would not have. Do I agree with him? Maybe, I don't know. The point is, he shouldn't have said it, no, but it is still his RIGHT to say that an evil dictator should be assassinated, rather than more bloodshed happen from a rebellion or a war that could involve America. This does NOT mean that he should be thrown off the air by far. Whatever happened to free speech? I mean, it's not like he's talking about the assassination of a US President (and I say a, because I don't necessarily mean Bush) which would be wrong and constitute perhaps a national security crisis--but even then Liberals would say, as they have before, that it's "free speech." And no, I don't mean all liberals, but many, and that's what's so hippocritical about them here.
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Puck The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004 Posts: 5596
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 9:23 pm |
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You are the last person who needs to be talking about free speech . And btw, good thing you edited .
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Republican_Man STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004 Posts: 14823 Location: Classified
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 9:26 pm |
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Puck wrote: | You are the last person who needs to be talking about free speech |
Why's that?
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Founder Dominion Leader
Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 12755 Location: Gamma Quadrant
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 9:45 pm |
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Oh Lord, the Socialists are coming out of the wood work. Its sad that its spreading like some vile disease. Everyone supports Saddam, Castro, and Chavez, but they don't mind the terrible things these men have done. Bush frees Iraq from a brutal dictator? "Impeach him! Impeach him!" Chavez should not ONLY be assasinated, but tortured brutally before he is. I wonder why Liberals b***h about the way America treats other nations, but they don't mind how the "POLITICAL LEADER"s of other nations treat their own people. Where are Liberals protesting when Castro MURDERS people who try and have an independant thought? Where? I really would like to know...
I watched on the news what this man said. You Liberals, as usual, are taking it completely out of context.
He said "You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war."
Hes basically saying that he would rather assasinate him, then go through another war. Somewhat like HH said about Saddam. Why is this evil?
"Hes a Christian! They don't say stuff like that!"
I'm sorry, but thats just stupid and you know it. I gurantee you if a Liberal said that, he would be worshipped as a hero. You all are only making a big deal about this, because he is a CHRISTIAN CONSERVATIVE. GET OVER IT.
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Republican_Man STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004 Posts: 14823 Location: Classified
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 9:54 pm |
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Thank you for setting the record straight! Even that Fox News article, from what I read, didn't have all of that! Thank you! I agree with him now. And you are so right, Founder.
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Puck The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004 Posts: 5596
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Tue Aug 23, 2005 10:16 pm |
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Quote: | My feeling is that ALL should simply STOP protesting the war--period. There is no more point in it. We're there and we have to stay the course.
Protesting now can only HURT our troops. |
Maybe it's just me, but that sounds pretty anti-free speech. .
And who was the one who brought up political veiws in this? I am pretty sure you were the one who started pointing out that this was liberals just going at a conservative. Maybe to some liberals it is, but I highly doubt that is what has people so upset. This isn't about politics, or political veiwpoints, it is about the statement itself. Stop looking at all things as "conservative vs. liberal" and just start looking at it for what it is.
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