Sick bigots from Westboro Baptist "Church" picketing in south Florida this week

If you're smelling a rancid, disgusting stench emanating from America's Glans™ today, most likely it's those hate-spewing, foul excuses for humanity from Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan. We've seen them occasionally on Blast Off! before, spreading their message of anti-gay, anti-Semitic hate at soldiers' funerals, schools, and street corners alike.

This week they're focusing their repulsive message at the Jewish community in Palm Beach County:

This afternoon, the group is scheduled to be at the Jewish Community Center branch in Palm Beach Gardens, at Seminole Ridge High School in Loxahatchee, at the Chabad of West Palm Beach, and at the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County in suburban West Palm Beach.

Tuesday morning, the group is scheduled to picket three Boca Raton area locations: Spanish River High School, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County.

The group also plans pickets today in Miami Beach and Tuesday and Wednesday in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, including just before Tuesday night's Miami Heat-Toronto Raptors professional basketball game in downtown Miami.

[...]

The Westboro demonstration at the Jewish Federation is scheduled for Tuesday morning, when parents are dropping off children at school on the federation campus.

"We will ignore them," said Bill Bernstein, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County.

[...]

Westboro representatives did not respond to an interview request but had this message for any "Buddhists, Hindus or Christ-rejecting Jews" who called them: "You are all heads of the exact same monster. God hates you all and you are all headed to the same hell."

What kind of God, particularly a Christian God, hates anyone? I mean, I'm admittedly no expert on Christian theology, but I always learned God loves everyone. These Westboro cretins have an extraordinarily perverted view of Christianity ... and at some point, their ability to rely on constitutional freedom of speech ought to be questioned.

Here's what I'm trying to say: as a lawyer and an amateur First Amendment scholar, I know that expressions of opinion cannot be censored for their content; while there is room for reasonable restrictions based on the time, place, and manner of the expression, such restrictions must be "content-neutral," that is, imposed regardless of the message being delivered by the expression in question. My feeling, though, is that at some point, these Westboro assholes are crossing a line from free expression into, frankly, terrorism. What other purpose could they have in picketing military funerals to claim that God took the servicemembers' lives because He "hates fags?" And why else would they go to the JCC, the ADL, and high schools with large Jewish populations other than to terrorize the targets of their hatred?

If Westboro's message can be construed to be directed at placing Jews (or gays or whatever group) in fear for their safety and well-being, then perhaps it is not such a large step to interpret it as terrorism. And that ought to be the focus of some investigation at the local, state, or federal level: not as "censorship" per sé but as a means to rid our nation of this terroristic scourge -- the vile, destructive hate of these putrid, squalling scumbags who claim to wield the power of Christianity to defend their evil statements and actions.

Radical? Maybe. Appropriate? Absolutely.

Playing the race card in Georgia

But he says he's not a racist! Look at his NAACP membership card from 2005, not the mannequin in the KKK costume!

I just have to say that it couldn't have been easy for that reporter to walk into that restaurant, let alone do the interview. Kudos to her, and I hope she's OK.

Finally, because they're just the words I choose to use: Fuck you, Patrick Lanzo.

UPDATE (8:40 am 10/15/09): YouTube took the original video down due to TOS violations. Don't know what happened. I've replaced it this morning, but if there's no video embedded above, here's a direct link to the video on CBSAtlanta.com so you can see this moron in all his glory.

More hate in Florida ... but this time, there's a difference

Perhaps you've read about the noxious hate speech in Gainesville, where radical Christianists have been encouraging their children to wear anti-Islam T-shirts to school and ranting about how they have a "right" to do this because it's merely an exercise of free speech. Well, there's plenty of hate to go around here in Florida, but you may be surprised to learn that this time, it appears to be against a Christian group. And you may be even more surprised to learn that this time, I'm on the Christian group's side.

This latest incident arises out of a controversy in Wakulla County, just south of Tallahassee, where a major road recently was renamed to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. One former county commissioner and his wife, who apparently opposed the renaming, have hung a skeletal effigy in their yard and linked it to a current county commissioner, a member of the Wakulla Christian Coalition. And the Coalition was one of the driving forces behind the renaming.

Former Wakulla County commissioner Brian Langston and his wife, Laurie, who hung the decoration, call it a political statement. Jenny Jones, chair of the Wakulla Christian Coalition, says it borders on a hate crime. Coalition members mailed letters of complaint Aug. 19 to Wakulla Sheriff David Harvey, Department of Education Inspector General Ed Gordon, and Attorney General Bill McCollum.

Laurie Langston says her family has even received hate mail over the incident.

"To me, it is about like looking out my window and seeing a noose hanging in a tree," Jones said. The coalition recently successfully lobbied to get Lower Bridge Road renamed to Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Road.

The road was renamed earlier this month, but proponents overcame a number of hurdles to achieve their goal, including the stealing of signs honoring King. It appears, however, that the Langstons won't let the controversy go.

Now, I'm not going to come right out and accuse the Langstons of racism. Indeed, the object of their scorn, county commissioner Howard Kessler, is white. But the effigy (shown at right), coupled with the outcry over the renaming as shown in the comments to the above-linked articles, at least suggests that the Langstons and many of those opposed to the renaming have, um, less than honorable motives in doing so.

But this is pretty much par for the course in north Florida. Just as most people in these parts can't stand having a black president, they can't stand honoring another black man. But in this instance, whether it's a political statement or racism or something else altogether ... well, you make the call.

Hate rears its ugly head again in America's Wang™

I'm kind of surprised this didn't happen in Santa Rosa County ... but maybe it's just a matter of time.

Already during this first week of school in most Florida counties, Christianist students at several Gainesville-area schools have been sent home for wearing T-shirts saying "Islam Is Of The Devil" to class:

On their front, the T-shirts had a verse from the Gospel of John: "Jesus answered I am the way and the truth and the life; no one goes to the Father except through me," and this statement, "I stand in trust with Dove Outreach Center." The message "Islam is of the Devil" is on the back of the shirt.

On Monday, a 10-year-old fifth-grader at Talbot Elementary was sent home because of the shirt. On Tuesday, two Eastside High students and one Gainesville High student were sent home and a student at Westwood Middle had to change clothes because of the shirt, according to members of the Dove [World Outreach Center] congregation.

Dove Senior Pastor Terry Jones said no local company "had the guts" to print the shirts. Dove member Wayne Sapp said he then ordered the shirts over the Internet from a company that allows individuals to design their own shirts. His daughter, Faith Sapp, 10, was the Talbot Elementary student sent home Monday. She said she was allowed to wear the shirt to school on Tuesday - with the Gospel message on the front visible but the anti-Islam message on the back covered.

Wayne Sapp's daughter, Emily Sapp, 15, was the student sent home from Gainesville High on Tuesday. Both Faith and Emily Sapp said it was their decision, not that of their parents, to wear the shirts to school in order to promote their Christian beliefs. Emily Sapp said the "Islam is of the Devil" statement was aimed at the religion's beliefs, not its members.

"The people are fine," she said. "The people are people. They can be saved like anyone else."

Wayne Sapp said he believed the school district's dress code allowed too much room for subjectivity when principals and school administrators determine what is offensive or distracting clothing.

He added that his children decided it was time to "stand up for what they believe instead of saying the rules might not let me do it" and said that society has grown "so tolerant of being tolerant" that free speech is eroding.

Jones said that, to him, spreading the church's message was "even more important than education itself."

Wait -- I thought a dove was the symbol of peace?! Apparently not to these hateful, hypocritical fucks -- I mean the parents, not the kids -- who would send their children to school with this kind of filth displayed on their clothing. A ten-year-old? My own son turned 10 yesterday, and as smart and savvy as he is, he's nowhere near mature enough to wear something like that T-shirt, nor are his classmates mature enough to understand it or perceive it as the faux-religious political message that it is. If you want to indoctrinate your 15-year-old into that kind of hate, that's one thing, but leave the younger kids out of it, you sick lunatics.

And as for Pastor Jones' lament that no one "had the guts" to print that shit locally, I think he meant that no one had the sense to print it.

What is it about radical Christianists and their sudden obsession with freedom of speech? I sure didn't hear them defending free speech rights when students wore anti-Bush T-shirts to school (Pennsylvania, 2005; Michigan, 2003), but it's all okay now? These hypocrites love to wave around the Constitution when it suits them, wresting it away from the Bush crime syndicate now that they're done wiping their collective asses with it, but as soon as it goes against them, they'll toss it away again.

Moreover, the Christianists have a horribly distorted view of freedom of speech, both in Gainesville and in Pace (and elsewhere). As I've pointed out many times before, it's settled law in the United States that the vaunted freedom of speech is not unlimited and, indeed, as lawyers and legal scholars noted in the above-linked article from Gainesville, the school district in Alachua County is on solid legal ground by banning these offensive messages through the school dress code. Hate speech constitutionally can be restricted, and it should be.

Keep an eye on these whackjobs, because sure as they are making their presence felt in Gainesville, they'll be spreading their hate far and wide as soon as they can. They're just like cockroaches: if you can see one, you know there are many more hiding out of sight.

Speaking of sick fucks: Tiller hate comes here

It's weird how posts about hatred seem to draw other haters like a bug lamp draws mosquitoes. In this instance, it's a pretty weak mosquito, but the statement is clear.

Actually, I wasn't sure at first whether this person was serious or a parody, but he (gotta be a man to be this hateful toward women) somehow couldn't resist commenting on my post about the Tiller assassination. I'm leaning towards serious, though, because the writer found the post from a Google search for the term "Fuck Tiller." (Great, that ought to bring even more despicable, hate-filled, loathsome types here.)

Anyway, here's the comment, in its entirety and verbatim as written:

Im so happy that Tiller was murdered.

Dr. Tiller will be 'out of office' for some time and cannot accept any more appointments, that's the beauty of this.

Innocent children will be born into this world, a world that offers a lot... because Dr. Tiller isn't there to murder them anymore.

I find it funny that anyone has a problem with that.

Take care,

Spectre

Charming.

You know, you folks on the fringe Right are so busy throwing around hate that you don't have time to do actual constructive things for society, like finding homes for all these babies that you insist have to be born. For example, your opposition to same-sex adoption is in exact contradiction to your anti-choice position. If you think every fetus needs to become a human, wouldn't it make sense to expand the number of possible loving homes for them if they're forced to be born to women who can't care for them adequately? I find it funny that anyone has a problem with that.

Well, there's one thing I do know: there's some asshole calling himself "Spectre" in or near Corvallis, Ore., using Comcast Cable, whose hate demonstrates exactly the kind of derangement that led Scott Roeder to commit murder. I just hope Spectre doesn't have children himself, so he can't spread that hate to the next generation.

Another sick fuck weighs in on the Tiller assassination

This is really repugnant. And the author of this hate is a coward for not including his or her name, not even a pseudonym, to identify the owner of these reprehensible thoughts. All the person had to do was send an email:

The headline reads "Late-term abortion doctor Tiller killed." I can guess the motive for this killing, and I do think it is rather ironic that this "baby killer" was shot while at church. What a hypocrite he must have been to pretend to be a Christian and perform late-term abortions every day. When he stood before the Lord for his final judgment, maybe all the babies he aborted were there as witnesses against him. May he suffer his "just reward" for eternity.

There are no words to describe the vomitous right-wing garbage that has spewed forth on the Internet in response to the killing of Dr. George Tiller. People who claim to be Christians, expressing satisfaction and even glee at his death. Disgusting.

Today's Daily Schadenfreude: Michael "Savage" Weiner, Fred Phelps, and Don Black

Sure, it's controversial, and while it's legal under a 2005 law, it almost certainly would face a court challenge in the U.S. "It" is the action taken yesterday by British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, who "named and shamed" 16 people worldwide whom she has preemptively barred from entering the United Kingdom. Three of the five Americans on the list are some of Blast Off!'s favorites: hate-radio host Michael "Savage" Weiner, notorious homophobe Fred Phelps, and Florida's own ironically-named white supremacist leader Don Black, and the schadenfreude is oh so sweet for all of them.

The list of the 16 "least wanted" includes radio talk show host Michael Savage, real name Michael Weiner.

"This is someone who has fallen into the category of fomenting hatred, of such extreme views and expressing them in such a way that it is actually likely to cause inter-community tension or even violence if that person were allowed into the country," Ms Smith told BBC Breakfast.

Also named are American Baptist pastor Fred Waldron Phelps Snr and his daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper, who have picketed the funerals of Aids victims and claimed the deaths of US soldiers are a punishment for US tolerance of homosexuality.

"If people have so clearly overstepped the mark in terms of the way not just that they are talking but the sort of attitudes that they are expressing to the extent that we think that this is likely to cause or have the potential to cause violence or inter-community tension in this country, then actually I think the right thing is not to let them into the country in the first place. Not to open the stable door then try to close it later," Ms Smith said.

"It's a privilege to come to this country. There are certain behaviours that mean you forfeit that privilege."

Okay, so maybe none of them had any plans for a summer trip, say, to London or Edinburgh, but it's the notoriety that each of them so richly deserves that is the cause of the laughing and pointing. The three are included with militant Muslim extremists, neo-Nazis, and murderers ... precisely the sort with which they ought to be counted.

The four-year-old British law in question understandably has raised eyebrows in Great Britain and around the world:

Under a new law introduced in 2005, Britain is able to pre-emptively ban anyone who promotes hatred, terrorism or serious criminal activity. Since the measure was introduced, 101 people have been refused entry. In the five months to March, 22 were excluded; the Home Office refused to name six of the people, citing national security reasons. Critics argue that the orders are a form of pre-emptive policing that stifles free speech and, in the age of the internet, have little effect on halting hateful remarks.

Whether or not the law itself is constitutional under British law (if in fact the concepts of "constitutionality" and "free speech" as we understand them in the U.S. even apply), there can be little dispute that Savage Weiner, Phelps, and Black have "promote[d] hatred" and therefore the law ought to be enforced against them posthaste.

Savage Weiner has vowed to sue, apparently not to get into the UK but rather for defamation, which is funny because it assumes he actually has a reputation to protect. Predictably, though, the haters and cretins who listen to Weiner's special brand of aural slime are leaving their misspelled, grammatically derelict droppings in the article's comments (one of which is reproduced here verbatim):

Listening to Michael eveyday you understand how passionate he is about America and how honest he is with what he is seeing happening now. He educates and articulates as none other about how this country is being manipulated into something other than what our forefathers had envisioned. He is honest with his feelings and has no patients for ignorance. Dr. Savage, is a fighter and I think he thinks we are too far gone now in what America should be for the people. He knows what he believes in and can see how we have been manipulated into a Maxist way of life. It did not happen overnight. Fortunately people are waking up and their is a grassroots movement to try and live according to our foundation handed down to us. America is upside down and Savage articulates this. He is appalled at the people that are surrounding Obama. More people should be like him and love America like Savage. Look at how he has helped so many familes when alens killed police officers and others. His believes in borders, culture and language. I believe in this also. He is not harmful he is enlightening if you listen to what he is saying. Donna

There are more such comments if you really want to see them ... but no matter what, the world is laughing at these three stooges today. Don't worry, though, Mike, Freddie, and Don -- even if you can't go to Merrie Olde England, you can celebrate right here at home, because today's Blast Off! Daily Schadenfreude is for you!

Getting back at the gay-bashing, fear-mongering bigots at NOM

You've probably heard of the new hate group, the "National Organization for Marriage." These despicable people are spending millions to confuse and conflate the issue of church marriage with that of marriage recognized by the government (and providing the benefits thereof) in order to advance their bigoted viewpoint against (civil) marriage for same-sex couples.

They recently released a television ad called "Gathering Storm." I won't post the video here, but I'll give you a link if you haven't seen it already and you want to do so. It maliciously preys on the fears of the uneducated and homophobic, and the actors who appear in it (yep, actors -- evidently they couldn't get actual bigots to do the ad, I guess because they're all too malevolently ugly) are just as culpable for spreading the hate. (Speaking of the actors, if you do view the ad, please tell me that's not "Deb" from Napoleon Dynamite at :41 of the video ... although it sure looks like her.)

Although I don't want to post that disgusting video, I'll give you an excerpt in transcript form, so you can see what I'm talking about:

WOMAN: There's a storm gathering.
MAN: The clouds are dark, and the winds are strong.
WOMAN: And I am afraid.

[...]

MAN (referring to same-sex marriage advocates): They want to bring the issue into my life.
WOMAN: My freedom [pause for effect] will be taken away.
WOMAN: I'm a California doctor who must choose between my faith and my job.
MAN: I'm part of a New Jersey church punished by the government because we can't support same-sex marriage.
WOMAN: I am a Massachusetts parent helplessly watching public schools teach my son that gay marriage is okay.

[...]

WOMAN: Those advocates want to change the way I live.
WOMAN WHO LOOKS LIKE DEB FROM NAPOLEON DYNAMITE: I will have no choice.

Jesus H. Christ in a feather boa and high heels, that's some seriously hateful hyperbole, eh? "I am afraid." Damn. How can they think that same-sex marriage advocates want to change how they live? Taking away your freedom? How exactly? And nice work having the doctor character summarily decide to ignore the Hippocratic Oath and imply that she would refuse treatment for the gay community (lie -- or incredibly unprofessional) or suggesting that the government is punishing a church (lie).

The good news is that once you piss off the GLBT community and those like me who are "straight but not narrow," well, you can bet you'll be caught in a snark blizzard. They'll be shoveling out from under this video for a while, I imagine:

Nicely played ...

UPDATE (11:32 am 4/11/09): I've gone back and labeled this post as part of the Blog Against Theocracy, even though I wrote and posted it before my BAT09 introduction. The more I think about it, the more I realize that the theocracy against which we are blogging includes hate groups like NOM, who perniciously justify their homophobic rhetoric with bastardized Christian doctrine. Therefore, I believe this belongs in the BAT canon, if only to expose these Christianist bigots and their hate.

Florida: where hate is great

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Florida ranks third, behind only the more populous California and Texas, among all states in the number of hate groups based here. More significant, though, is the increase in hate groups since 2000 -- 56 such organizations now call Florida home (as of 2008), compared with 39 eight years earlier. That's a rise of more than 43%.

The tanking economy, heated immigration debate and the election of the country's first black president likely pushed up the number of groups, the [SPLC] report said.

[...]

"We are in a worrying situation right now," said Mark Potok, director of the Intelligence Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Groups have succeeded in recruiting new members who feel threatened by a black president and the rising tide of immigration, Potok said.

"All of these things together are clearly making a significant number of white people … feel that somehow their country is being stolen from them," Potok said. A "cultural conflict" in Florida has spawned the large number of hate groups, Potok said. Extremists in Central and North Florida look with horror at the number of Jews and Latinos in South Florida.

Having moved recently (if temporarily, perhaps) from south to north Florida, I've seen such differences firsthand. Few here look askance at displaying the Confederate flag, and the racial and ethnic divide seems to me to be far more pronounced in the Panhandle than in south Florida.

Nevertheless, as I've noted here before, perhaps the leading white supremacist website, Stormfront, is based down south, in Palm Beach County. And its operator, Don Black, makes no apologies for his racist views:

Don Black, founder of the white separatist group Stormfront in West Palm Beach, said he's tired of seeing his group labeled as a hate group. He advocates for non-violent separation of races within the United States, he said.

"We are proud of our own heritage and culture just like every other race has the right to be," said Black, who claims more than 100,000 members worldwide. "Do you want America to become like Mexico or Haiti?"

No, not all hate groups are white supremacist organizations. But the fact that Stormfront is headquartered in Florida, and the fact that it continually tries to justify its racist stance with a thoroughly disingenuous "white heritage" argument, ought to embarrass every Floridian -- at least those of us with a conscience.

Too stupid to breathe: Chris Buttars

Is it just me, or does Chris Buttars bear an ironic resemblance to the notoriously self-loathing (and gay) longtime FBI director J. Edgar Hoover? Just saying ...

Sure, I delight in making fun of certain backwards, anachronistic attitudes in certain places in Florida (*cough* Santa Rosa County *cough*), but then I'm reminded that it always could be worse. For example, I could live in Utah, where state Sen. D. Chris Buttars gives a whole new meaning to "batshit crazy."

Buttars, (far right) a Republican (like you had to ask) legislator from West Jordan, near Salt Lake City, has developed quite a reputation for bigotry and hate during his eight years in the Utah Senate. Last year he referred to a school funding bill as a "black [baby] ... a dark, ugly thing," but he's directed his truly offensive statements towards the GLBT community.

Over time, he's called same-sex relationships "abominations" and has compared gay activists to Muslim radicals. But the man who once called the gay rights movement "probably the greatest threat to America" outdid himself recently when he spoke to Reed Cowan, a documentary filmmaker now based in Miami:

Buttars told Cowan the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community doesn't want "equality, they want superiority."

"It's the beginning of the end," the West Jordan Republican said. "Oh, it's worse than that. Sure. Sodom and Gomorrah was localized. This is worldwide."

On Wednesday, gay-rights activist Jacob Whipple, founder of the All For One Initiative, called for Buttars' resignation from the Senate, urging supporters of the LGBT community to e-mail Buttars and Senate President Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville.

"He basically labeled my community as virtually the devil incarnate," Whipple said. "I don't think that he represents Utah any more. … Saying something so hurtful has no place on the Hill."

Rep. Christine Johnson, a Salt Lake City Democrat and a lesbian, also labeled Buttars' statements "hurtful," adding that she expects Senate leadership to address the remarks "in a responsible and timely manner."

Sadly -- but predictably -- Rep. Johnson's pleas will go unheeded. Buttars' pals in the Senate are rallying to his defense. After all, he's only saying what Republicans are thinking anyway.

But Waddoups defended Buttars, saying the anti-gay comments did not violate any Senate rules. He suggested that Cowan, a former [Salt Lake City] reporter, has a "vendetta" against Buttars.

"It's just unfortunate in my mind that someone wants to continue to [hurt] someone by virtue of a person's position on the issues," Waddoups said.

Cowan, who is openly gay, countered Waddoups' accusation.

"That is a cowardly attempt to direct attention away from what was actually said," the filmmaker and Miami TV anchor said. "I believe the world that is now hearing the words of Senator Buttars will judge it the way they will."

Elsewhere in the Rocky Mountains, another well-known (and plausibly gay) Butters could not be reached for comment.

Perhaps Sen. Buttars (you'll note I haven't made fun of his richly ironic name even once!) needs to hear from more people. Conveniently, his contact information is available right there on the Utah Senate website. I'll just copy it over here for convenience ...

9241 South Lisa Ave.
West Jordan, Utah 84088
Home (801) 561-0535
Fax (801) 561-3242
Email dcbuttars@utahsenate.org

Not sure what to send him, but I'm skeptical that bags of shit will make it through the mail. We could always email him the Donnie Davies video ... but he'd probably enjoy it too much. At any rate, every time he opens his mouth, Sen. Buttars shows the world that he really is too stupid to breathe.

(h/t reader MWG)

Jim Naugle: merely an asshole, or the biggest asshole in politics?

I'm not sure what the next item on the "gay agenda" is (Jeebus, I hate that expression), but freakishly bigoted Fort Lauderdale mayor Jim Naugle (right) had a few words to say this morning to local hate radio station WFTL* about the possibility that his successor -- he leaves office this year thanks to term limits -- might be gay. Two openly gay candidates, Dean Trantalis and Earl Rynerson, are in the race to replace the hateful douchebag.

Here's a transcript of Naugle's conversation (.mp3) with WFTL hosts Russ Morley and Michael Woulfe, starting at about 2:05 into the audio. You will not believe what this fucking idiot Naugle says. Seriously.

MORLEY: Let's talk about your legacy here for a second. How long have you been the mayor of Fort Lauderdale?

NAUGLE: I've been mayor for -- I'm in my 18th year, and on the [city] commission I'm in my 24th year.

MORLEY: Your 18 years as mayor of Fort Lauderdale -- obviously a very popular candidate, winning reelection year after year ...

NAUGLE: Well, many years no one really wanted the job, so ...

[laughter]

WOULFE: Who could blame 'em?

MORLEY: And a courageous guy at that. So, you talk about -- I know you're not the president of the United States, but you've been a good mayor of Fort Lauderdale, represented the city well, and you talk about "legacy" -- do you want to be remembered as the guy who said "No gay sex in public restrooms?" That's the only thing you're gonna be remembered by?

NAUGLE: Well, you know, I would like to be remembered as one of the first politicians who rejected political correctness and did what's right, and I think that as time goes on, more and more -- you know, political correctness can have deadly consequences, and that's what happening in Broward County, where county elected officials are ignoring the problems, the explosion that we've had in new cases of AIDS among men having sex with men, and they're ignoring that out of political correctness because they don't want to get the rap of the radical gay lobby.

And ... but I've been willing to stand up and say, hey, look, this is a problem, people are dying. It's a very costly disease, and we've been reducing activity in our parks and public places in the city. We've made arrests, we've gotten the county Convention and Visitors Bureau to quit spending tax dollars attracting visitors to the bathhouses, so -- no, I think being remembered as someone that didn't let political correctness get in the way of doing the right thing is a pretty good legacy.

WOULFE: Hear, hear!

MORLEY: But on the other hand, you know, you're also being viewed as anti-gay, especially with the remark about gay people not being happy, or not being "gay," that they're unhappy, and things like that ...

NAUGLE: Well, you know, that remark was not made, and it was ...

MORLEY: Was not made at all?

NAUGLE (continuing): It was printed by a reporter at the Sun-Sentinel who has a history of taking things out of context and misquoting, and what I did say was that I use the term -- I prefer to use the term "homosexual" instead of the Sun-Sentinel-approved word "gay," and they made a big deal out of that.

But I've had calls and letters and e-mails of support from many members of the homosexual community that say, Jim, you're absolutely right, it's disgusting that men would go to a park and perform sex acts in front of children, and many -- I have many supporters in the homosexual community that reject this kind of behavior.

MORLEY: Well, you know, Jim, you're not the first person I've heard say that -- 'cause we're all three old enough here, Mike and I and you are all three old enough to remember that the term "gay" used to mean "happy" at one point in time, and how the male homosexuals got "gay" and the women got "lesbian" I'll never know. I guess they get first pick.

NAUGLE: And the poor people on that island in Greece that have to put up with that ...

MORLEY: And "gay Paree!" I mean, is the whole city homosexual? I don't think so. All right, let's ask you this here this morning ...

NAUGLE: Well, back to the two gentlemen running for mayor. I think that a homosexual does have a chance to be elected mayor in Fort Lauderdale, if they reject that notion that it's okay to take over our parks and public places with that kind of activity -- I mean, if a responsible homosexual can run for office and reject that kind of activity, if a responsible homosexual were to run for office and do something about the AIDS crisis here, recognizing that promiscuous activity has a heavy, you know, cost on human life and dollars, I think that they would have a chance to be elected.

MORLEY: Jim, we're running out of time here this morning -- tell us, when's your last day as mayor?

NAUGLE (laughing): Oh, some day in March -- I think it might be March 16th or 17th, somewhere in there.

MORLEY: Oh, that far away? Oh, great!

NAUGLE: No countdown clock.

MORLEY: All right. Always a pleasure to talk to you. Mayor Jim Naugle, Fort Lauderdale's mayor, on News-Talk 850 WFTL.

I find it difficult to believe that there can be a bigger assclown in any elected office anywhere (well, outside of Washington, D.C., at least) than this lunatic Jim Naugle. His endless, creepy obsession with gay life and AIDS and the ridiculous perception that all gay men (and, presumably, only gay men) are promiscuous would be hilarious if it weren't so deranged.

A typical disgusting conservative shit-for-brains, Naugle conveniently ignores facts, or contorts the facts so grossly that they are barely recognizable, all to justify his skewed, backwards, fascist worldview. Regarding the gay/happy mess, here's how the Sun-Sentinel originally reported it a year ago:

"The homosexual newspaper said it's the 'gay parking lot.' That's not me saying that," Naugle said in the interview, "that's what they said. I don't use the word 'gay.' I use the word 'homosexual.' Most of them aren't gay. They're unhappy."

Yes, Jim, as you pointed out today, you use the word "homosexual" instead of "gay." But you also explained why you do that, you dumb cretin: because they're not "gay," they're "unhappy." As for the "poor people on that island in Greece," I guess you're referring to Lesbos, and guess what, Jimbo? The word "lesbian" really comes from Lesbos, you stupid fuck!

What's a "responsible homosexual," Jim? And how do you define "political correctness?" If it means "respecting all people despite their differences with me," then I guess you can count me as "politically correct," too -- of course, I prefer to think of it as "being a decent human being and member of society," which would pretty much count you out.

And, Jim, do you have any idea that AIDS hasn't been a "gay man's disease" since, like, the 1980s?! As of June 2008, "men who have sex with men" accounted for barely a third of HIV/AIDS cases in Broward County (PDF) -- did you know that? No, of course not, because who gives a shit about facts, right? Not only that, Jim, but according to Broward County's own statistics (PDF), the incidence of AIDS has decreased among males (by percentage vs. females) over the last ten years:

click image for larger version

No, Jim, all of this would be news to you because you're just an ignorant asshole.

Look, I realize I'm an uncivil lefty blogger, but I don't normally spew invective like this even against the worst offenders in the Bush crime syndicate. There's just something about the visceral hate that Jim Naugle has for certain segments of society (not just gays) that makes me truly, deeply angry. I'll celebrate when he leaves office -- and thereby leaves public life for good.

P.S. Fuck you too, Russ Morley and Michael Woulfe.

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* WFTL's lineup rogues' gallery includes Dr. Laura, Bill O'Reilly, Michael "Savage" Weiner, Laura Ingraham, and Dennis Miller, plus a whole gang of local wingnut assholes.

Hate blogging, vile and disgusting

I can hardly believe what I've just read.

If you are easily offended -- hell, even if you are not easily offended -- you actually may not want to visit the blog of one of my recent commenters. The level of racist hate is ... well, words escape me. "Appalling," "putrid," and "vomitous" come to mind, but all are insufficient.

The comment is attached to the post earlier today about Rep. Geoff Davis (R-Ky.) calling Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) "boy." Here's the comment -- see what your reaction is:

Calling an adult black male "boy" is acceptable. I encourage people everywhere to resist political correctness.

As for the comment from the Senator [sic] in which he referred to a black as boy - good for him. I do it all the time, too.

By the way I look forward to the day more mainstream people refer to Obama as nigger. I've been doing it since day one of the campaign.

Lyn

I don't know about you, but my first reaction was "parody." Surely no one really could say such a thing, at least not as calmly, as matter-of-factly, as, well, articulately as Lyn did ... right?

Well, judge for yourself. What in the world makes someone think the way this person does? I mean, assuming it's genuine ... and if it's parody, I'd gratefully acknowledge it -- although I'd prefer that the writer be a little more obvious about it. Here's the writer's biography, in toto:

"I am a professional, 40-ish, university graduate with a liberal arts education. My personality and beliefs are conservative. I'm a personal financial consultant. I give advice on investments and money management."

Would you trust your money to a person whose blog states in the header, "I am White. I am Proud. I am AmeriKKKa"?

I keep going over to that blog to select excerpts to share here, but I just can't bring myself to reproduce the raw, despicable hate that permeates every post there. It just makes me ill to think that people like this are out there ... and that she's he's not alone in her his radical racism. What a sad existence she he must have ...

UPDATE (8:37 pm 4/14/08): I've changed the references to Lyn's gender; apparently Lyn is male, according to his Digg page. Unfortunately, he's also a Florida resident, from Pensacola. (h/t theodoric)

UPDATE (8:49 pm 4/14/08): Not to tar all of Pensacola with the same brush, but maybe Lyn is connected somehow to Pensacola Christian College? It would be irresponsible not to speculate ...

Confederate license plate revenue would fund hate group

I've no idea if Frank Cerabino at the Palm Beach Post or anyone in the mainstream corporate media even knows this, but as Xan pointed out in a comment to my earlier post on this subject, the Confederate Heritage license plate bill provides that revenue from the plate would go to the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV).

The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated the SCV as a hate group.

At its August [2006] convention in New Orleans, SCV delegates selected as their national commander Chris Sullivan, a longtime ally of outgoing commander Denne Sweeney and a fellow South Carolinian. Sullivan is the editor of Southern Partisan, a controversial neo-Confederate magazine that has depicted antebellum slaves as happy and slave traders as benevolent. Other Sweeney allies were elected to top posts in the SCV's three "armies," or major geographical subdivisions.

For four years, the SCV has been split by an internal civil war between moderates and radicals with hard-line racial views. The radicals have sought to turn the SCV into an explicitly political group that pushes racist neo-Confederate ideas and issues. The latest election was a clear victory for the radical faction.

"We should all [now] resolve to work to defeat the Marxist Socialists that are waging war on Southern culture," Ed Butler, a newly elected leader of the Army of Tennessee, exulted after his victory. The League of South, a neo-Confederate hate group sympathetic to the radicals, was pleased, too, enthusing on its website that "The Sons of Confederate Veterans have endorsed a radical direction."

The election also solidified the hold on the SCV of Kirk Lyons, a white supremacist North Carolina lawyer, and his Southern Legal Resource Center, which specializes in defending Confederate symbols. Two SLRC board members -- Roy Burl McCoy and Bragdon Bowling -- won posts on the SCV's executive board. In addition, a new constitution, largely written by Lyons with Sweeney's approval, was adopted. The document gives unprecedented power to the national commander.

There is more to the story here. It would be nice if some media outlet besides this sucky blog would pick up on this little tidbit ... but I won't hold my breath.

Reminder: you may have to clean off your radio tomorrow ...

... because it's going to be covered with shit after Jim Naugle's done with it.

Naugle, Fort Lauderdale's famously bigoted, homophobic mayor, will be guest-hosting the "Mitchell & Morley in the Morning" show tomorrow from 6 to 9 a.m. (Eastern) on south Florida's Hate-Talk 850 WFTL. If he's taking callers, I might even try to call in myself, just to see if ol' Batshit Crazy Jim will CUT MY MIC!!! or whatever.

Listen live through the link above, or just click here to go straight to the stream.

And make sure you have plenty of paper towels around to mop up the vile spewage.

Today's Daily Schadenfreude: Melanie Morgan and the fascists at KSFO

Have you been keeping up with the Spocko's Brain controversy? Short version: Spocko was offended by the messages of hate spewing forth from San Francisco radio station KSFO, and he decided to write to the station's advertisers to alert them to what they were supporting. When advertisers started cancelling their accounts, KSFO (an ABC/Disney station) fought back by strong-arming Spocko's ISP into shutting down his blog. Now, the San Francisco Chronicle has picked up the story, so for more details I'd refer you to their article yesterday.

Well, one of the worst offenders at KSFO, Melanie Morgan, responded yesterday, and it's obvious that she is utterly, irretrievably delusional.

There is a very, very serious story, folks, that we need to tell you about. We had hoped never to have this discussion on the air, that a crank with a keyboard would simply go away. But clearly, he has been joined by some very dangerous and frightening fringe-left groups in this country, and have tried to portray KSFO as a big corporate giant stomping on their rights to free speech, when in fact just the opposite is true. In the San Francisco Chronicle today, there's a big article about this, written by Joe Garafoli. The headline on page A2 is "Trying to Censor Blogger: Owner of conservative radio station KSFO demands liberal critic quit using audio clips."

Let me just sum this up for you. There is a liberal, left-wing kook by the name of Spocko's Brain, who is a Star Trek fan, and refuses to identify himself publicly and just cowers in anonymity. I think he's just a chicken bleep because he won't come forward with his own name. Of course, he attacks us as hate radio, as hatemongers, as spewers of violent rhetoric. Well, I have to tell you that what he has done is take a lot of our old comments from audio from our radio station, which is copyrighted. They're old, lacking in context, and in some cases just outright lies. He's put these audio cuts up on his little tiny website, and then he's contacted all of our advertisers and asked them to quit advertising with us and then, you know, keeps pushing these audio clips which are out of context, old, or in some cases just outright lies, as I said.

[...]

I'm not going to get into any more details about this, other than to say that tomorrow morn -- [Friday] at noon [Pacific time], we're going to do something we have never done before here at KSFO. We are going to bust out of our regular format, we are going to drop Dr. Laura programming at 12 noon tomorrow, and we are all going to go on live for three hours or however long it takes to answer all the questions. We are going to invite people to call us on the phones at 808-5600, we're going to invite the media to participate or watch -- either participate via our computer stream or to be involved by watching us here in the studio.

It's almost too easy to take apart Morgan's self-important rhetoric, and the commenters at Media Matters already have done so in fine fashion. The bottom line is, there's simply no defense for the hate speech that KSFO broadcasts. Morgan's attempt is simply pathetic: first, no one, least of all Spocko, claims that she and KSFO lack the right to spew the hate that they do; Spocko merely alerted advertisers to what they were saying, verbatim. Conversely, ABC/Disney's strongarm shutdown of Spocko's Brain is a restriction of free speech, for no other reason than they're WATBs. Second, regarding the clips themselves -- what "context" is necessary to interpret threats against Nancy Pelosi, calls to murder liberals, or any of the other incitements to violence that they've broadcast? And what the hell does Spocko's identity or anonymity have to do with the issue here? Morgan and her pals said what they said, and whether it's been disseminated by an anonymous blogger or by the Pope makes absolutely no difference.

Like so many other right-wing whackjobs, elected and otherwise, Morgan et al. whine about how they're the victims in all of this, but the facts, as always, clearly demonstrate otherwise. It might be worth listening at noon Pacific time (3:00 EST) today to see how KSFO defends itself, but I'm sure it's going to be nothing more than a massive circle-jerk for the hosts and their mouth-breathing, sycophantic followers. Don't expect any dissenting opinions to get past the call screeners ...

I'm proud of the liberal blogosphere and especially Spocko for taking a principled and eminently defensible stand here, and I'm honored to be on their team. Meanwhile, to Morgan and the other Hitler Youth at KSFO, congratulations - this Blast Off! Daily Schadenfreude is for you!