Prosecute Robertson for Chavez comment
According to the Federal Threat Statute, Title 18 of the United States Code, Section 875 (C), it is a federal crime to use interstate commerce to threaten a foreign leader. Television shows that are transmitted to other countries fall under that statute.
Pat Robertson should be in jail right now for his televised call to assassinate Hugo Chavez. Think if a Muslim, Jew, black or liberal had said that about Tony Blair, they would be incarcerated before you could say, "Patriot Act."
Tyler Younts' letter (Aug. 30) not only breaks this statute but could be construed as conspiracy in his support of Robertson's vile spew. Robertson is, according to American law, a criminal and as for Christian law he should be excommunicated.
Killing for Jesus and The American Way, it's ironic but the more "Christians" try to "take over" the more the world seems like hell. Welcome to the new crusades.
Michael Northuis
Greensboro
Comments (10)
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Using these statutes you could prosecute about half the members of this forumn as well as George Bush and Dick Cheney and I don't think that's a good idea.
Well maybe with a couple of exceptions.........
Posted on September 3, 2005 5:03 AM
Just take his FCC license...
Posted on September 3, 2005 10:58 AM
I think Pat Robertson is one of Americas biggest idiots, but it's his American RIGHT to say what he wants to say. He wasn't threatening Chavez, he simply shared his opinion that America should assasinate him.
I never thought I'd be defending a scum-bag like Robertson, but he is an American and he has the right to free speech!
Posted on September 3, 2005 11:02 AM
Who would want Michael for his attorney?
Posted on September 3, 2005 1:07 PM
Michael, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha !
There are plenty of muslims who have said Tony Blair ought to be taken out. Bush too. UBL?
Posted on September 3, 2005 4:46 PM
How about prosecuting CBS for running a crawler headline at the bottom of a latenight show to recruit a sniper to assassinate President Bush?
They did that just after the Democrats lost the 2000 election.
How about jerking CBS's license for that, huh?
Oh, sorry, it's a LIBERAL network, I guess they're allowed to try and kill the President.
Posted on September 3, 2005 7:04 PM
Killian,
I am glad someone remember this, I stay in a battle with WFMY, trying to get them to denouce this on the local news.
Posted on September 3, 2005 8:03 PM
And the Federal Threat Statute is unconstitutional. The interstate commerce clause was never intended to be used for everything Congress has used it for. Or another way of saying it was that it was never intended to violate people's rights, such as freedom of speech. Robertson's comments did not constitute a threat. He simply said that someone else should do something, not that he was going to do it.
If you want to allow Congress to use the interstate commerce clause to do whatever you or someone else wants to do, then any number of nightmare laws could be passed with the excuse that it's regulating interstate commerce. For example, they could ban fast food because fast food is bad for you. Not only would this be an abuse of interstate commerce, but I'm sure they would invoke the old standby "general welfare," which has probably been abused more than interstate commerce.
Posted on September 3, 2005 8:25 PM
To the brillant thinker,Michael Northuis;
Where were you when George Stephanopoulos, the ABC'News'organization mouthpiece, in a Dec. 1, 1997 Newsweek article said that Saddam Hussein should be assasinated? Oh no, it is only when someone YOU DO NOT LIKE says something that you wish for the mighty fist of THE LAW to shut them up. Okay bud, put up or shut up. I herby threaten and wish the utmost harm up to and including killing of Kim Jong Il, leader of North Korea. if you really think that I, a lowly American taxpayer
has the capability to carry out such an act then you are certifiably insane. The same for your hysterics over Pat Robertson. His was of course simply a matter of opinion concerning a viable threat in our own Nations' sphere of influence. If you had been around in the early sixtys you would have heard much worse said about Fidel Castro.
I will close by challenging you to continue to threaten Christians who are fighting,as you said for 'the American Way'. We will not be swayed.
Posted on September 4, 2005 5:14 PM
Michael Northius,
Your seemingly Muslim sympathy, "welcome to the New Crusades," does not go un-noticed!
If the "Crusades" must be fought again, so be it.
Christians will use 'Hiroshima' as a future
battle plan.
While the repercussions will be unforeseen, the
Western/Christian world may have to consider
a military attack on Mecca, the Muslim religious center. Hopefully it will be during Ramadan (reminescent of the Passover War).
This would be an extreme measure. However, it would serve to send a message to the Muslim leaders, that TWO-THIRDS of the world will not live in fear of random strikes because of the poisoned belief of extremists!
Posted on September 5, 2005 6:45 AM