Editorial A heartfelt apology

In this age of non-apologetic apologies, of tortured attempts to justify the unjustifiable, it’s refreshing to read the heartfelt words of remorse from Orlando, Fla., attorney John Stemberger (see letters to the editor).

Stemberger became the object of widespread derision last week after it was reported that, in a lawsuit he is bringing against Dollar Rent-A-Car, he argued that Irish people are likely to drink and drive.

The suit in question is being brought by the family of Carmel Elizabeth Cunningham, a young Irish mother who was killed in a 1998 Florida road accident in which her Irish boyfriend was driving drunk. Stemberger said Dollar should have known that Sean McGrath was a risk to do so because alcohol consumption in pubs is a major part of Irish life. Sadly, this unfortunate line of reasoning and the uproar that has ensued — justifiable though it clearly is — have overshadowed the tragedy itself.

Nevertheless, since making his careless remarks, Stemberger has come around. He has filed an amendment with the Orange County Circuit Court removing any reference to the Irish and drinking. And he has apologized to "Irish people everywhere." Stemberger takes full responsibility for his words, calling his comments "ignorant, intemperate and condemnable," and admits to making "false assumptions" about Irish people.

True, Stemberger, in his letter, does — regrettably, we must say — use the hackneyed blame-the-messenger approach, trying to deflect some blame onto the media by claiming we have "trivialized the matter," and further misuses the forum to take shots at Dollar. Still, at the heart of his missive is the genuine contrition of a man who has "the highest respect for all people and [has] no tolerance for bigotry." Let’s hope there’s one part of the Irish character he hasn’t got wrong: the ability to forgive.

May 26-June 1, 1999