random 27 Jan 2007 05:49 pm
Pat Robertson
Pat Robertson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In 2006 Robertson became a global warming “convert.” One source attributes this conversion to the 2006 North American heat wave. On August 3, 2006, he said on his 700 Club show:
But I tell you stay in doors ladies and gentleman. Stay cool. Get fans or whatever. And the poor, they need emergency fans and ice to cool down — the number of people dead. I have not been one who believed in the global warming. But I tell you, they are making a convert out of me as these blistering summers. They have broken heat records in a number of cities already this year and broken all-time records and it is getting hotter and the ice caps are melting and there is a build up of carbon dioxide in the air. We really need to address the burning of fossil fuels. If we are contributing to the destruction of the planet we need to do [something] about it.
As recently as October of 2005, Robertson (then a disbeliever in global warming), accused the National Association of Evangelicals of teaming up with “far left environmentalists” in stating that global warming was caused by humans and needed to be mitigated.
Now, however, Robertson’s current position on global warming puts him at odds with President George Bush who pulled out of the international Kyoto Protocol in 2001, which sets limits on emissions to curb global warming. Robertson is viewed by one million viewers and often sets the conservative political agenda on national issues
Remarks concerning feminism, homosexuality, and liberalism
Robertson has described feminism as a “socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.” Many of Robertson’s views mirror those of the evangelical activist Jerry Falwell, who has made frequent appearances on The 700 Club. He agreed with Falwell when Falwell stated that the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were caused by “pagans, abortionists, feminists, gays, lesbians, the American Civil Liberties Union and the People for the American Way.”
After public outcry regarding the dialogue, which was conducted via television monitor and took place only days after the attacks, Robertson claimed that his earpiece was malfunctioning, and that he was unaware of what he was agreeing with at the time.
On the June 8, 1998 edition of his show, Robertson denounced Orlando, Florida and Disney World for allowing a privately sponsored “Gay Days” weekend. Robertson stated that the acceptance of homosexuality could result in hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, terrorist bombings and “possibly a meteor.” The resulting outcry prompted Robertson to return to the topic on June 24, where he quoted the Book of Revelation to support his claims.
While discussing the Mark Foley scandal on the October 5, 2006 broadcast of the show, Robertson condemned Foley saying he “does what gay people do”.
Leg press claims
Robertson claims on his web site that through training and his “Age-Defying energy shake”, he is able to leg press 2,000 pounds while others claim he is a liar, pushing a common energy formula. 2,000 pounds would be an exceptional accomplishment for a world-class athlete, to say nothing of a 76-year-old man like Robertson. For comparative purposes, when Dan Kendra set the Florida State University record of 1,335 pounds, the leg press machine required extensive modifications to hold the proper amount of weight, and the capillaries in both of Kendra’s eyes burst during his successful attempt. Thus, Robertson’s claimed achievement would add 665 pounds to the best-ever total of Kendra, a top athlete in his physical prime, who would go on to play professional football in the National Football League and become a Navy SEAL.
In response to the skepticism of this claim, Robertson’s website has claimed that his doctor is able to leg press 2,700 pounds, and that “It is not nearly as hard as the authors of these reports make it out to be.”
A video has also been provided supposedly demonstrating Robertson doing several reps with a weight of 1,000. In the video Pat Robertson is seen using a 45 degree sled type leg press machine, which reduces the effective weight to 707 lbs (sin(45°) x 1000 lbs). He keeps the safety locks in place at the second step which severely limits the range of possible motion. The seat is positioned to allow approximately six inches of travel after the lock. This setup gives Pat Robertson the maximum mechanical advantage at the last few inches of travel. This is generally regarded to be improper leg press technique, and is significantly easier than a proper leg press. The proper technique is to load the weight, place hands on the release levers and then to press the weight from the stops and then to rotate the stops out. Then, the weight is allowed to slide down until the hip and knee joints are at significant flexion. At this point, the person executing the leg press has minimal mechanical advantage and can press the least amount of weight. In the video, Robertson also uses his arms to push on his thighs, which is also regarded as improper technique.