|
(New York City) Charles Barkley was his usual
outspoken self during a recent television interview in which he said, among
other things, that he advocates gay marriage, believes Republicans have screwed
up the country and is "struggling with my idea of what religion is."
The former NBA MVP, who is
considering running as a Democratic candidate for governor in
his home state of Alabama, also said Democrats have
concentrated too much on criticizing President Bush in the
last two years instead of focusing on what they can do to
improve things in the country.
"They're criticizing a guy
who can't run again, who can't get fired," Barkley said
during an appearance on "CMI: The Chris Meyers
Interview," which will air on Sunday night on Fox
SportsNet. "So they spent the last two years criticizing
him instead of saying, 'Some things aren't right. This is our
game plan.' And now we're two years away from the election,
and we have no solutions and no front-runner."
Barkley was a Republican until
recently, saying he switched parties when the Republicans
"lost their minds." He said he is troubled by some
of the actions of people in the United States in the name of
religion.
"Religious people in
general are so discriminatory against other people, and that
really disturbs me," he said. "My idea of religion
is we all love and respect. We all sin, but we still have
common decency and respect for other people. So right now I'm
struggling with my idea of what religion is."
He also said he supports gay
marriage.
"I think if they want to
get married, God bless them," Barkley said. "Gay
marriage is probably 1 percent of the population, so it's not
like it's going to be an epidemic. Hey, trust me, I'm never
going to kiss you and say, 'Chris, you're sexy.'"
Barkley also acknowledged that
a gay athlete likely would be discriminated against in
professional sports, though he said he believes they would
face the same discrimination in everyday life.
The Hall of Famer, who donated
money to help with the reconstruction in the Gulf Coast
following Hurricane Katrina, said he realizes he has
limitations when it comes to governing, though that isn't
stopping him from considering a gubernatorial bid.
"I don't know anything
about a lot of things, but I would ask somebody and try to
make a fair, honest decision for the majority of the people.
Not the rich, not the poor, not the black, not the
white," Barkley said.
"When you get elected to
public office, you're supposed to represent everybody. Your
job is not to take care of the rich or the poor or the black
or the white. Your job is to take care of everybody."
©365Gay.com 2006
|
Entertainment
