One of the great things about having a blog is the fact that you can control the conversation when needed, and in my case I can explain my point much better than I can in a comment.
As you might expect, the whole issue with Doug Lambert's leaving his various positions over a comment he made over the weekend has made some big news. And I've already stated my own opinions on my feelings on that. And I've also stated that I felt that the target of his tirade, NH Democratic Party chairman Ray Buckley, should apologize for the things he's said in the past that went WAY beyond anything that Lambert said.
Well, the comments section over at Granite Grok is getting a little hectic because the liberals and Democrats (but I repeat myself) are wanting Lambert's head on a pike. Even though he's already apologized and he's stepped down from most of his positions.
Anyway, the one thing I keep pointing out is that Buckley is no angel himself. Which seems to irritate these people who are trying their best to defend him. One person over on the comments section, "Landon Bryce," has apparently decided that I'm his target after I responded to the following comment.
Thanks, Doug, for writing something which sounds more like an actual apology. Skip was wise not to allow comments in his very bigoted defense of you. What you did was not "dumb"-- as you properly say here, it was hateful. Neither Skip nor you think gay people deserve to be treated as human. If you did, you would not work to make sure we do not the same rights you do. If Skip did not agree with the substance of your comments, he would consider that people have a right to legitimate anger when you call them faggots and wish them dead. He would have offered his own apology, not gone out of his way to take yours back.
He went after "Judy" on the site, and I showed him where to get the answer he seeked. Then he comes after me with this. (Edited for this blog)
Mike Walsh does not think calling someone a ****** and saying you hope a gay man dies soon is treating gays as subhuman. Mike, Doug said that a gay, black performer should should choke to death on a chicken bone or a piece of watermelon. It is a statement of fact to call him a hate-filled bigot, isn't it? Or, at the very least, a legitmate interpretation of his actions? Lori Ingham thinks the word "******" is equal to the word "thug." She also things [sic] a death wish is equal to an expression of solidarity ("we've all lost things.") I think most people probably would not agree. Can anyone point to anything Ray Buckley has done that actually approaches Doug Lambert's level of offensiveness?
My response:
You think someone calling someone's son a "thing" is showing "solidarity?" You need more help than what I can give you. And apparently you didn't watch the accompanying video. Any of those things would have gotten anyone else in serious trouble. And I have a bigger issue with the fact that Buckley, even knowing the connotation of the term "teabagger", still uses the term in public. And I'm still trying to find the source, but he made fun of an opponent in an election for being straight. What kind of tolerance does it show that he shows hatred for someone because of their sexual orientation (irony alarms going off)? Doug has apologized already. I want Buckley to do the same thing.
His response (which I only just saw becasue I was taking care of my son):
Lori, I think we've all made equivalent slips of the tongue to Buckley's is saying "thing." Do you think he intended it to be unkind? Yes, the video is vulgar, but I do not know very many people who have not made flip comments about something Hitler should have done. The term "teabagger" was not chosen by Buckley, or any liberal. It comes directly from the signs carried by protesters at the first tea party protest. I actually think your criticism would be fair if teabagger were not in general use by liberals: Buckley is not to blame for popularizing the term, he's just followed a dumb trend. When someone has been called a teabagger, then beaten to death, I will agree that it might be a term as hateful as "******." A couple of people have claimed that Buckley has made fun of people for being straight. I'd love to see what they are referring to, but I'm not sure why they're so upset about this. Gay people worry about being made fun of because it is often a precurser to violence or a sign that the mocker believes we should not be treated equally. Straight people would have a reason to be upset with Buckley for making fun of them if they were unable to hold hands in public or if states passed laws that limit their participation in society.
Just so he doesn't think I'm ignoring him on this point, I'm going to answer his points one by one on this.
Lori, I think we've all made equivalent slips of the tongue to Buckley's is saying "thing." Do you think he intended it to be unkind? Yes, I do. If you go to the story at
This Ain't Hell, you'll get the whole incident. The comment about "We've all lost things" was just the tip of the iceberg.
Yes, the video is vulgar, but I do not know very many people who have not made flip comments about something Hitler should have done. I would think you would know the first rule of the internet -- once you invoke Hitler into an argument, it becomes moot. But what do you think of the fact that he picks his nose then says "**** America?"
The term "teabagger" was not chosen by Buckley, or any liberal. It comes directly from the signs carried by protesters at the first tea party protest. Can you show me the pictures of these signs from the first tea party protests? Because no one I know uses this term.
I actually think your criticism would be fair if teabagger were not in general use by liberals: Buckley is not to blame for popularizing the term, he's just followed a dumb trend. When someone has been called a teabagger, then beaten to death, I will agree that it might be a term as hateful as "******." He might not have originated the term, but he sure as hell isn't doing anything to practice what he preaches about "tolerance." And people have been beaten in protests -- one incident involved a black man who was selling tea party items during a protest by SEIU thugs. And recently some anti-illegal immigration protestors were beaten by pro-immigration protesters in Florida.
A couple of people have claimed that Buckley has made fun of people for being straight. I'd love to see what they are referring to, but I'm not sure why they're so upset about this. Gay people worry about being made fun of because it is often a precurser to violence or a sign that the mocker believes we should not be treated equally. Straight people would have a reason to be upset with Buckley for making fun of them if they were unable to hold hands in public or if states passed laws that limit their participation in society.Again, the issue is that Buckley is no angel, although people like you are treating him as if he is faultless in this. There's also a hell of a lot more information that I can use in my arguments, but I don't because it would make me sound petty (and nothing was proven). So I'm trying to stick to the facts of what can be proven.