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Why Tyler Clementi is not Matthew Shepard
Townhall.com ^ | October 10, 2010 | Kevin Mccullough

Posted on 10/10/2010 5:30:00 AM PDT by Kaslin

From nearly the moment it was known that Tyler Clementi posted on facebook that he was going to jump off the George Washington bridge, American media, leftist politicians, and those who have reason to advance a non-traditional value system have attempted to "posterize" him into something that he was not.

This attempt to do so from the likes of U.S. Senator Robert Menendez to Dr. Phil has greater heartache to the Clementi family, and is likely to do far greater damage to legions of children yet to wrestle with the fluid issue of one's sexual practices, before settling into traditional sexual orthodoxy by about 98% of them. Even People magazine attempted to make a buck off of the story of the quiet violin player from Bergen County New Jersey.

Certainly groups of people who advocate for special considerations in public policy because they choose to engage in certain types of sexual behaviors have also taken up Tyler's image, name, and "narrative" as something to be used to slander God-fearing people with false accusations of bigotry, and because of the lack of moral backbone people from the church to the public square of cowed to the voices taking up the "cause."

Even when a group like "Love is Louder" attempted to designate its efforts to the issue of bullying and depression in children, others (many of them adults) who wished to make a statement about their sexual practices co-opted the facebook page to leave 9 minute videos to reminisce about how they found true "love at first innuendo."

The assumptions made on many of these broadcast, print, and web based reports follow the idea that Tyler felt so bullied by the roommate and girlfriend who evilly and immorally taped him, that he had no option but to turn to suicide. This has been quickly adopted as the authoritative version of what happened and the need for psychologically profiling both the bullies who did it and other youths who engage in homosexual behavior.

Of course there are other issues that could be examined. Perhaps Tyler had a genuinely sensitive conscience, perhaps he had great respect for both his family and his God, perhaps he felt ashamed of actions because he knew they were immoral. Hence a completely different narrative could be told, one that encourages young people towards moral choices.

Unfortunately the media and the radical activists feel otherwise and are now attempting to "Matthew Shepard" Clementi's story and reputation.

The truth is Tyler was doing something he did feel shame and embarrassment for. Just like the thirteen year old who gets caught with a stash of pornography in his bedroom, or the college student that gets his girlfriend pregnant, Tyler was seeking sexual satisfaction in secretive ways that he hoped certainly would never come to light.

The truth is many teens find themselves making decisions to engage sexually when they know it's dangerous to do so.

Yet deciding to do so anyway doesn't make the decision any less dangerous to do.

The activists would like laws to be passed so that condoms are handed out for free, that actions and behaviors are not just allowed but strongly encouraged, and that any and all objections to said behaviors be able to be silenced under some false charge of bigotry or hate-mongering.

Yet the truth is, loving parents, loving friends, and a compassionate society would focus their efforts on helping that student save sexual activity until they had reached a place in life where the responsibilities that would accompany that decision were well within reach.

From every public sign the Clementi family are just that. A family who loved Tyler, wanted him to know the best of life, and that started with knowing God and what His purposes were for him.

The tastelessness of programs like Ellen Degeneres and Dr. Phil, the disrespect of publications like People magazine and others who rushed to state a definitive narrative about Tyler Clementi betrays they wanton desire of an activist underbelly in the media to pass laws more akin to sexual anarchy, than that of genuine love for fellow man.

They should be ashamed of themselves.

Tyler Clementi was not Matthew Shepard, their lives had little resemblance to one another's - with the one exception of the radical anti-God activists who wish to use both their deaths to offer more destructive choices to future generations of young people, and to silence those who love them from ever speaking truth to them.

That truth being that they are made in the image of God, and while they sin--as do we all--that sin need not be what separates them from Him for eternity.

God's love is louder... and longer... and far more real, than activists, media, and lawmakers who pimp a child's death to force their agenda and accusations of false bigotry upon the world mourning the extinguished lamp of one of God's children.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: homosexualagenda
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1 posted on 10/10/2010 5:30:01 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

What’s sad is that Matthew Shepard wasn’t even Matthew Shepard, at least as far as the story line that was told goes. IIRC, it turned out that the Shepard murder, while tragic, was a robbery gone bad, rather than a “hate crime.”

Never stops the Left from trying to exploit a tragedy, however.


2 posted on 10/10/2010 5:32:28 AM PDT by Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus (is a Jim DeMint Republican. You might say he's a funDeMintalist conservative.)
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To: Kaslin

The story of the quiet violin player ... and porn star.

How uncloseted.


3 posted on 10/10/2010 5:48:00 AM PDT by MrEdd (Heck? Geewhiz Cripes, thats the place where people who don't believe in Gosh think they aint going.8)
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To: Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus

The media made it though as a hate crime, because he was gay


4 posted on 10/10/2010 5:48:29 AM PDT by Kaslin (Acronym for OBAMA: One Big Ass Mistake America)
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To: Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus

“Matthew Shepard wasn’t even Matthew Shepard”

I was going to say the exact same thing!


5 posted on 10/10/2010 5:49:02 AM PDT by Shimmer1 (They told me I was gullible and I believed them.)
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To: Kaslin; wagglebee; DJ MacWoW

The continuing saga. ...


6 posted on 10/10/2010 5:50:25 AM PDT by MrEdd (Heck? Geewhiz Cripes, thats the place where people who don't believe in Gosh think they aint going.8)
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To: Kaslin

April 29, 2009

Matthew Shepard killed in non-bias “robbery,” Foxx says

North Carolina Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx  is questioning whether the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old gay University of Wyoming student, was a bias attack motivated by his sexual orientation. 

Shepard’s mother Judy was in the gallery at the time, according to a senior Democratic aide.

The socially conservative Foxx, arguing against a new Democratic hate crimes bill that includes new protections for gays and lesbians, described the description of Shepard’s murder as a anti-homosexual attack a “hoax” — and questioned whether prior bias crime legislation should have been named after him.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0409/Matthew_Shepard_killed_in_nonbias_robbery_Foxx_says.html


7 posted on 10/10/2010 5:51:07 AM PDT by kcvl
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To: Kaslin
Tyler Clementi had an "older man" over to his room. Certainly someone somewhere knows who this guy is.

Why aren't we hearing from him?

8 posted on 10/10/2010 5:51:35 AM PDT by muawiyah ("GIT OUT THE WAY" The Republicans are coming)
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To: Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus

ABC Debunked Matthew Shepard Murder as No Hate Crime, MSNBC Savages Republican for Repeating

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/brad-wilmouth/2009/04/30/abc-debunks-matthew-shepard-murder-no-hate-crime-msnbc-savages-republ


9 posted on 10/10/2010 5:52:49 AM PDT by kcvl
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To: Kaslin

“...and is likely to do far greater damage to legions of children yet to wrestle with the fluid issue of one’s sexual practices, before settling into traditional sexual orthodoxy by about 98% of them.”’

Back in the 1980’s I predicted violence against gays increasing with time. Shoving this perversion in the faces of children before their identities are ‘set’ will produce chaos.


10 posted on 10/10/2010 5:54:14 AM PDT by TalBlack
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To: muawiyah
Maybe because he is the reason for the suicide.
11 posted on 10/10/2010 5:54:33 AM PDT by kcvl
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To: Kaslin

...IMHO Tyler’s room mate got tired of having to get out while Tyler took over the room for his trysts...so he bugged the room as as payback...things went bad from there.


12 posted on 10/10/2010 5:58:04 AM PDT by STONEWALLS
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To: Kaslin
Every time I notice a thread that mentions Matthew Shepard I am going to link the story of the Murder of Jesse Dirkhising that was barely mentioned at the time of the Shepard killing.
13 posted on 10/10/2010 6:01:10 AM PDT by Anti-Bubba182
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To: Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus
you beat me to that very point

.

14 posted on 10/10/2010 6:09:38 AM PDT by Elle Bee
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To: Kaslin

Obviously the author has not seen nor heard about Tyler’s own pornographic webcasts...


15 posted on 10/10/2010 6:21:18 AM PDT by roses of sharon (I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13)
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To: Kaslin; All

If there was as much outrage over 1.3 million abortions in the U.S.A. each year as 1 ashamed queer.


16 posted on 10/10/2010 6:29:35 AM PDT by j.argese (Liberal thought process = oxymoron)
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To: Anti-Bubba182

Absolutely correct!


17 posted on 10/10/2010 6:31:05 AM PDT by j.argese (Liberal thought process = oxymoron)
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To: Kaslin; 185JHP; AFA-Michigan; Abathar; Agitate; Albion Wilde; AliVeritas; Antoninus; Aquinasfan; ...
Homosexual Agenda Ping

Freepmail wagglebee to subscribe or unsubscribe from the homosexual agenda ping list.

Be sure to click the FreeRepublic homosexual agenda keyword search link for a list of all related articles. We don't ping you to all related articles so be sure to click the previous link to see the latest articles.

Add keywords homosexual agenda to flag FR articles to this ping list.

While this article has some very good points it ignores that Tyler Clementi did his own pornographic webcasts. This point changes the narrative the press is pushing. And we have yet to hear from the "older" man that was with Clementi. Who is he?

18 posted on 10/10/2010 6:34:34 AM PDT by DJ MacWoW (If Bam is the answer, the question was stupid.)
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To: TalBlack
I predicted violence against gays increasing with time

Shepard doesn't count as it was a robbery and the recent stories are suicides. So, what violence?

19 posted on 10/10/2010 6:36:23 AM PDT by DJ MacWoW (If Bam is the answer, the question was stupid.)
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To: Kaslin; Anoreth; Constitution Day; nina0113
This attempt to do so from the likes of U.S. Senator Robert Menendez to Dr. Phil has greater heartache to the Clementi family, and is likely to do far greater damage to legions of children yet to wrestle with the fluid issue of one's sexual practices, before settling into traditional sexual orthodoxy by about 98% of them.

Word salad alert! We don' need no steenkin' syntax!

This guy is one of the *worst* writers. He ought to be too embarassed to publish without professional editing.

20 posted on 10/10/2010 6:36:35 AM PDT by Tax-chick (If the train leaves Hartford on May Day, how many turkeys will have snowballs in the Bahamas?)
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