Appeal by Pretty Woman Star Perplexes Palestinians (Gere)

[guajira]

They might not know who Gere is, but at least they know who the "moron" is!

snippet:
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - He's been a prostitute's rich beau, an officer, a gentleman and a gigolo, but Palestinians can't fathom Richard Gere (news)'s latest incarnation as a cheerleader for their elections this weekend.

Well known for his vocal support of Tibet's Dalai Lama and celebrated for his captivating good looks, Gere urged Palestinians in a television commercial broadcast ahead of Sunday's poll in the West Bank and Gaza to get out to vote for a new president to succeed Yasser Arafat (news - web sites), who died in November.

"I don't even know who the candidates are other than Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas), let alone this Gere," Gaza soap factory worker Manar an-Najar told Reuters.

"We don't need the Americans' intervention. We know who to elect. Not like them -- they elected a moron."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=638&e=2&u=/nm/20050105/en_nm/people_palestinians_gere_dc

[da_chimperor]

1. That's one smart factory worker n/t

[Just Me]

2. Yum. Richard Gere!!!

:loveya:

I think it's pretty cool that he's encouraging people to vote!!!

Besides, I love Dalai Lama , too!!!

[Piperay]

24. I agree

he's so HOT :9 and he has a BIG heart! :loveya:

[bin.dare]

3. The category of the Reuter's article tells all ...

... Entertainment !

jeez.

[nine23]

4. "Yummy" as he may be...

...there ARE times when it's simply better to just mind your own business. Noble: yes. Constructive: quite possibly the opposite.

[Just Me]

7. Well,...at least I am confident that he MEANS no harm.

Know what I mean? :+

[nine23]

11. Of course he means no harm. I think he's rather handsome myself.

...and I'm a doood. I also happen to think he's a smart guy.

However, I suspect the fact he's Buddist and "means well" carries little weight in an area where they've been treated like scum for the last 30 years.

Interference from the west just happens to be the #1 gripe the Muslim world has with us. To them, he's a Yank. (Most probably are unaware he's even an actor, much less a Buddist. He's an American, plain and simple.)

I'm just hoping for some kind of resolution to a conflict that is "the mother of all conflicts" - by whatever means necessary.

[JI7]

5. i don't really see anything wrong with it

maybe it's the fact that the palestinians don't know who Gere is and just because he is an american they might associate him with Bush.

but anyone who knows his background and the issues he cares about would know his intentions were good, whether or not one agrees with what he is saying.

[AlCzervik]

6. Oh snap!

"We don't need the Americans' intervention. We know who to elect. Not like them -- they elected a moron."

That just made my day!

[Psephos]

8. What the ??? This seems likely to backfire. n/t

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

9. "they elected a "moron" !! ha funny! just rated it 5 at Yahoo

The world knows we have a moron for a leader !!!
You'd never know it by watching our nightly corporate T.V. news broadcasts!

Now if we could just let them know that we really didn't elect him.

We don't need to encourage these other countries to get out and vote,
no, we need to encourage other countries to never ever use idiotic electronic voting machines!

And I'd better see at least one spineless Democrat Senator stand up this time and demand a discussion on the floor.
Confirm another corrupt fraudulent election? no way-
Someone's got to stand up for the people.
Just one---
think it'll happen?

[Just Me]

10. Yes. I do. I really do believe a discussion will be had!!! eom

[Politicub]

12. Is Gere to the palestenians like

Jerry Lewis is to the French? I didn't know that. BWHAHHA

[henslee]

13. Wow, Gere must be living is some humunous ego bubble to think he's

the man for that job. What an audacious chump.

[democracyindanger]

15. Give him some leeway

He was asked to do it. It's not like he organized it himself. And the guy keeps up on current events.

[ElectroPrincess]

16. Back the truck up please? At least a few celebrities have the courage

to take a stand and put themselves on the line. No, I think it's a sense of concern, and compassion for humanity that drives those who speak out in the public eye.

[henslee]

18. Never said his heart wasn't in the right place. And whether or not he was

he was asked to do it is not the point -- the point is why would Richard Gere ever think he is the right personality to do a Palestinian PSA? It is too bizarre and yes, indicates a certain self inflatedness.

[yorkiemommie1]

14. 'they elected a moron'

sooo funny, sooo true, sooo sad

[Ian David]

17. Thank you, Richard Gere

I was begining to think "White Man's Burden" was a lost concept.

What's next?

Are the Republicans going to send Dennis Miller?

[MileHiStealth]

21. Nah ... Dennis Mitchell n/t

[FreepFryer]

19. HAHAHA! Even the Palestinians can call Bush a moron in their press...

but we can't.

Makes ya think.

[LynnTheDem]

20. LOL!!! OHHHH speaking of, I pee myself laughing when Jim Kong Il

gets on a bush-bashing rant! That man is GOOOOD! ROTFL!!!

[Horse with no Name]

22. The gigolo has grown up

He was nominated this year for an AARP Impact Award for his humanitarian work.

>>>snip
"A few years ago I said, 'Look, I have so many years left, maybe, to accomplish something of value,' " says Gere, moving lithely across the room to pour himself a cup of tea. With his plush gray hair, wire-rim glasses, and beatific smile, Gere has matured into a silver fox, with none of the sullenness that defined him as a young star. "I thought to myself, 'Let me focus on a few big things and see if we can do something there.'
>>>>snip
That revelation led to the creation in 2002 of Gere's public charity, Healing the Divide, an organization dedicated to helping communities in Asia, the Middle East, and the United States tackle some of their most pressing social and cultural challenges. Among the charity's early initiatives: an HIV/AIDS-awareness project aimed at stopping the spread of AIDS in India, a health-care plan for destitute Tibetan monks and nuns, and the development of a culturally sensitive curriculum for high school students in India. Next year, Gere also hopes to bring together leaders in the criminal-justice field to talk about prison reform in the United States.

http://www.aarpmagazine.org/people/Articles/a2004-11-16-mag-gere.html

I think the boy has grown into a fine man and certainly using his celebrity status to attempt to bring peace and health to the world.
I applaud him.

[imenja]

23. kick