Occasionally, lunacy has consequences

January 11, 2006

Last week, TV preacher Pat Robertson told his national television audience that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s stroke was divine punishment. Yesterday, Robertson denied having said exactly what a video shows him saying.

Today, we learn that Robertson’s lunacy sometimes has consequences.

Israel won’t do business with Pat Robertson after the evangelical leader suggested Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s massive stroke was divine punishment, a tourism official said Wednesday, putting into doubt plans to develop a large Christian tourism center in northern Israel.

Avi Hartuv, spokesman for Israel’s tourism minister, said officials are furious with Robertson’s suggestion that the stroke was retribution for Sharon’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip last summer. “We can’t accept this kind of statement,” Hartuv said.

Robertson is leading a group of evangelicals who have pledged to raise $50 million to build the Christian Heritage Center in Israel’s northern Galilee region, where tradition says Jesus lived and taught.

Well, Robertson was leading a group of evangelical investors. Now, Israeli officials said they’ll work on the center with anyone who a) isn’t Robertson; and b) denounces Robertson’s comments.

Israel was considering leasing the land to the Christians for free. Tourism Minister Avraham Hirschson predicted it would annually draw up to 1 million pilgrims who would spend $1.5 billion in Israel and support about 40,000 jobs.

Hirschson, however, is one of Sharon’s biggest supporters, and a member of the centrist Kadima party recently founded by the prime minister. Hartuv left the door open to continuing the project, but only with people who don’t back Robertson’s statements.

“We want to see who in the group supports his (Robertson’s) statements. Those who support the statements cannot do business with us. Those that publicly support Ariel Sharon’s recovery … are welcome to do business with us,” Hartuv said. “We have to check this very, very carefully.”

Yesterday, in defending his lunacy, Robertson said he was “misquoted” and he tries to be “rational” in what he says. Apparently, no one else seems to think so.

Here’s a hint about what’s not rational. Claiming that God tells you things – that’s not rational.

  • Hey, hey, hey!! It’s not Pat’s fault what God tells him. Or are you calling God irrational?? Hmmmm???

  • Something tells me the Israeli public is just a bit more, I don’t know, intelligent than the American public on such things.

  • Interesting…so Pat Robertson was all set to make himself attractive to Israel’s extreme right with his statement about Sharon and “dividing the lands of Israel”…

    Guess it didn’t occur to him that he was about to get spanked by Sharon’s supporters…after all he suffered no consequences when he advocated Hugo Chavez’s assassination – it’s not as if ABC Family yanked his program or anything…

  • I understand that ABC Family can’t yank his program even if they wanted to. I once read that his show (including selection of time slots) was part of the bargain when he sold the station.

  • I once read that his show…was part of the bargain when he sold the station.

    Michelle, you heard right. I did a long post on this subject several months back, if anyone wants more info.

  • Apparently Pat Robertson and Bill O’Reilly share the same belief that saying something on television that is witnessed by thousands, taped and replayed for thousands more, never happened if they simply say it never happened.

    Too bad Bill never tried to open a theme park anywhere. I have yet to see him suffer any consequences about anything at all except that producer lady who took him to the cleaners over his Mighty Falafel of Love.

    Oh, well. It’s a start.

  • Robertson reminds me of the old joke about the Communist who heard the reports of Krushchev’s denunciation of Stalin and replied, “it was necessary, it didn’t happen, and they’re not doing it any more.”

    Come to think of it, that sounds pretty much like every Republican talking about every Republican crime of late.

  • Rian Mueller correctly opined that, “claiming that God tells you things – that’s not rational,.”while Bubba said, “Something tells me the Israeli public is just a bit more, I don’t know, intelligent than the American public on such things.”

    Explain to me then how the brainy Israeli public lays claims to lands in 2006 based on a promise spoken by God thousands of years ago.

  • Hey CB,

    Thanks for reminding us of your earlier August, 2005 post vis-a-vis Robertson…I remember reading it at the time.

    Seemed to me then that the “morals” clause issue that almost any entertainment organization has with its performers is relevant to Robertson’s situation. ( and I see that it was subject to a lot of back and forth in the comments area…) I still don’t see why ABC Family couldn’t get out of its contract with Robertson on “morals” grounds (and, if necessary, let the courts determine if calling for the assassination of foreign principals is protected speech)…ABC Family doesn’t have the interest or will to pursue it…

    Still think it would be delicious to see Robertson yanked on an “immoral” behavior rap…

  • It is amazing to me that anouther country finally had the guts to stand up to this man.
    No one in our country would.

    He really needs to be controlled. Other countries ARE listening to him and he can do damage to us.

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