August 15th, 2007
Last week, we reported on a purported gay-straight alliance web site which went far beyond the bounds of a legitimate web site by excusing acts of “retribution” against bullies. The web site, authored by Brian Wyant, was so outrageous, that I awared it the Peter LaBarbera Award for its offensive, malevolent, crazy, and excessive statements.
Well, Warren Throckmorton has found another web page by the same auther which makes everything else pale in comparison. That page, which has since been removed, included a very direct call to violence, saying “lethal force is required.”
So I’m rescinding the LaBarbera Award for this case. As consistently distasteful and outrageous as LaBarbera is, I’ve never known him to advocate violence. Brian Wyant is in a completely different league, and his dangerous statements go way beyond anything I’ve seen.
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Joe Brummer
August 15th, 2007
Peter may not directly or publicly advocate violence Jim, but he most certainly adds plenty of fuel to the fires. Americans for Truth helps to create the enemy images people have a gays and lesbians. History has shown us that creating enemy images of a group makes violence against said group easier for the people doing it as they no longer see said group for the humanity, only the enemy image painted for them. And who is painting that enemy image? Peter is.
I would not be so quick to take Peter off the hook until he changes his song and dance. He is most certainly advocating violence, he is just doing it under a guise of religion.
Timothy Kincaid
August 15th, 2007
By all means reserve the LaBarbera award for liars, sneaks, extremists, extrapolators, and all-around snakes.
LaBarbera isn’t violent, just vile.
Jim Burroway
August 15th, 2007
I understand what you’re saying Joe. I’m very sympathetic to arguments like yours which draw a connection between physical violence and providing the fuel. But I do think there is a critical difference. It may be a small one, but in my mind it’s critical.
So in that vein, I think LaBarbera is more of a Rick Scarborough or an Alan Stang kind of guy. Especially Alan Stang. (For those of you who are into literary devices, that’s what’s called “foreshadowing.”)
Joe Brummer
August 15th, 2007
I see little difference between the two, aside from the honesty of one and the deceit of the others. Sort of the difference between Fred Phelps who is overt about his hate and disdain for us and Peter who does the same damage covertly under the same guise of god. The ends don’t justify the means in either case.
Timothy Kincaid
August 15th, 2007
The difference, Joe, is that I sincerely doubt that LaBarbera would ever advocate arson or murder as a means for advancing his political goals.
a. mcewen
August 15th, 2007
I intentionally did not talk about wyant’s excursion into militance on my blog.
The freepers already got a hold to it and the less attention paid to it, the better.
David Roberts
August 16th, 2007
What should be our biggest concern, misrepresentation by “freepers” or someone advocating arson and violence against people’s bloodlines (families) in charge of a GLBT Community Center with a youth outreach?
a. mcewen
August 17th, 2007
Both, David.
But I withheld comments because I am not convinced that this guy is on the up and up
Jim Burroway
August 17th, 2007
And I decided to comment because I didn’t want there to be any question about whether anyone considered him to be on the up and up.
a. mcewen
August 17th, 2007
i totally agree with you there jim. perhaps my decision not to say anything on my blog was too hasty.
I was just concerned with how quickly folks like Don Feder and Linda Harvey “became aware” of the page.
I think that there is more to the story than an overeager wannabe gay activist putting up an irresponsible web page.
David Roberts
August 19th, 2007
Don Feder and Linda Harvey are irrelevant. They are the shrill fringe and don’t factor into anything we do one way or the other.
In this particular case, they (and others) blustered on about what they saw on the surface just to give gay organizations a black eye, while what we found was much deeper and genuinely disturbing.
As we said in our post (XGW), when things are that far out of whack and no one is talking, our job is to investigate and inform no matter where it leads. As it stands, I think we have a pretty good idea of just what was/is going on there.
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