Fallwell apologizes for calling Mohammad a terrorist:

You've read the news. Once again Falwell apologizes for "certain statements of mine made during an interview for CBS's 60 Minutes [that] were hurtful to the feelings of many Muslims." But you see, according to Falwell, he "... answered one controversial and loaded question at the conclusion of an hour-long CBS interview which I should not have answered. That was a mistake and I apologize."

And who could forget Falwell's comment from a year ago when he said "the pagans and the abortionists and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America, I point the finger in their face and say, 'You helped this happen'." Of course, he later said, "I would never blame any human being except the terrorists, and if I left that impression with gays or lesbians or anyone else, I apologize."

And before that, in 1999, Falwell said that, "... the Antichrist is a Jewish man who probably is alive today." Which was followed by - you guessed it: "I apologize to my Jewish friends here and around the world and I apologize to the Christians here for having created any kind of rift."

But this is nothing new. He's been at it for a long time. From Presidential Campaigns by Paul Boller (p 365):

1980 Carter / Reagan:

During the campaign, the Reverend Jerry Falwell, leader of the ultra-rightist Moral Majority, announced that he had a conference with the President in the Oval Office and the latter had told him homosexuals needed representation in the White House and he had several on his staff. But it turned out there had been no such conversation. Falwell had never even been in the Oval Office. Confronted by reporters, the Moral Majority leader admitted he had "fabricated" the tale.

We presume he apologized, but the book doesn't say.

Falwell knows what he's saying. The apologies are merely pro forma.

NOTE: We checked, and it appears that the Reverend did not apologize after his National Liberty Journal issued a parents alert that Tinky Winky had become a favorite character among gay groups.   Take that, Mr. Winky!

posted by Quiddity at 10/15/2002 01:44:00 AM