# Pat Robertson **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 28, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086 "2011-06-28T01:26:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086/61 "2011-06-29T17:18:45Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Dio posted a link in post 33. > > [http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,20098476,00.html](http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20098476,00.html) > > Frankly I think it’s a silly issue and don’t understand the obsessing over such a murky subject that we won’t know the answer to. > > Even if true, I’d certainly look like a moron if I condemned Robertson since I not only voted but campaigned for Bill Clinton who clearly attempted to pull strings to avoid service in Vietnam while preserving his “political viability”. Ah. Didn’t see that link (or read the article, it being _People_, don’tcha know). I agree that splitting hairs (over how inaccurate the term “draft dodger” is when applied to the Reverend Mr. Robertson) is kinda vapid. Perhaps some other term could be applied to someone who falsely claims combat veteran status. It’s very easy to condemn him, however, without looking like a moron. He’s got a very long charge sheet (metaphorically speaking) to justify that. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086/62 "2011-06-29T17:55:02Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > I knew young men who volunteered to go, and young men who would have done just about anything not to. I can’t judge either, just for myself, I don’t see how a man honors his country or fulfills a duty by helping his country do something it ought not to. So a pass on that, no blame. If that same person took a public stand against the war, sure. But to tacitly support the war, and get out of duty only so someone else could fill it for you, then no. Have said that, I don’t know having someone pull strings to get into a non-dangerous job is really shameful. The judgment would be if he later called that a combat role. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086/63 "2011-06-29T17:55:34Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > That neither challenges the argument quoted, nor adds any information that all involved didn’t already know. What’s your point? My point is: Robertson’s father obviously had the resources and influence to keep his son out of combat. (as a Senator, so did Al Gore’s father) Most people who go to war are working to middle class. Their parents don’t have the $ or influence to effect where their child goes. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086/64 "2011-06-29T21:31:09Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Dio posted a link in post 33. > > [http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,20098476,00.html](http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20098476,00.html) > > Frankly I think it’s a silly issue and don’t understand the obsessing over such a murky subject that we won’t know the answer to. > > Even if true, I’d certainly look like a moron if I condemned Robertson since I not only voted but campaigned for Bill Clinton who clearly attempted to pull strings to avoid service in Vietnam while preserving his “political viability”. The difference is that Clinton did not then go around saying he was a “combat veteran.” ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086/65 "2011-06-29T21:36:07Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > Pat Robertson. If there was a God, Pat would be the form the anti-Christ would take. The smiling face of hate and evil. > > I know I am biased, I grew up in Pat’s part of the world and I have learned over the past 40 years to hate this guy. Back when there were only 4 TV stations to choose from (the 60s and 70s), Pat was already begging for money on air on local TV. Sure, we had a few good laughs at the goofy and hateful things he said way back then. We thought others could see the evil. Sadly, we were wrong. > > My favorite Pat moment was when I happened to pass his show just after 9/11. He had a beautiful wall sized relief map of Iraq up in the studio so I innocently stopped to have a look. Really, I don’t normally tune into Pat’s show. He was pointing out where we should drop the nukes to take out the terrorist. That’s right, nukes! Pat’s opinion was that we should obliterate the Gomorrah of Iraq with thermonuclear weapons and he was helpfully showing the viewers where the best targets were. He’s had even lower moments than that - commiserating with Jerry Falwell about how much America deserved 9/11 was one, but arguably his lowest moment of all was when he publicly said that black people should not be given the right to vote in South Africa. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086/66 "2011-06-29T23:44:52Z")
> [@Karen\_Lingel](#): > > This kind of argument always strikes me as odd. Are gay people supposed to be convinced to be not gay? What would be the point? God is smiting the gay and non-gay alike! This kind of thing just makes me think God is a huge asshole. Robertson would liken homosexuality to murder or adultery: a behavior a person makes a conscious decision to engage in, not a biological inclination and identity. From that point of view he is being reasonable. The problem of course is that he’s a hateful nitwit who’s so full of shit he cannot possibly have an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086/67 "2011-06-30T01:29:44Z")
My dad shares first and last names with Pat Robertson’s brother. At least when I was a kid, he lived in the same state that we did. So we would often end up with his mail. People would sometimes call our house asking for him (we would know they had the wrong guy because everyone who knows my dad calls him by his nickname). Once we got an invitation to a family reunion in Scotland. My sister and I found it hilarious. We wanted to show up and ruin the get-together by presenting ourselves as the family’s secret black relatives. Pat Robertson might have choked on a chicken bone from the shock. Damn us for being so reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086/68 "2011-06-30T01:35:02Z")
Did he ever get a check? Tell me that he got a check… I know; his brother, not him. Still, a man can fantasize… ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086/69 "2011-06-30T01:50:33Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Once we got an invitation to a family reunion in Scotland. My sister and I found it hilarious. We wanted to show up and ruin the get-together by presenting ourselves as the family’s secret black relatives. Pat Robertson might have choked on a chicken bone from the shock. Damn us for being so reasonable. I dearly wanted to make the joke, but you made it in spades, so to speak. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086/70 "2011-06-30T10:04:29Z")
Robertson is a dick. No doubt about it. But I don’t see anything terribly wrong with the interview posted in the OP. Nor is it relevant to the subject matter in the OP. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086/71 "2011-06-30T14:08:57Z")
Robertson claims God speaks to him, when it is obvious from his previous statements this is not true. He insults my religion. That is my core point about this nasty little man. Claiming to have the ALmighty’s private phone number and then claiming God will punish America for political policies in beneath contempt. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086/72 "2011-07-01T00:07:56Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Robertson would liken homosexuality to murder or adultery: a behavior a person makes a conscious decision to engage in, not a biological inclination and identity. From that point of view he is being reasonable. The problem of course is that he’s a hateful nitwit who’s so full of shit he cannot possibly have an asshole. It’s not reasonable to say that God is punishing even homophobes because of gay people. “I will not destroy it if there are even 10 good men,” God says about Sodom and Gomorrah. So even if he thinks he’s dealing with the God of the Old Testament–he’s wrong by his own religion. And if he’s such a man of God, why isn’t he interceding like Abraham, or even Moses? Why does he seem to get joy at other people’s suffering? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086/73 "2011-07-01T01:22:32Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > Pat Robertson. If there was a God, Pat would be the form the anti-Christ would take. The smiling face of hate and evil. Very well said. May I add, “The smiling face of hate, evil _and fear_.” How did Americans become so afraid of everything? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086/74 "2011-07-01T01:40:20Z")
9/11. It changed everything, man. _Everything!!!:eek::eek::eek:_ ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086/75 "2011-07-01T07:11:03Z")
It did not change me. (Well, I do pay more attention to fire drills now.) ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086/76 "2011-07-01T13:04:52Z")
> [@Karen\_Lingel](#): > > This kind of argument always strikes me as odd. Are gay people supposed to be convinced to be not gay? What would be the point? God is smiting the gay and non-gay alike! This kind of thing just makes me think God is a huge asshole. Maybe he’s trying to appeal to a gay audience by trying to look like that. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Deal_Democrat)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086/77 "2011-07-01T15:05:43Z")
You can’t be pro jobs and anti business. - Tim Pawlenty * * * Republicans consider Democrats to be anti business. Now indeed, Democratic politicians do things the business interests do not like. They raise the minimum wage. They increase taxes and regulations on businesses. Nevertheless, from the administration of Lyndon Johnson to that of George W. Bush there has always been more job creation under Democratic presidents than Republican presidents. [http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2009/01/09/bush-on-jobs-the-worst-track-record-on-record/](http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2009/01/09/bush-on-jobs-the-worst-track-record-on-record/) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086/78 "2011-07-01T16:49:01Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > He’s had even lower moments than that - commiserating with Jerry Falwell about how much America deserved 9/11 was one, but arguably his lowest moment of all was when he publicly said that black people should not be given the right to vote in South Africa. Can you tell me when he said this? I’d like to be able to quote it in hard copy, I know someone who is a Robertson fan, and I’d like to mess with their head. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086/79 "2011-07-01T17:04:18Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086/80 "2011-07-01T17:37:02Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Can you tell me when he said this? I’d like to be able to quote it in hard copy, I know someone who is a Robertson fan, and I’d like to mess with their head. [Here it is on wikiquote (footnote leads to dead link).](http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Pat_Robertson) [Here it is on conservapedia.](http://www.conservapedia.com/Pat_Robertson#cite_ref-8) He is quoted as saying that on the _700 Club_ on March 18, 1982. Good luck finding an archived clip. Here’s the text of the quote: > [@Pat Robertson (allegedly)](#): > > “I think ‘one man, one vote,’ just unrestricted democracy, would not be wise. There needs to be some kind of protection for the minority which the white people represent now, a minority, and they need and have a right to demand a protection of their rights.” Not quite _“Never give black South Africans the franchise,”_ but troubling. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-robertson/587086.md?page=3)