Posted on 11/23/2008 1:27:17 PM PST by SmithL
A supporter of Proposition 8, fed up with what he believed was the gay community's and "liberal media's" refusal to accept the voters' verdict, fired off a letter to the editor.
"Please show respect for democracy," he wrote, in a letter we published.
What he encountered instead was an utter lack of respect for free speech.
Within hours, the intimidation game was on. Because his real name and city were listed - a condition for publication of letters to The Chronicle - opponents of Prop. 8 used Internet search engines to find the letter writer's small business, his Web site (which included the names of his children and dog), his phone number and his clients. And they posted that information in the "Comments" section of SFGate.com - urging, in ugly language, retribution against the author's business and its identified clients.
"They're intimidating people that don't have the same beliefs as they do ... so they'll be silenced," he told me last week. "It doesn't bode well for the free-speech process. People are going to have to be pretty damn courageous to speak up about anything. Why would anyone want to go through this?"
Let the record show that I absolutely disagree with the letter writer on the substance of Prop. 8. I believe that same-sex couples should have the full rights and responsibilities of marriage. In my view, the discrimination inherent in Prop. 8 is morally and legally indefensible in a society where the concept of equal protection is supposed to safeguard the rights of the minority.
But let me also say that I am disturbed by the vicious, highly personalized attacks against the letter writer and others. Protesters have shouted insults at people headed to worship; temples and churches have been defaced. "Blacklists" of donors who contributed to Yes...
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
John Diaz IS the ugly backlash...or should I say whiplash, from being rammed so often...
After just finishing up a movie that dramatized the rise of Hitler, I could not help but notice the similarities with what happened to the journalists back in the early 30’s who were writing about some of the really underhanded stuff going on and the diabolical anti-semitic rantings and beliefs of Hitler.
While I realize there are always hateful people on both sides of any controversy or argument, there is no doubt that the majority of haters in this case are on the gay side.
So, Mr. Diaz, is this the first time you have noticed liberals (especially GAY liberals) behaving badly?
Don’t get out much, do you?
Facism in America is alive and limp-wristed. Or alive and some cute girl on girl action. Anyway, the Prop. 8 win has exposed a true nature here, and America is seeing it play out daily.
Welcome to the Obamanation - brought to you by the majority of the American people.
The Sheep have spoken. They love Socialism.
He got Joe the Plumbered.
The left is filled with hatred and devoid of decency.
How can America deal with people like them?
We all enjoy freedom of speech under the Constitution, unless what we say pisses off a liberal.....
Would "equal protection" mean actually prosecuting some of these violent pillow-biters as vehemently as other citizens are prosecuted? Anyone want to bet on that?
They are simply behaving true-to-form.... reprising the thuggery of their sodomite predecessors. It’s not very smart to remind people of what they are like when they don’t get their way.
Genesis 19:4-11
4 Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.”
6 So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, 7 and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! 8 See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof.”
9 And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. 10 But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.
While I deplore this intimidation, it is not strictly a 1A Constitutional issue.
AFIK, no government entity was involved in intimidating the letter writer, or sleuthing out his business, home, etc. And the nasty anti-8 people are within their 1A rights calling for a boycott, etc.
.... ulike the Joe the Plumber issue, where a government employee was involved in the intimidation.
Let’s not confuse bad behaviour with unConstitutional behaviour. That’s what the Libs do/did. Remember the phrase “a chill on free speech” by Tim Robbins who seemed to think that the Constitution protected him from any negative counterspeech to his.
What is it the totalitarians claim?
Oh yes, “The personal is the political.”
Welcome to American-style socialism.
99% of all lezzies look like overweight truck drivers or street pavers. The cute girl on girl is at best 1%.
When you don’t have people abiding by what is voted on and they threaten others, not only that but assault others physically then what do you have? Anarchy. So what is the next step? Push back w/force by “authorities”, arrest and prosecute. And if the police don’t protect others what then? Well....?
Then the people must act for their own safety and the safety of others. But that’s for you in CA, WA, NY and other places where this sort of thing has manifested itself to decide when enough is enough. Public lewdness, public fornication, total perversion in violation of local laws and ordinances but nothing happens other than hustling those offended off, not the wrong-doer.
The Second Civil War is approaching. Everytime the Liberals lose, they get violent. With the Liberal Messiah in power, they will feel more empowered to be violent. Within four years, they will go too far.
It’s always been amazing to me that even after being struck blind, they still tried to find the door and attack the visitors, so steeped were they in their perversity. These people are consumed and ruled by their unnatural lust.
Obamination was not brought,fortunatly,by the majority of american people but a majority of VOTERS among whom many were fooled by the MSM propaganda and the financial crisis...
Maybe the same will happen to me; I got the confirming call that my LTE to the L.A. Times will be published tomorrow.
I had the temerity to give 'em both barrels regarding the lead in to an editorial about overturning 8 that read....."but the legal system is designed to guard against the tyranny of the majority."
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