Soap Box

I rarely will allow my political and religious / spiritual views to enter into to my tiny realm on the www (although I have enough for months of entries). I much prefer the frivolity that can consume our daily lives to be shared, laughed at and mocked. I however am so extraordinarily pissed about Mr. Pat Robertson that I feel the need to vent (yelling at the TV while the BBC news was on last night just was not sufficient enough).

I grew up in an extremely religious family. I went to private school where we had chapel everyday, and raised our hands during worship representing our surrender to the good Lord above. Church was attended every Sunday, and on some Wednesday nights. We had very strict rules in my home that were enforced by a 3"x1" thick wood board and hot cayenne pepper on the tongue that was used liberally. After all, this is how the church told my parents they should discipline.

My family (specifically my father’s side) lived (and still do live) their daily lives by what was preached to them from the pulpit, and what they heard from various members of their church. My Grandma M told my parents while I was in elementary school that in German “smurf” meant “demon”, so from that moment forward we were no longer allowed to watch the little blue cartoon people.

I share these things because I believe they set the foundation for the mindset of the average person that watches the 700 Club and closely follows the Christian Coalition. For the most part the viewers of these businesses (that is what they are) rely upon these organizations for their information about the outside world. They rarely will challenge what they are told, nor will they educate themselves enough to realize that the information that they are willingly being fed is horribly biased and often incorrect.

So when the leader of these money generating businesses calls out for the assassination of a world leader, primarily due to the fact that similar political views are not shared, it will set me off. Even if I set aside the fact that Mr. Robertson has been an adamant supporter of all things “Pro-Life”, or the fact that Christ (whom I believe Mr. Robertson considers himself a representative for) never in all of the biblical stories (including the one where He was nailed to the cross) called out for the murder of anyone, this comment was so repulsive to the core, I still sit simply amazed that such ignorant words poured forth from this self proclaimed holy and anointed mouth.

Please do not get me wrong. I do not believe that Hugo Chavez is without his faults. Not only is he human, but he is also a politician. However this is a man that is attempting to provide for his people in a country where 5% of the population owns over 80% of the land and almost half of the citizens live below the poverty line. Hospitals and schools are severely lacking where 30% of nation is made up of children.

The fact that President Chavez would like to redistribute the way that their corrupt system has been squandering the country's vast oil wealth, their #1 export (surprise! of which nearly 60% is sold to the good ol’ U.S.A.), to ensure that some of the needs of his people are met, should not be call to arms or retaliation from the United States.

Not allowing the elite to determine his agenda, and actually listening to the 60% of the people of the country that voted him into office is unheard of in this fair land we call The United States of America. I fully comprehend this, however, the people sitting back on the couches feeding off of this information that this ignorant old man chooses to share with them is utterly ridiculous. Mr. Robertson, perhaps someone should take you out… just a thought.

I shall now step down from this box I have been standing upon…

(I promise you much more frivolity in the future…)