Actor Tom Hanks basically just spit on his own plate when he claimed the Mormons who supported Proposition 8 (which prohibits gay marriage) were un-American at the “Big Love” third season premiere party last week.

For those of you who haven’t heard or even seen “Big Love”, it tells the story of a fundamentalist Mormon family living in a normal neighborhood in Utah that practices polygamy and Tom Hanks is the Big producer of the show.

“The truth is a lot of Mormons gave a lot of money to the church to make Prop-8 happen,” Tom Hanks told FOXNews.com. “There are a lot of people who feel that is un-American, and I am one of them. I do not like to see any discrimination codified on any piece of paper, any of the 50 states in America, but here’s what happens now.”

This led to a response from a spokeswoman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Kim Farah says: “expressing an opinion in a free and democratic society is as American as it gets.” Right on!! Freedom of speech, religion and beliefs.

Bill McKeever, a rep for the Mormonism Research Ministry, added, “Personally, I find it un-American to tell people that they shouldn’t vote their conscience.” Well I find it very un-American calling other Americans un-American! Are you still with me? So Tom did what everyone would do to NOT get their ass sued, he apologized!

“Last week, I labeled members of the Mormon church who supported California’s Proposition 8 as ‘un-American,’” the actor said in a statement through his publicist. “I believe Proposition 8 is counter to the promise of our Constitution; it is codified discrimination.”

“But everyone has a right to vote their conscience; nothing could be more American,” the statement continues. “To say members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who contributed to Proposition 8 are ‘un-American’ creates more division when the time calls for respectful disagreement. No one should use ‘un- American’ lightly or in haste. I did. I should not have.”

It sounds like this apology is kind of empty. Tom pleas mea culpa but still thinks exactly what he said. He is just not going to say it out loud ever again! Good boy! Everyone has the right to their opinion and to support whatever they think it’s right and I think that’s the essence of being American…

Photos of Tom Hanks at HBO’s “Big Love” Premiere

[images: WENN]