Robertson now "Sorry"

[dogjones]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4610006.stm

US TV host sorry for Sharon slur

Mr Robertson is a long-time supporter of Israel
US TV evangelist Pat Robertson has apologised for saying Israeli leader Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine retribution for leaving the Gaza Strip.
Mr Robertson wrote to Mr Sharon's son Omri to say he now realised his remarks were "inappropriate and insensitive".

He asked for forgiveness, but there is no suggestion the Israeli authorities will overturn a decision to block a tourism deal with the preacher.

Israel said on Wednesday it would no longer sign a $50m contract with him.

"My concern for the future safety of your nation led me to make remarks which I can now view in retrospect as inappropriate and insensitive in light of a national grief experienced because of your father's illness," said Mr Robertson's letter.

Mr Robertson suggested on his popular TV show the stroke was a punishment for Israel's withdrawal from Gaza.

Theme park

Tourism Ministry official Ram Levi said Israel remained "outraged" by the remarks.

For any prime minister of Israel who decides he's going to carve [the land] up and give it away, God says no, this is mine

Pat Robertson
Earlier this week, the ministry's spokesman Ido Hartuv said Israel would no longer be signing a contract with Mr Robertson to build a biblical theme park by the Sea of Galilee.

The centre was expected to cover nearly 35 acres (14 hectares) north-east of the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus is believed to have delivered the Sermon on the Mount.

It would have had a park, an auditorium, a Holy Land exhibition, outdoor amphitheatres, information centre and a media studio.

The Israeli government had tentatively agreed to provide land and infrastructure for the centre in the hope of generating millions of dollars from tourism.

But relations soured when Mr Robertson said God wanted Israel to be whole and undivided and had therefore punished Mr Sharon for Israel's pull-out from the Gaza Strip last year.

"You read the Bible: This is my land, and for any prime minister of Israel who decides he's going to carve it up and give it away, God says no, this is mine," he said last week.

Mr Hartuv insisted Israel had not rejected outright the idea of building the centre.

"The contract is still open - just not with Mr Robertson," he said.

But did God still give Sharon the stroke? Is God now admonishing Robertson, like some hit-man comedy: "It was supposed to look like an ACCIDENT, you Me-d@mned bigmouth! Wha we gonna do now?"

Why don't Robertson's followers see that his religious epiphanies go out the window as soon as there's money to be lost? Although this is probably entirely appropriate for the religious right - the Sermon on the Mount clearly advocates tax breaks for the rich, ill-conceived wars over hydrocarbons and general xenophobia!

 

[tsg]

Classic. Is Robertson apologizing because he realizes he was wrong, stupid and offensive? No. This is why he's apologizing:

Israel said on Wednesday it would no longer sign a $50m contract with him.

What an absolutely bloody [rule8] hypocrite.

ETA: Yeah, he's sorry all right. Sorry it cost him money. But otherwise, not so much.

 

[prewitt81]

I want to say "unbelievable," but it's believable. So so believable.

 

[fishbait]

I thank Jeebus for ol' Pat. He provides comic relief and makes the christian right look like what they are; a bunch of hypocritical hate-mongers.

Go, Pat, go! The worldwide negative publicity is priceless.

 

[Jesus Baby Daddy]

"inappropriate and insensitive".
This much goes without saying. But did Robertson ever come out and say "What I said was Wrong"? ("wrong" as in, incorrect) I want the SOB to come out and admit he pulled the statement out of his ass. Of course he won't. Somebody who made their whole livelyhood on a faith based income, can't admit to lying or making something up. Your Christian followers will forgive you for wrong doing, being insensitive or inappropriate, but once they know your a fraud your done.
Though I'm sure he wishes he would have kept his foot out of his mouth, I'm sure he'll find a way to back out of this. Maybe a hole in the scriptures somewhere. Where it can only will be punishable if Sharon happens to be the son of a goat herder who was born on the 6th Tuesday of February. So it was an honest mistake.

 

[tsg]

"inappropriate and insensitive".

Whenever someone apologizes for their "inappropriate and insensitive" remarks, what they aren't saying, yet mean none the less, is "but I still mean it". What they are apologizing for is someone else taking offense to their otherwise truthful (at least in their opinion) remarks.