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>>> THE NEW GOVERNOR OF ALABAMA
IS NOW SAYING HE WAS SPEAKING AS
A PRIVATE CITIZEN, NOT AS AN
ELECTED OFFICIAL WHEN HE
REFERRED TO NON-CHRISTIANS AS
PEOPLE WHO WERE "NOT HIS
BROTHERS AND SISTERS."
IN OUR NUMBER 1 STORY, HE MADE
THE REMARKS AN HOUR AFTER BEING
SWORN IN AS GOVERNOR.
ROBERT BENTLEY MADE IT CLEAR
DURING HIS RUN FOR OFFICE THAT
IN ADDITION TO BEING A
CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN HE WAS
ALSO A BAPTIST DEACON.
AT HIS INAUGURATION IN
BIRMINGHAM ON MONDAY,
UNFORTUNATELY THE BIRMINGHAM IN
THIS COUNTRY, BENTLEY PROMISED
TO BE THE GOVERNOR OF ALL
ALABAMANS.
THEN HE WENT AND SPOKE AT A
BAPTIST CHURCH IN HONOR OF
MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY.
IT GETS BETTER AND BETTER.
THE BIRMINGHAM NEWSPRINTED SOME
LESS INCLUSIVE TEXT FROM
BENTLEY'S SPEECH IN CHURCH
QUOTING, "IF YOU'RE A CHRISTIAN
AND YOU'RE SAVED, IT MAKES YOU
AND ME BROTHER AND SISTER."
NOW, I WILL HAVE TO SAY THAT IF
WE DON'T HAVE THE SAME DADDY
WE'RE NOT BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
"SO ANYBODY HERE TODAY WHO HAS
NOT ACCEPTED JESUS CHRIST AS
THEIR SAVIOR, I'M TELLING YOU,
YOU'RE NOT MY BROTHER AND YOU'RE
NOT MY SISTER, AND I WANT TO BE
YOUR BROTHER."
ROLL TIED?
IT TURNS OUT SOME OF THE
THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF
NON-CHRISTIAN CITIZENS OF
ALABAMA WERE NOT HAPPY ABOUT
BEING DISINVITED TO THE BENTLEY
FAMILY CHRISTIAN PICNIC.
THE HEAD OF THE BIRMINGHAM
ISLAMIC SOCIETY SAID THE
GOVERNOR'S WORDS WERE ZURK.
THE HEAD OF THE BIRMINGHAM
JEWISH FEDRATION SAID THOSE
COMMENTS TEND TO DISENFRANCHISE
THOSE OF A DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS
VIEW.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE ATHEIST
SOCIETY CALLED THE REMARKS
DISGUSTING AND BIGOTED.
YESTERDAY ON DAY 3 OF HIS
ADMINISTRATION GOVERNOR BENTLEY
HELD HIS FIRST FULL-ON CRISIS
MODE NEWS CONFERENCE.
>> I WANT TO TELL PEOPLE THAT I
AM SORRY IF I OFFENDED ANYONE IN
ANY WAY.
WHETHER YOU ARE A BAPTIST OR
WHETHER YOU'RE JEWISH, WHETHER
YOU'RE MUSLIM, WHATEVER YOU ARE,
I'M GOING TO BE YOUR GOVERNOR.
THE PEOPLE IN THE CHURCH
UNDERSTOOD BECAUSE I WAS
SPEAKING AS A EVANGELICAL
CHRISTIAN WHO IS A BAPTIST,
SPEAKING TO FELLOW BAPTISTS, AND
WE USE SOME TERMINOLOGY THAT
OTHER PEOPLE OF OTHER RELIGIONS
MAY NOT AT TIMES UNDERSTAND.
>> I'M JOINED NOW BY MAY SOON
ZAID THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF
THE NEW YORK ARAB AMERICAN
COMEDY FESTIVAL.
SHE'LL ALSO BE APPEARING LATER
TONIGHT AT THE BROADWAY COMEDY
CLUB HERE IN NEW YORK CITY.
HI.
>> HI.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> MY PLEASURE.
>> JUST FOR BACKGROUND, YOU'RE
NOT FROM ALABAMA AND YOU'RE NOT
A BAPTIST, CORRECT?
>> NO.
UNFORTUNATELY, I'M NEITHER OF
THOSE THINGS.
BUT I AM FROM NEW JERSEY, SO I
CAN IDENTIFY.
>> DOES THIS OFFEND YOU?
ARE YOU OFFENDED EITHER YOU THAT
CAN'T BE THE GOVERNOR'S SISTER
OR THAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT THIS
STUFF?
>> I MEAN, FIRST AND FOREMOST,
I'M SHOCKED BECAUSE THIS IS
CRAZY EVEN FOR ALABAMA.
IT REALLY IS.
AND I FIND IT OFFENSIVE THAT
THIS WAS DONE ON MARTIN LUTHER
KING DAY, IN A PLACE WHERE
MARTIN LUTHER KING SPOKE.
THIS MAN IS USING THE FACT THAT
HE'S A BIGOT TO PROVE THAT HE'S
NOT A RACIST.
BECAUSE HIS INITIAL COMMENT WAS
"I DON'T SEE SKIN COLOR.
JUST RELIGION."
>> YES.
VERY GOOD.
HE CAN SEE THROUGH THE SKIN
COLOR AND BE PREJUDICED WITHOUT
EVEN THAT EASY MARKER, RIGHT?
>> EXACTLY.
>> AND HE STILL SEEMS TO BE
DIGGING.
BESIDES THE LOVELY "I'M SORRY IF
YOU WERE OFFENDED" APOLOGY, HE
NOW SAYS THAT AT THE END THERE
THAT NON-CHRISTIANS DON'T
UNDERSTAND HIS BAPTIST LANGUAGE.
LET ME READ IT TO YOU AGAIN.
"ANYBODY HERE TODAY WHO HAS NOT
ACCEPTED JESUS CHRIST AS THEIR
SAVIOR, I'M TELLING YOU, YOU'RE
NOT MY BROTHER AND YOU'RE NOT MY
SISTER."
WHAT AM I MISSING THERE?
>> WHAT I GOT FROM THAT
STATEMENT WAS THAT I'M NOT HIS
SISTER.
>> RIGHT.
>> AND I WAS VERY CREEPED OUT BY
THE USE OF THE WORD "DADDY."
BUT I THINK HE LEFT OUT
SOMETHING IMPORTANT BECAUSE HE'S
SAYING WE'RE NOT HIS BROTHERS
AND SISTERS BECAUSE WE DON'T
HAVE THE SAME DADDY.
WHAT IF WE HAVE THE SAME MOM?
WHAT ABOUT THAT?
IS THIS A BACKHANDED SLAP AT
HALF-SIBLINGS THAT HE'S TAKING
P.
>> THAT'S IT.
IT'S NOT JUST RELIGIOUS.
WE'RE ALSO HITTING BROTHERS AND
SISTERS.
>> I THINK THAT IN REALITY THAT
APOLOGY WAS -- IT WAS REALLY HIM
JUST SAYING I DIDN'T MEAN IT
BECAUSE YOU HEARD IT.
NOT I DIDN'T MEAN IT.
BECAUSE WHEN THEY SAY I WAS
SPEAKING AS A PRIVATE CITIZEN
THEY'RE SAYING, YOU KNOW, I DID
SAY THIS, I DID MEAN IT, YOU'RE
JUST NOT SUPPOSED TO HEAR IT.
FRANKLY, I'M HAPPY THAT I HEARD
IT BECAUSE I'D RATHER KNOW HIS
REAL INTENTIONS, YOU KNOW, THAN
HAVE SOMEONE PRETENDING THAT HE
ACTUALLY WASN'T A BIGOT.
>> YEAH.
I ONCE HAD A BASKETBALL COACH
DENY A STORY OF MINE BECAUSE HE
SAID IT IN FRONT OF 200 BOOSTERS
AFTER A GAME AND HE CLAIMED IT
WAS OFF THE RECORD.
THERE WERE MORE BOOSTERS THAN
THERE WERE FANS IN THE STANDS.
IT IS A FUNNY THING IN THE
GOVERNOR'S CASE THAT IN THE
APOLOGY HE LEFT OUT ATHEISTS.
ISN'T THAT ODD?
>> HE ALSO LEFT OUT
SCIENTOLOGISTS.
AND I THINK THAT THAT'S REALLY
DIVISIVE.
>> I HAVE TO ASK YOU THIS.
FOR ALL THE CRAP THAT MUSLIMS
TAKE IN THIS COUNTRY, IF A
POLITICIAN OF MUSLIM FAITH, IF
CONGRESSMAN KEITH ELLISON AS A
LEADING EXAMPLE, SAID SOMETHING
PARALLEL TO THIS, HE WOULD HAVE
HAD TO HAVE RESIGNED THE SAME
DAY, RIGHT?
>> IF KEITH ELLISON HAD SAID THE
EXACT SAME THING, HE'D ACTUALLY
BE IN AN ORANGE JUMPSUIT BADLY
FITTING RIGHT NOW.
BUT I THINK THAT LIKE WHAT THIS
POINTS TO IS THE FACT THAT
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
IS KIND OF AN ILLUSION BECAUSE
THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS PEOPLE
TALK ABOUT GOD EVERY DAY IN
WHATEVER CONTEXT THEY WANT.
OUR FORMER PRESIDENT SAID --
INVOKED THE NAME OF GOD SO MUCH
THAT IF I TOOK A SHOT EVERY TIME
HE SAID GOD I WOULD HAVE DIED OF
ALCOHOL POISONING.
AND YOU KNOW, TO SAY THAT IT'S
NOT PART OF IT IS A LIE BECAUSE
YOU KNOW, IF OBAMA HAD PUT HIS
HAND DOWN ON A KORAN ON THE
INAUGURATION INSTEAD OF A BIBLE
THERE WOULD BE RIOTING.
SO I THINK THAT WHEN HE SPEAKS
OUT IT REMINDS US WE HAVEN'T
REALLY GONE THAT FAR FROM GEORGE
WALLACE.
>> REALLY.
AND OUR COVERING THIS OF COURSE
WILL BE INTERPRETED ENTIRELY AS
PART OF AN ANTI-CHRISTIAN
BACKLASH OF THIS HUGE
PREJUDICIAL NATION AGAINST
CHRISTIANS.
>> EXACTLY.
AND IT WILL ALSO BE CONSIDERED
PRO MUSLIM.
ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU MENTION THE
FACT THAT MUSLIMS BELIEVE IN
JESUS AND THE *** BIRTH.
SHOCKING.
>> ONE LAST THING.
YOU BLANCHED AS THIS AS I DID AS
WE ACTUALLY HEARD THE TAPE.
WHAT'S THE NAME OF HIS RELIGION?
I THOUGHT HE WAS A BAPTIST.
DID HE SAY BADDIST?
IS THAT SOMETHING ELSE I'M
NOT -- IS THAT LIKE SOME KIND OF
SPAS IN GERMANY YOU?
WORSHIP AT SPAS IN GERMANY?
>> I'M NOT SURE.
I'LL HAVE TO LOOK THAT UP ON
WIKIPEDIA.
BUT I THINK BADDISTS ARE PEOPLE
WHO HAVE COMPLETELY LOST
CHRIST'S MESSAGE.
>> FOR THE ONES WHO DON'T KNOW
THAT IT'S NAMED FOR JESUS
CHRIST.
>> EXACTLY.
>> IT'S SUCH AN EXTRAORDINARY
COMMENTARY THAT A GUY LIKE THIS
BECOMES GOVERNOR AND THEN IT'S
OUR FAULT THAT WE'RE OFFENDED
WHEN HE SAID THAT.
>> IT'S REALLY AMAZING.
AND LIKE WHEN I SIT THERE AND
SAY YOU KNOW, I GREW UP IN AN
ITALIAN CATHOLIC TOWN.
I WAS NEVER, EVER TREATED AS AN
OTHER.
I USED TO GO TO CHRISTMAS EVE,
MIDNIGHT MASS.
THEY WOULD SHOW ME OFF TO THEIR
FRIENDS.
THEY'D BE LIKE SHE'S FROM WHERE
JESUS WAS BORN.
AND WHEN I HEAR THE THINGS THAT
HE'S SAYING, WE LAUGH BUT
SOMETIMES IT DOES GET SCARY.
YOU KNOW, AND WHEN RICK LAZIO'S
SCREAMING WHEN THIS GUY IS LIKE
TALKING SERIOUSLY, SERIOUSLY
ABOUT PEOPLE NOT BEING HIS
BROTHERS AND SISTERS, I DON'T
WANT YOU TO BE MY BROTHER.
I'D HAVE TO MAKE EXCUSES FOR YOU
ALL THE TIME.
>> THIS IS MY CRAZY BROTHER.
MAYSOON ZAYID APPEARING LATER
TONIGHT AT BROADWAY COMEDY CLUB
IN NEW YORK.
GREAT THANKS FOR COMING IN.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> 45 DAYS SINCE THE REPUBLICANS
GOT THE DEAL FOR TAX CUTS FOR