Revealing another KSFO lie

Perhaps there's an audio link out there. I don't know. But I liveblogged this when it happened, and not having heard of the incident before, I decided to check it out. Believing it needs broader dissemination, I decided it deserved its own post.

Several times on the air this afternoon, Lee Rodgers at KSFO alluded to the beatings inflicted on members of a Yale University choral group, the "Baker's Dozen," in San Francisco earlier this week. Based on Rodgers' description -- he said they were beaten for singing the National Anthem (paraphrasing) -- you might think it was a gang of rowdy left-wing hoodlums who brought the hammer down on the unsuspecting, patriotic young Ivy Leaguers.

Well, you probably won't be too surprised to learn that Rodgers lied like Mark Foley to a page misrepresented the facts:

Appearing On KTVU Mornings On 2, former San Francisco prosecutor Jim Hammer -- an attorney for one of the injured choir members -- said the party where the attack took place was being held for members of Yale's Baker's Dozen during their West Coast appearances.

"They were the guests of honor at the party (held at the home of a San Francisco police sergeant and her husband)," Hammer said. "During this party, some uninvited guests came in and that's when the trouble began."

Members of the all-male singing group were taunted with anti-gay slurs after singing "The Star Stangled Banner."

"There were some words exchanged…some (members) were violently assaulted," Hammer said. "The Yale kids rather than fight back -- cooled things down -- and left the party. That's when it got really ugly outside."

At least three members of the Baker's Dozen a cappella group were hurt. One member of the group suffered a broken jaw and another was left with a concussion.

"That's how vicious and serious this was," Hammer said. "You kick people in the head, you can kill someone."

Sharyar Aziz Jr., an 18-year-old Baker's Dozen member whose jaw was broken, said slurs were hurled at the group by their attackers.

"You're not welcome here," Aziz Jr. quoted one partygoer as saying. "He called a few members of the group, whether it was fag or homo, very, I would say, juvenile taunting."

So, yeah, they had sung The Star-Spangled Banner. But the beatings actually were a hate crime! There's no evidence that I can find stating that any members of the Baker's Dozen were in fact gay, but that doesn't diminish the nature of the attack as a hate crime in any way.

Yet, Rodgers is trying to pass this appalling incident off as some kind of anti-American display. No, Lee, in fact, I'd be willing to bet that the culprits actually are big fans of yours. They hear you incite your listeners to violence, and it's only natural that they'd act out.

Turning this hate crime into something to benefit your unconscionable, hate-filled agenda is truly an abomination of journalism, indeed of citizenship. You -- and your listeners -- ought to be ashamed. I trust you'll clear up any misunderstanding on your next broadcast ... (yeah, right).

UPDATE (9:36 am EST 1/13/07): I just discovered I failed to include a link to the article I quoted. Whoops.

Fifteen yards for unsportsmanlike blogging. My apologies. I've now rectified that. Steve Simels regrets the error.