Idiot mistakes Orthodox Greek Priest for terrorist

[Dennis S]

Tampa police: Marine reservist attacked Greek priest he mistook for terrorist

TAMPA — Marine reservist Jasen Bruce was getting clothes out of the trunk of his car Monday evening when a bearded man in a robe approached him.

That man, a Greek Orthodox priest named Father Alexios Marakis, speaks little English and was lost, police said. He wanted directions.

What the priest got instead, police say, was a tire iron to the head. Then he was chased for three blocks and pinned to the ground — as the Marine kept a 911 operator on the phone, saying he had captured a terrorist.

More:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafet...or/1050707

[Don Kiyoti]

Wow. I had to go and read the comments. Why do I do that to myself? And I thought Arizona was bad.

[Doc]

This may or may not be a pic of that priest. 'Got it from a Google image search.

Nevermind. Wrong pic. I did some more Googling....

But this is what they dress like:
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&um=1&sa=1&q=%22greek+orthodox+priest%22&aq=o&oq=&aqi=&start=0

And the priest had trouble with English because he was originally from Crete.

Greek... Aaaarab terrorist. Same difference, right? :villagers:

[cbelt3]

My initial thought was PTSD, but this fool never saw combat. So it was just native stupidity.

Hope the priest recovers okay.

[Black]

cbelt3 wrote:
My initial thought was PTSD, but this fool never saw combat. So it was just native stupidity.

Hope the priest recovers okay.

Or he was abused by a little greek priest as a child?
Anyone else having trouble reconciling the "terrorist" claim with the "he grabbed my genitals"
claim? My head hurts.

[Carnos Jax]

I know I'm kinda making an 'off the cuff' remark here, but what a d1ck!

Most Orthodox priests are gonna look like that (grew up attending Greek and Indian Orthodox churches). Many 'old school' Christian, Islamic and Jewish clerics have similar appearances precisely due to their 'orthodoxy'.

[OWC Jamie]

Fox News. G.W. are to blame.

[RgrF]

Fox certainly can be faulted for whipping the flames of hatred and intolerance, it is after all their stock and trade. Where it not for the condition in which he left his country, Mr. Bush would be best forgotten and left to the judgment of history.

[mattkime]

Ug, one muscle head idiot is not an indication or product of a political climate.

l'd hope the military would drop him.

[Spock]

Bruce is a sales manager for APS Pharmacy in Palm Harbor. His blog entries tout the benefits of increasing testosterone and human growth hormones. He was charged with misdemeanor battery in 2007 for hopping over the bed of a tow truck and shoving its driver. He pleaded no contest.

'Roid Rage?