# Robertson: "Will no one rid me of this turbulent king?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 24, 2005, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robertson-will-no-one-rid-me-of-this-turbulent-king/318476 "2005-08-24T19:45:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robertson-will-no-one-rid-me-of-this-turbulent-king/318476/41 "2005-08-26T13:39:37Z")
> [@Rashak Mani](#): > > Shooting down an airplane that is already about to crash is a waste of ammo… ☹ But we _want_ Pat to _waste_ his ammo. When he’s praying for an asteroid hit on Disneyworld or a the passing away of the Supreme Court elders or when he’s agreeing that 9/11 was God smiting America for _tolerance_, he becomes weaker and discredits that which he claims to support. Rev. Pat has been putting his foot in his mouth too damn often in recent times. I was discussing this with my mother the other day and we hypothesized that he has become trapped in a self-reinforcing “bubble world” and lost touch with how it sounds like to those outside. ---
**Author:** ![Genghis\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/45deac/32.png) [@Genghis\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genghis_Bob)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robertson-will-no-one-rid-me-of-this-turbulent-king/318476/42 "2005-08-26T13:53:06Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > If he doesn’t, who does? I’ll tell you, if you first tell me who speaks for the Black Community. Or the Gay Community. Or the White Community. Fact is, anyone can set themselves up as a spokesman for any self-defined Community they chose. And since those communities are much less cohesive than the media would like to admit, there’s nobody around to refute these guys. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robertson-will-no-one-rid-me-of-this-turbulent-king/318476/43 "2005-08-26T16:59:49Z")
No comment on the merits, except that Robertson’s a jerk. But I did want to say I appreciated the King Henry II historical allusion. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robertson-will-no-one-rid-me-of-this-turbulent-king/318476/44 "2005-08-26T17:42:07Z")
> [@Blalron](#): > > My uninformed guess is that Robertson has some sort of money/investments tied up in Venezuala which he thinks will improve if Chavez were gone. Actually, this one sounds kind of plausible. Wasn’t Robertson associated with some murderous African dictator – Charles Taylor or someone like that – through business interests? ---
**Author:** ![Orbifold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orbifold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orbifold)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robertson-will-no-one-rid-me-of-this-turbulent-king/318476/45 "2005-08-26T17:55:22Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Actually, this one sounds kind of plausible. Wasn’t Robertson associated with some murderous African dictator – Charles Taylor or someone like that – through business interests? [Yep.](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/07/11/national/main562915.shtml) And just for giggles, here’s a quote from Robertson himself: > [@](#): > > How dare the president of the United States say to the duly elected president of another country, ‘You’ve got to step down,’ So, is everybody clear? President Bush asking Charles Taylor, a man indicted for war crimes, to stand down…bad. Pat Robertson, saying “we should go ahead and” assassinate Hugo Chavez, or (snerk) kidnap him…fine and dandy. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robertson-will-no-one-rid-me-of-this-turbulent-king/318476/46 "2005-08-27T06:33:40Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > 1. Why does it matter that Venezuela is oil-rich? Oil is fungible – one barrel is like another --\*\* and Chavez has nothing to do with it but pump it and sell it on the international market.[/;b] I can’t imagine him declaring an embargo – his government’s most important source of revenue would dry up; and if he embargoes oil exports to the U.S. while still selling it to other countries, that’s the same as no embargo at all, in terms of its effects on world oil prices and availability. Venezuela and Mexico , were the two countries that were tapped by various presidents, when opec got serious about rationalizing their output. By having them ramp up their output ,they created a glut on the market ,which in turn either lowered the price of gas , or stablized it. Chavez had stated in the past that he would adhere to opecs pricing structure, and not be swayed by american appeals to raise production. Declan ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robertson-will-no-one-rid-me-of-this-turbulent-king/318476/47 "2005-08-27T06:41:09Z")
> [@Declan](#): > > Venezuela and Mexico , were the two countries that were tapped by various presidents, when opec got serious about rationalizing their output. By having them ramp up their output ,they created a glut on the market ,which in turn either lowered the price of gas , or stablized it. OK, I’m confused . . . what exactly do you mean by “rationalizing their output”? > [@Declan](#): > > Chavez had stated in the past that he would adhere to opecs pricing structure, and not be swayed by american appeals to raise production. So, could that be a plausible pretext for American military/CIA intervention, or not? ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robertson-will-no-one-rid-me-of-this-turbulent-king/318476/48 "2005-08-27T06:46:28Z")
I don’t think this Administration gives a toot about plausibility any more. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robertson-will-no-one-rid-me-of-this-turbulent-king/318476/49 "2005-08-27T06:57:19Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > OK, I’m confused . . . what exactly do you mean by “rationalizing their output”? OPEC is a cartel , that means that every country that produces oil and belongs to the cartel ,will have a certain amout of oil that they can produce, pump or what ever. Rationalizing just means that everyone is on the same page and not cheating > [@](#): > > So, could that be a plausible pretext for American military/CIA intervention, or not? Not in my opinion, he is not doing anything ilegal or immoral, in sticking by an informal agreement with opec. For american purposes , it would be far better to give the nod to Colombia for a military engagement that would have an american brokered peace , when the dust had settled. I only brought that up , because you posted that you did not believe that chavez had anything to do with oil production. Like pemex , Venezuela’s oil production is state controled , which makes it an arrow in chavez’s quiver, if he so desired. Declan ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robertson-will-no-one-rid-me-of-this-turbulent-king/318476/50 "2005-08-27T07:04:55Z")
> [@Declan](#): > > For american purposes , it would be far better to give the nod to Colombia for a military engagement that would have an american brokered peace , when the dust had settled. 😕 What could possibly serve as a cause/pretext for a Colombian war on Venezuela? > [@Declan](#): > > I only brought that up , because you posted that you did not believe that chavez had anything to do with oil production. Like pemex , Venezuela’s oil production is state controled , which makes it an arrow in chavez’s quiver, if he so desired. To the contrary, I’m perfectly aware (see thread linked in the OP, at point No. 7) that Venezuela’s oil industry has been nationalized since the 1970s, which means a nice steady flow of income for the government. My point was, what can Chavez reasonably do with that situation, apart from making money off it? His only choices are to pump/export the oil at full capacity, or not to. And his stated policy _(sobrar el petroleo_ – “sow the oil,” i.e., use the oil revenue to build up the economy, educate the people, and build something the country can still use after the oil runs out) depends on the former option. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robertson-will-no-one-rid-me-of-this-turbulent-king/318476/51 "2005-08-27T16:11:44Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > 😕 What could possibly serve as a cause/pretext for a Colombian war on Venezuela? [NewsMax](http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/9/25/194257.shtml) As per the article , Chavez has been alledged to be meddling in colombia, at this point , if the colombians wish to see this as a pretext, its their ball game. That was one of about 12 links that google returned , so I would say that right now its basically up to you , to decide if its good enough , or its just a sham pretext by the administration. But in the past , there have been flimsyer excuses. [Dispute seems to have passed](http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1377) Declan ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robertson-will-no-one-rid-me-of-this-turbulent-king/318476/52 "2005-08-27T18:53:47Z")
> [@Declan](#): > > [NewsMax](http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/9/25/194257.shtml) > > \ > > [Dispute seems to have passed](http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1377) Yes . . . what’s more, the original story is from 2001. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robertson-will-no-one-rid-me-of-this-turbulent-king/318476.md?page=2)