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People For the American Way Statement on Divisive Comments by Religious
Right Leaders
To: National Desk
Contact: Jason Young or Jeremy Leaming, 202-467-4999
both of People For The American Way
WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following is a
statement by People For the American Way president Ralph G. Neas on
divisive comments by religious right leaders:
I am deeply saddened that in the wake of this week's devastating
terrorist attacks, Religious Right political leaders Pat Robertson
and Jerry Falwell have chosen the path of division rather than
unity.
At a time when political leaders of both parties are urging
bipartisanship and national unity, it is truly unfortunate that
Americans who watched today's edition of Pat Robertson's 700 Club
television program received a far different message from Robertson
and Falwell.
This is a time for a shared national commitment to bringing
those responsible for the terrorist attacks to justice. It is also
a time to renew our commitment to protecting the constitutional
liberties and democratic values that sustain our free society.
Today's comments by Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell can only impede
efforts to bring the nation together in pursuit of these goals.
--- Below is a partial transcript of the 700 Club television program from Thursday, September 13, 2001. Also attached is a statement from People For the American Way President Ralph G. Neas.Partial transcript of comments from the Thursday, September 13, 2001 edition of the "700 Club":
JERRY FALWELL: And I agree totally with you that the Lord has protected us so wonderfully these 225 years. And since 1812, this is the first time that we've been attacked on our soil and by far the worst results. And I fear, as Donald Rumsfeld, the Secretary of Defense, said yesterday, that this is only the beginning. And with biological warfare available to these monsters -- the Husseins, the Bin Ladens, the Arafats - what we saw on Tuesday, as terrible as it is, could be miniscule if, in fact -- if, in fact -- God continues to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve.
PAT ROBERTSON: Jerry, that's my feeling. I think we've just seen the antechamber to terror. We haven't even begun to see what they can do to the major population.
JERRY FALWELL: The ACLU's got to take a lot of blame for this.
PAT ROBERTSON: Well, yes.
JERRY FALWELL: And, I know that I'll hear from them for this. But, throwing God out successfully with the help of the federal court system, throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools. The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that 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."
PAT ROBERTSON: Well, I totally concur, and the problem is we have adopted that agenda at the highest levels of our government. And so we're responsible as a free society for what the top people do. And, the top people, of course, is the court system.
JERRY FALWELL: Pat, did you notice yesterday the ACLU, and all the Christ-haters, People For the American Way, NOW, etc. were totally disregarded by the Democrats and the Republicans in both houses of Congress as they went out on the steps and called out on to God in prayer and sang "God Bless America" and said "let the ACLU be hanged"? In other words, when the nation is on its knees, the only normal and natural and spiritual thing to do is what we ought to be doing all the time -- calling upon God.
PAT ROBERTSON: Amen.
--- Statement by Ralph G. Neas President, People For the American Way September 13, 2001
Like all Americans, we continue to struggle with the aftermath of the devastating terrorist attacks in New York City and at the Pentagon.
We grieve for the victims of these heinous acts. We salute the courage and heroism of so many individuals, from passengers and crew on the hijacked airliners to the police, firefighters, and other rescue workers, many of whom have lost their lives in the line of duty. We praise those political leaders who have acted in ways that have drawn us together in the midst of overwhelming loss. This is a time for bipartisanship. It is a time for making a shared national commitment to bring to justice those responsible and for acting appropriately to prevent future such attacks.
But there are other dangers we must guard against, as well as terrorists. While we seek to defend ourselves against future threats, we must also guard against allowing our own anger and fear to cause us to act against our own interests as a free people. We have already seen pundits and political leaders suggesting that the fight against terrorism requires us to sacrifice the constitutional liberties that are at the core of what it means to be an American. That would be a victory for our nation's enemies.
We have already seen acts of harassment and violence directed against Arab- Americans and Muslim Americans. We call on all Americans to reject that kind of scapegoating and to stand up against it in their own communities. Targeting people based on their ethnicity or religion was not the American Way when Japanese-Americans were taken from their homes and shipped to internment camps during World War II. It is not the American Way today, when Muslim Americans are taunted or attacked on the streets of the country that is their home.
People For the American Way's 500,000 members and activists are guardians of the Constitution and the democratic values that sustain our free society. We will vigorously support the government's efforts to identify those responsible for these acts of terror and to bring them to justice. And we will just as vigorously oppose efforts to exploit this tragedy in ways that diminish the constitutional and civil rights for which generations of Americans -- in the armed forces and social justice movements -- have fought and died. Now, more than ever, we will act to promote and protect the ideals of the American Way.
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