Back in September, 2001, the so-called "Reverend" Pat Robertson was blaming the 9/11 massacres on gays, lesbians, feminists, and secularists. Now Robertson is trolling for right-wing hysteria once again.  He declared on This Week with George Stephanopoulos that American judges are a bigger threat to the country than terrorists:
"It depends on how you look at culture. If they look over the course of 100 years, I think the gradual erosion of the consensus that's held our country together is probably more serious than a few bearded terrorists who fly into buildings. And I think we have controlled Al Qaida. I think we'll get Osama bin Laden. We've won in Afghanistan. We won in Iraq. And we can contain that. But if there's an erosion at home, you know, Thomas Jefferson warned about a tyranny of oligarchy. If we surrender our democracy to the tyranny of oligarchy, we've made a terrible mistake.�
Robertson distinguishes clean shaven terrorists, such as Timothy McVeigh, from "bearded" terrorists, such as Osama Bin Laden.  The adjective goes a long way to tell what group Robertson is REALLY talking about.  It has strong ethnic and religious connotations.  Never mind that in His time, Jesus was considered somewhat of a "bearded terrorist" too.
The mainstream news media has been for four years pushing the idea that terrorists must be hunted down and killed.  What does that say for those "worse" than terrorists, as Robertson proclaimed this weekend?
The question is, will Sen. Bill Frist and the rest of the Republican majority have the testicular fortitude to unequivocally censure Robertson for gross insults to the American judiciary and men with beards.  Or, will they wait until vigilante wackjobs take it upon themselves to assassinate American judges in service of the right-wing agenda, as happened with doctors who perform abortions?  Will the media have the guts to quit soliciting this far-right hate monger's commentary? 
I have not seen the conservatives on cable cover Robertson's rotten statements.  As soon as Rev. Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam implied African-Americans would be justified in bombing white America, FOX News was all over it!
After all, Farrakhan is a menace to decent society, whereas Pat just mispoke himself!
:o ::)

More on this story:
http://rawstory.com/exclusives/lautenberg_judges_robertson_frist_503.htm

Proof postive that Pat Robertson is the greatest douche bag of all time.  ::)

OHHHHHHHH m'god. I hate this guy, and I unfortunately have to deal with him on a regular basis, as my mom watches the 700 Club *all the time.* The man is effiing nut-@$$ crazy. And it's terrible because he looks like a little hrmless old man, but inside he is a warped-minded monster. He actually believes this stuff, and other people, so many, actually believe him! It's mind-boggling how someone could swallw that kind of bullshhh, and it's frankly a bit frightening.

It could be worse. My dad watches John Hagee. :P

OHHHHHHHH m'god. I hate this guy, and I unfortunately have to deal with him on a regular basis, as my mom watches the 700 Club *all the time.* The man is effiing nut-@$$ crazy. And it's terrible because he looks like a little hrmless old man, but inside he is a warped-minded monster. He actually believes this stuff, and other people, so many, actually believe him! It's mind-boggling how someone could swallw that kind of bullshhh, and it's frankly a bit frightening.

who's john hagee?

OHHHHHHHH m'god. I hate this guy, and I unfortunately have to deal with him on a regular basis, as my mom watches the 700 Club *all the time.* The man is effiing nut-@$$ crazy. And it's terrible because he looks like a little hrmless old man, but inside he is a warped-minded monster. He actually believes this stuff, and other people, so many, actually believe him! It's mind-boggling how someone could swallw that kind of bullshhh, and it's frankly a bit frightening.


I think it all boils down to FEAR and longing.

Fear of the unknown.

Fear of change.

Fear of "the other".

Fear is never rational.

The longing has to do with the desire for certainty.

That Pat, Jerry, and the rst of them have so much influance is truely scary.  Do you Canadians, Brits, and Austrailians have similar influencial characters. or is this a US phenomenon?

I think it all boils down to FEAR and longing.

Fear of the unknown.

Fear of change.

Fear of "the other".

Fear is never rational.

The longing has to do with the desire for certainty.

That Pat, Jerry, and the rst of them have so much influance is truely scary.  Do you Canadians, Brits, and Austrailians have similar influencial characters. or is this a US phenomenon?



And don't forget its role in the ultimate right-wing goal: getting the hayseeds to vote against their economic interests. 
If Robertson and Falwell were fire-and-brimstone fundamentalist preachers who spoke of economics as did William Jennings Bryan, the corporate media wouldn't give them squat.  They would be living in obscurity in some back parish of Virginia!

And don't forget its role in the ultimate right-wing goal: getting the hayseeds to vote against their economic interests. 
If Robertson and Falwell were fire-and-brimstone fundamentalist preachers who spoke of economics as did William Jennings Bryan, the corporate media wouldn't give them squat.  They would be living in obscurity in some back parish of Virginia!


But Max, the American working class has ALWAYS voted against its economic interests.  That's why we have no viable socialist party.

But Max, the American working class has ALWAYS voted against its economic interests.  That's why we have no viable socialist party.

The cause of the demise of the socialist movement in America is more sinister than the working class just voting against their own interests.  Howard Zinn talks of this in great depth in "A People's History..."

The cause of the demise of the socialist movement in America is more sinister than the working class just voting against their own interests.  Howard Zinn talks of this in great depth in "A People's History..."


Yes, he does, and even more in Declarations of Independance.  Others who have tried to explain the abscence of a viable socialist movement include Alan Dawley (Class and Community), Philip Foner (History of the Labor Movement in the US multiple volumns), and just about every historian of labor.  None are totally convincing.