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The Cannon of Christianity: Pat Robertson Calls for the Assassination
of Hugo Chavez
Hybrid Cars: How Alternative Technologies Are Shaping the
Future of Car Travel
The Cannon of Christianity: Pat Robertson Calls for
the Assassination of Hugo Chavez
Christian televangelist Pat Robertson set off an international
firestorm this week when he called for the assassination of
Venezuela's democratically-elected president Hugo Chavez.
We speak with journalist and author Chris Hedges and attorney
Michal Ratner of the Center for Constitutional Rights. [includes
rush
transcript]
Christian televangelist Pat Robertson set off an international
firestorm this week when he called for the assassination of
Venezuela's democratically-elected president Hugo Chavez.
Robertson made the comment on his TV program "The 700
Club."
- Pat Robertson, Christian Broadcasting Network, speaking
on "The 700 Club."
Robertson, who is 75, ran for president as a Republican in
1988. He has often used his show and the political advocacy
group he founded, the Christian Coalition, to support President
Bush. According to his web site, the TV show, "The 700
Club" has an audience of about one million people. At
a news conference Tuesday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
was questioned about Roberton's comments.
- Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense, news conference,
August 23, 2005.
Robertson's comments were also denounced by the State Department
which called them "inappropriate," but the White
House has remained silent despite repeated calls for repudiation.
Meanwhile, the Rev. Jesse Jackson called for the Federal
Communications Commission to investigate Robertson's comments
and the watchdog group, Media Matters for America, sent a
letter urging the ABC Family network to stop carrying his
show. While some of Robertson's allies distanced themselves
from his comments, other conservative Christian organizations
were not so forthcoming. The president of the National Association
of Evangelicals, the Reverend Ted Haggard, was questioned
on CNN yesterday afternoon by host Kyra Phillips.
- Rev. Ted Haggard, president of the National Association
of Evangelicals, interviewed on CNN, August 23, 2005.
Meanwhile, Robertson's comments have set off an international
firestorm. In Havana, Cuban President Fidel Castro criticized
Robertson's comments saying, "I think only God can punish
crimes of such magnitude." Meanwhile, Venezuela's ambassador
to Washington, Bernardo Alvarez, said Bush needs to guarantee
Chavez's safety at next month's United Nations meeting in
New York.
- Bernardo Alvarez, Venezuelan ambassador to U.S., news
conference, August 23, 2005.
In Caracas, Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said Venezuela
was studying its legal options in response to the comments.
He said, "It's huge hypocrisy to maintain this discourse
against terrorism and at the same time, in the heart of that
country, there are entirely terrorist statements like those."
Chavez has often accused the United States of plotting his
overthrow or assassination. He survived a short-lived coup
in 2002.
US involvement? Over the years, tens of millions of dollars
in U.S. government money has been given to Venezuelan opposition
groups through the National Endowment for Democracy. Last
August, Chavez survived a referendum to remove him from power
through a recall election. Venezuela is the world's fifth
largest oil exporting country and a major supplier to the
United States.
- Chris Hedges, journalist and author. He was a foreign
correspondent for The New York Times and is currently a
senior fellow at the Nation Institute. He is author of "War
Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning" and "Losing
Moses on the Freeway." He has a Masters degree in theology
from Harvard University. He is currently writing a book
on the Christian Right.
Hybrid Cars: How Alternative Technologies Are Shaping
the Future of Car Travel
We take a look at sustainable energy solutions as gas prices
skyrocket, focusing on the increasingly popular hybrid cars.
We speak with the founder of hybridcars.com and go to an interview
with an activist from the alternative energy movement. [includes
rush
transcript]
We turn to the future of fossil fuel-based transportation
in the United States. Gasoline prices continue to hit record
highs this week, reaching above $2.60 per gallon and $65 a
barrel. According to the Washington Post, last week saw the
biggest one-week jump in the average price of a gallon of
gas since the Energy Department began compiling the data 15
years ago. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
proposed new fuel efficiency standards on Tuesday. The updated
standards would change the way compliance is measured starting
with some SUVs and trucks built in 2008. So-called light trucks
would be required to increase their fuel efficiency by 1.8
miles per gallon over four years. President Bush's Secretary
of Transportation, Norman Mineta, announced the proposal in
front of a Los Angeles gas station.
- Norman Mineta, Secretary of Transportation, speaking
August 23, 2005.
Environmental groups criticized the proposal for failing
to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and for opening up
new loop holes for car companies to get around fuel efficiency
standards. For example, companies can get around the new standards
if they build trucks that run on a mix of ethanol and gasoline,
even if the proportion of ethanol is very small.
- Brad Berman, founder and editor of Hybridcars.com.
His writing on hybrids has appeared in the New York Times
and Energy Security.
The Bush administration has proposed slightly increasing
the fuel efficiency of minivans, pickups and some SUVS over
the next five years. Environmentalists have criticized the
proposals because the rules will not apply to the biggest
SUVs such as the H-2 Hummer. This comes as gas prices are
reaching record high.
Amy traveled to SolFest, an annual festival in Hopland, California
that showcases sustainable energy solutions and also features
hybrid cars. The increasingly popular vehicles run on a combination
of electricity and gasoline. These are some voices of the
alternative energy movement.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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