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 ...
Please let us know what happens.
Go back to every single article you’ve read so far concerning homosexual threats, intimidation and violence. Mentally change the words “gays” or “homosexuals” to “gun owners”, and think about what the official reaction to that kind of behavior would be. I’ll give you a hint - it would be met with an extreme negative reaction. Homosexuals get away with it because they’re ALREADY members of a protected class.
It seems that the folks in SF will push and push until they have the behavior displayed at the Folsom Street Fair on every street corner.
Leftists impose their beliefs on everyone else? Nooooooo..
That’s because a large portion of the money from out-of-state donations to fight it came out of Utah. I actually think it’s wrong in some ways, since I think people in one state shouldn’t be interfering in other states when it comes down to a state issue. That’s the old conservative in me leaking out, that prefers states keep to themselves and leave other states alone when it comes to state issues.
Aren’t there laws protecting ordinary citizens exercising their Free Speech rights from mobs?
I can agree with that, considering how much my state has been imposed upon for decades by troublemakers from elsewhere.
We to the point where we need our own group that can get rowdy threaten our enemies.
These kinds of tactics from the queers WILL blow back on them. Eventually, the law-abiding types will get fed up with these kinds of terrorist tactics and all hell will be out for noon (and deservedly so).
There are laws against violence. There is no law that says you can speak with abosolutely no negative consequences. (This is what Liberals think free speech is, let’s not follow suit).
This is how it should be under the 1st Amendment.
>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.
I feel like that is what is happening.
I could be that things will “die down” and get calmer; but, I think you may be right, they will push too hard and cross lines that shouldn’t.
BLOAT.
Hmmm, that might be a good idea to do something like that.
>I think so. I think it’s called the Second Amendment.
Yep, and it’s also a right to seek safety here in NM; as well as using firearms for “any legal purpose”.
Remember: “I felt my life was being threatened, I did what I could to counter the threat.”
The Comical? - A talking corpse.
Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee."
Liberals only believe in free speech when they are speaking. Liberals only believe in Democracy when their candidate or issue triumphs.
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