Posted on 10/22/2001 10:15:17 AM PDT by theoverseer
Just listening to Rush commentary on Concert for New York. He got Hillary good, but when he got to Richard Gere, I got uncomfortable.
Gere spoke about channeling energy into compassion and love. Rush flailed him for that, and then put on a clip of a NYC firefighter, who Rush called a "real man," implying Gere was not, who told Osama to "kiss my a--."
While it was comedic, Rush's attack rubbed me the wrong way. For years and years, conservatives have spoken of religious belief as a foundation for civilization. We rightfully fought against Clinton and the Democrats' demonization of religious conservatives and Christian believers, because we believe there is no conflict between religious belief and participation in the public square.
That's why I believe we should be standing up for Gere. Why? He's a committed Buddhist, and he was speaking from his religious beliefs. Buddhists believe that violence is never a response to evil, but that only love and compassion can defeat evil and hatred. Even the Dalai Lama, who has had his native land occupied and millions of his people killed by the Communist Chinese, has never advocated violence toward them.
Are we conservatives truly committed to religious belief, or are we partial to Judeo-Christian belief?
Who cares...
Richard Gere fails that test. Bigtime.
Conservative Judeo-Christians are committed to Conservative Judeo-Christian beliefs, not liberal Buddhist beliefs.
Gere said more than that. I can't quote him precisely, but it was some of that "can't fight violence with violence" doo-doo that the lefties are spouting. No sympathy for Gere; he's nothing more than a male model who speaks on film. NOT an authority on terrorism and war.
Conservatism doesn't require committment to ANY religion. It is a political philosophy.
Certainly, most here are partial to Judeo-Christian beliefs, but that's beside the point. Anybody is entitled to belief anything as a matter of religious faith, and conservatives support that right.
That doesn't mean that every religion is equal, nor does it imply at all that Richard Gere is anything but a leftist twit with some eastern religion.
And one of the problems with that is simply that sniveling cowards with those views are being fought for by brave people, just like the rest of us.
It's easy to "be a Buddhist" when brave, real fighters are defending your ass. The brave ones can't choose who deserves to be fought for.
A lot of samurai were Zen Buddhists.
Yasotai, the leader of Genghis Khan's elite shock troops, the Mangodai, was a devout buddhist as were his troops. They killed other Mongol Tribes and Chinese with zeal.
If Gere was speaking out of some kind of religious conviction, it wasn't Buddhism, it was the usual touchy-feely Hollywood new-age crap.
I hate that Buddhism in America has been hijacked by the alternative-lifestyle crowd here and completely destroyed.
Screw Richard Gere with a gerbil...
The point is that Gere tries to elevate himself to morally superior level than that of everyone else. He is a phoney and a fraud.....its just too bad that you get so easily uncomfortable.
Even the Dalai Lama, who has had his native land occupied and millions of his people killed by the Communist Chinese, has never advocated violence toward them.
The Dalai Lama was asked if it is proper for an individual to use deadly force as protection from deadly violence. The Dalai Lama said that he believed that it is proper.
Ashland, Missouri
This just proves that the Dalai Lama is not so wise and his religious beliefs are at odds with the reality of life on earth.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.