03/07/2006
Maryland Republican Delegate calls for judge to be impeached because last month she ruled that banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, striking down a 33-year-old law. Delegate Don Dwyer: "It is our duty, our obligation and our responsibility to hold the court accountable."
Ohio Senate hopeful advocates death penalty for homosexuality.
Wingnut Merrill Keiser, Jr: "Just like we have laws against murder, we have laws against stealing, we have laws against taking drugs -- we should have laws against immoral conduct."
Posted 12:28 PM EST by Andy in Elsewhere | Permalink
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A year or so ago I would have been surprised that he was running as a Democrat. Today I think the cowardly Dems realize that they're going to have to be more vocal about selling us down the river to win elections. Bring it on, I say. I want to see this country so fragmented that companies will be forced to locate in the two or three remaining states where educated people will choose to live.
Posted by: Dan | Mar 7, 2006 12:54:02 PM
Love how he calls himself a "Democrat." I wouldn't be surprised in the least if this were a DeWine/Ohio GOP plant. But, more likely, just a nutball.
Posted by: Glenn | Mar 7, 2006 12:54:15 PM
He will make the real Democrat in the race look normal.
Posted by: Donald | Mar 7, 2006 1:04:40 PM
Here's some fun trivia: What happens when you vilify a group of people long enough? Well, suddenly the death penalty makes sense. It happens in every genocide - the victims are de-humanized, blamed for current malaise, and soon enough they are shipped off, gassed, hacked to death with machetes, starved, isolated, removed or otherwise dealt with.
Is that our future? I wonder.
Posted by: David | Mar 7, 2006 1:11:05 PM
For those of us not living in a western industrialized nation, David's scenario is indeed our fate.
Posted by: Brian | Mar 7, 2006 1:12:35 PM
Here's hoping Mr. Keiser soon drives his truck off a cliff. If he is allowed to be so openly mean-spirited, he shouldn't mind if I am.
Posted by: Bill | Mar 7, 2006 1:21:10 PM
David,
My spouse and I are Canadian and live temporarily in the USA while on a business assignment. We are thirty years together and legally married for the past three years. We were born in 1946 and are both turning the big SIX - OH......
While in university, we met a gay Austrian professor who had been a young man who wore a Purple Triangle. He was frail and timid, and always looked as if fear was a friend.
The United States has many of the attributes of a developing fascist state. The right and extreme right wings are in power in your country on all levels of governance.
A change in your legislative branch later this fall is not predicted. The number of seats not gerrymandered to incumbents and especially neoconservative incumbents, is not enough to create a real political shift as in parliamentary forms of government.
Do I see nothing but losses rather than gains for our American LBGT cousins? Yes, unfortunately. It is even doubtful if you can hold on to your toehold in MA.
Yes, we Canadians have a minority Tory Neocon government in power. The difference is that they cannot legislate anything without another party giving them the needed votes. Minority governments usually last a few months to a few years. They rarely turn and become majority governments. History usually suggests a Liberal resurgence.
Posted by: Raymond | Mar 7, 2006 1:30:08 PM
Ray's way off the mark here, imho. I think all you have to look to is the recent Hillary dumping that's gone on to realize that the LGBT movement in this country is finally getting a much-needed spine. The problem with the Clinton years is that we were lulled into a false sense of complacency. Bush, though his his ideology and sheer ineptitude, has begun to galvanize and strengthen the opposition.
Bush's numbers are in the toilet - right at or below where Clinton was right before the GOP took over Congress. Why do you think GOP leadership is starting to buck against dubya? They're seeing the numbers and are beginning to realize that unless they do a 180 on policy, they're gonna lose their job.
Bottom line - this trucker/senate candidate is nothing more than a one note freak show. Notice Andy devoted all of two sentences to this guy. Don't be trying to draw a big picture analysis from this.
Posted by: Dan | Mar 7, 2006 1:47:54 PM
seems to me the diff between clinton & bush equally low approval ratings was that clinton was fucking an intern & bush is fucking the country.
Posted by: bunchyerpanties | Mar 7, 2006 2:05:27 PM
Clinton's bad numbers were in 94 before the mid-terms and they were not quite this low. During the whole intern mess they were in the high 50's -60's with Democrats picking up seats in the mid terms.
Because the Republicans mocked the impeachment process for Bill Clinton it will be all the harder to attempt to impeach GWB if it gets to that point. Impeachment is a serious issue and should only be undertaken as a last resort. I know this strays from the topic a tad.
Posted by: Donald | Mar 7, 2006 2:10:41 PM
Raymond is right. Right now we have more in common with the repressive regimes of radical fundamentalist states than we do with the developed western nations. The only difference is our government uses the Bible as its basis, not the Koran. What's next? A crusade? Oh wait, Bush has already sent our troops on one in the name of his version of democracy.
Posted by: MT | Mar 7, 2006 2:12:24 PM
The reason extreme gay hating people stand out as much as the Ohio trucker, or Fred Phelps, is because they are just that, extreme. That is not the normal feeling of the average American. Gays have made much progress over the past 50 years. I expect we'll make even more in the next.
Please don't think a freak like Merrill kaiser can set the entire country off on a gay killing spree...
Posted by: Greg | Mar 7, 2006 2:20:27 PM
Can we pause a moment to note that this clown is an utter nobody? It's not much of a consolation, but it's something.
PS I hate what's happened in this land in these years. I think it's getting worse, and not just for gays. And, for those of us still disbelieving of a fascist end to this nation, think about what brought the Roman Empire down. It wasn't lead, and it wasn't the Huns. It was, more than anything, their inability to see their way of life as what it was: an historical period, with a beginning and an end. Instead, they saw it as a condition of nature, as omnipresent and eternal as the air they breathed.
Posted by: Jacko | Mar 7, 2006 2:22:01 PM
Just wait a year.
Escorts hired by the guy or an actual boyfriend will pop up with pictures of him sucking cock.
our own worse enemies are the self loathing closet cases (log cabin repubs...LOL)
Posted by: jimmyboyo | Mar 7, 2006 2:25:18 PM
I have to agree with David; I see it coming. I am just waiting for this hoard of Christian terrorists holding power in this country to demand every gay be "registered", then under guise of the "Patriot Act", routinely have our homes invaded and searched. That day is not far off.
Posted by: Rad | Mar 7, 2006 2:25:48 PM
WHY THE FUCK DOES THIS IDIOT MERIT A MENTION??!!!!! Do we now feel compelled to start wringing our hands every time some idiot mouths off? Is there manadatory news coverage of every crackpot? I saw on CNN today the coverage given to Frd Phelps at some soldiers funeral. I was so disgusted I wanted to see if Anderson Cooper was still cruising the steam room at World's Gym just to smack that bitch in the mouth. Get a bit of stupid news coverage for stupid acts for our side. Of course I didn't..instead I ran an extra mile out of anger...and I'm too fucking old for that...lol.
My point, somewhere here, is that watching for the REAL enemy is important. Watching for boogiemen in our closet/under our bed is stupid. Andy..you're bullshit on this one. He's not worth the post, my rebuttal, or any of the comments about the end of the world as we know it.
Posted by: PSMike | Mar 7, 2006 2:40:23 PM
I guess I'm thinking about levels of acceptability. Here's just another report of someone suggesting we be killed. A crackpot, sure. Nut jobs abound.
What happens when the boogie men come out of the closet? As Jimmyboyo pointed out, that's probably where he is.
What happens is we get killed. Drug behind a car. And being afraid of the gay is enough to lighten your sentence.
So I'm not thinking about this one guy per se. Just the emerging trends.
If you don't feel like sleeping tonight, read A Century of Genocide.
Thanks, Andy.
Posted by: David | Mar 7, 2006 2:59:32 PM
The truth is we don't get killed nearly as often as most other 'minority' groups in the world...but we act like we do. BY NO MEANS DOES THAT IMPLY THAT THE FEW WHO ARE KILLED/INJURED ARE LESS IMPORTANT. And that really was my point. If we continue to give creedence (sp?) to every nutjob out there by giving him a forum, then their movement will grow. I was angry about the Phelps CNN report this morning for the very homophobia of the report. In this case, it IS about shooting the messenger. Why do these subhumans warrant the coverage. Do KKK spokemen or Crips spokesmen, or even 'kill the jews/kill the muslims/kill the christians' spokesmen get this kind of de facto support? No..they do not. They are ignored because they have no merit. Somehow, it's acceptable to let 'the opposing viewpoint' for virulent homophobia have their voice. AND THAT is the bullshit that angers me. I don't advocate BY ANY MEANS sticking our heads in the sand. What I wonder, Chicken Littles, is when the sky is REALLY falling will we be able to distinguish the rocks falling on our heads from the numbingly mindless chatter to which we've become accustomed. I think I am more on the side of 'wish' for a societal armeggedon...let's just bring it on, as was posted earlier, instead of just whining and doing nothing. In the meantime, I guess I'll just tilt at windmills and wonder why we only act brave when bravery isn't required.
OKOK..deep breath..not really going postal, but just tired of not looking at the big picture.
Posted by: PSMike | Mar 7, 2006 3:26:31 PM
If you want to know where it all started.....
where it all went wrong.......
Just look back to the repeal of the "Fairness in broadcasting" law.
At one point...a very recent point in american history (since the government once truly felt it owned the airwaves)all broadcasters had to....HAD TO by law in america allow equal time to all opposing views on a subject.
At one point creationists couldn't get on tv without an evolutionist rebutting them....
it would have carried over to today that an anti-gay preacher would have been rebutted by a gay advocate or not be aired at all.
When the 'fairness in broadcasting act was repealled....all the wing nut facsists took the airwaves without the requiriment of an intelligent rebuttal to their crap...and that crap has brain washed quite a few idiots
The Fairness in Broadcasting act was repealed under Reagan
Posted by: jimmyboyo | Mar 7, 2006 3:36:10 PM
You know, it's this kind of hysterical hyperbole that alienates anybody with an ounce of common sense. Is Bush a seriously incompetent president? Undoubtedly. Has he seriously eroded personal freedoms and given the religious right unprecedented power? You bet. But are we really on the verge of becoming a fascist state? Get real, people.
The pendulum's already begun to swing against the neocon movement. Why do you think Kristol's going on the air and openly attacking the president? Why do you think there's an air of open revolt in GOP? If the democrats could only get off their collective asses and offer a coherent alternative, I think you'd see the biggest electoral upset this country's ever seen.
Bottom line - Bush isn't Mussolini. He's just a shitty president.
Posted by: Dan | Mar 7, 2006 3:58:11 PM
The fact that this wingnut is running as a Democrat is a new and emerging strategy by the GOP. They are sending out far right wingers to register and run as Democrats with the intention of then reverting back to Republicans after the fall election. The same thing is happening on the local level where my father lives in Oregon. One of the far right wingnuts has switched to run for County Commissioner as a Democrat saying he will have a better chance of getting elected to office as a Democrat but it is widely believed and "understood" that once the election is over he will rejoin the Republican Party. This seems to be the latest dirty trick in Karl Roves seemingly endless bag of dirty political tricks. Somebody with connections to the DNC needs to make Howard Dean aware of this new and alarming tactic by the Republicans.
Posted by: Robert In WeHo | Mar 7, 2006 4:00:02 PM
In July 2004 Scotty Joe Weaver was murdered in his home and his body was then taken to a deserted road and burned. He was 18 years old. He was killed by his two roommates and a third person, and there is just a little irony in the fact that Scotty had been paying everyone's bills. There is little doubt that he was killed because he was gay.
Of course, this is nothing new. But I want you to ponder how two folks who were on the receiving end of Scotty's kindnesses were capable of killing him in such a way. Can there be any other reason than that on some fundamental level he was thought of as sub-human, and therefore, his life was not worth worrying about? Of course there is no doubt.
Then ponder how those folks came to feel that way. You know and I know. It's the endless condemnations that this society allows. It's not just the whackjobs like this idiot from Ohio. It's the good folks that let him get away with it. It's the good folks that continue to think that it's okay for someone to condemn gay folks, after all everyone is entitled to their opinion. Here's my opinion: Scotty Joe Weaver's blood is on the hands of each person who allows hateful comments to exist and who fails to condemn it.
It is on the hands of the GOP who use gay rights as a political tool. Even if they don't really believe gay folks should be persecuted, they are willing to foster the hate to get more votes.
It is on the hands of the Democrats who allegedly support gay rights, but do so in an oh so tepid way, so that they won't loose too many votes from the center and the right.
And it's on the hands of those parents who spend all of their time making sure that their children are not exposed to gay folk or gay-themed materials because gay stuff is just too controversial for children.
And it's on the hands of every closeted gay person who perpetuates the belief that there is something shameful in being gay.
There's blood aplenty to go around. But we need to stop it. We simply can't take this anymore. Just start speaking out. And don't stop.
Posted by: Kyle Childress | Mar 7, 2006 4:21:30 PM
A few years ago as I was driving my truck, a guy almost rear-ended me. I pointed to the speed limit sign and he must have thought I flipped him off. He tried running me off the road, pulled up next to me and called me "cock-sucker" and a few other choice words. I had a rainbow sticker on my truck. I seriously believe, had I not called 911 on my cell phone, he might have hurt me...or worse.
An extreme nutcase--just one--can do serious damage. I think every time we pretend they aren't out there chanting for us to die we give the volume a little boost. I think every time we say "Oh, it's only one person" we make it possible for there to be two more. I think that when we think it can't happen here we are setting ourselves up for camps and gas chambers.
Posted by: JT | Mar 7, 2006 5:07:44 PM
Please don't think a freak like Merrill kaiser can set the entire country off on a gay killing spree...
Well, who exactly are you counting on to prevent it from happening? George Bush? Hillary Clinton? John Kerry? The 70% that voted to prevent you from marrying your partner? Honestly, who?
It's a mistake to treat this guy as a joke, and it's a mistake to ignore him. People who respect themselves don't let shit like this get said about them, period. And nobody respects people who don't respect themselves.
Posted by: Sportin' Life | Mar 7, 2006 6:20:08 PM
A few years ago, sodomy laws were still on the books--remember that! It is no longer illegal for us to have sex in the privacy of our own homes. (for now)
I, for one, am glad that we live in times where we cannot become complacent about defending our identities because it keeps me on my toes.
The silent majority in this country is coming to realize that we play a vital role in shaping the economy and that we have some of the sharpest minds on the planet in our midst.
Hatred does still exist and the occasional wingnut will surface, but in the end, these idiots only end up serving as an example to the rest of the world of what the repressive restraints of moral superiority can breed.
No one is above reproach!
Posted by: jason | Mar 7, 2006 6:50:41 PM
Are we going to see this scum ball protesting at the funerals of soldiers too?
The frightening thing is that there are people there who agree with him.
Posted by: Philip | Mar 7, 2006 8:08:08 PM
OK so the guy is wingnut, crazy we can dismiss him. What about the 1,000 other wingnuts that signed his petition to get on the ballot ? THAT's what freaks me out - Ohio Native
http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/PublicAffairs/eCandReq06.pdf
Posted by: Jeff | Mar 7, 2006 10:02:20 PM
David Duke was a nobody when he was elected state representative.
Posted by: Chad Hanging | Mar 7, 2006 10:09:40 PM
We had to go to the link to find out the anti-gay senate candidate in Ohio is a Democrat. However, just above that post you clearly identify the homophobe in Maryland as a Republican.
When are the liberal bloggers going to admit that having a D after the name does not guarantee support for gay equality.
Jesse Jackson strongly opposes same-sex marriage and in the 2004 campaign both Senators John Kerry and John Edwards endorsed some of the state constitutional amendments that went far beyond marriage in denying rights to gay.
Posted by: Jack | Mar 8, 2006 12:01:43 AM
You're my new hero.
Posted by: Chad Hanging | Mar 9, 2006 1:00:13 AM
I hate when liberal left-wingers make me think for myself.
Posted by: Chad Hanging | Mar 9, 2006 1:13:39 AM