Eyes Right - Summer 2007

Satanic Immigrants

The "best of the best" of the Republican Party. That is how Lt. Governor Gary Hebert described the Utah County Republicans at their convention in April, but the honchos in GOP headquarters in Washington may not agree. First the local Republicans discussed internal corruption and the pesky protests of a local Dick Cheney appearance. Then they moved on to the grand finale: the Satanic nature of illegal immigration.

A party member introduced a resolution stating that, "Satan's minions want to eliminate national borders and do away with sovereignty." Legislator Don Larson brought himself to tears discussing the "illegal aliens'" plot to "destroy Christian America." Not everyone listening was on board, it seems, since some of them refused to give their name to the newspaper reporter covering the event.

Due to low attendance, no official action could be taken on the issue. However, one Senator fretted that "liberal media" would use the debate to "give negative attention to the Republican Party." He may be right.

Source: Caleb Warnock, "Convention Ends with Satan and Immigrants," Daily Herald (Provo, Utah), April 29th, 2007.
http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/220065/4

Slaves Had it Good

A New York psychotherapist with a penchant for revisionist history has created something of a controversy for NARTH, the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, a notorious anti-gay group. The Southern Poverty Law Center's (SPLC) Intelligence Project News reports that Gerald Schoenewolf peddled some hard-to-believe historical truths while ranting about political correctness on NARTH's website in his "Gay Rights and Political Correctness: a Brief History." For example, did you know that, "At present, the Gay Rights Movement has taken over nearly all professional organizations not only in America but also in the United Nations and throughout the world"? Or, "The Civil Rights Movement... began in the 1850s and was one of the causes of the Civil War."

But his most egregious statement was about Africa and slaves. "It could be pointed out... that Africa at the time of slavery was still primarily a jungle, as yet uncivilized or industrialized. Life there was savage, as savage as the jungle for most people... .Those brought to Europe, South America, America, and other countries were in many ways better off than they have been in Africa." This attracted protests from the National Black Justice Coalition.

According to Brent Mock at SPLC, these over-the-top comments were too much even for some NARTH supporters who resigned in protest. The Schoenewolf article has since been removed from NARTH's website but is available on request from PRA.

Source: Brent Mock, "One More Enemy: Essay by Promoter of "Ex-gay" Movement Sparks Racist Charges," Southern Poverty Law Center Intelligence Report, Winter 2007.
http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=717

Tom Clancy as an Expert Witness

In February, the Montana Shooting Sports Association filed suit to gag the state's Fish, Wildlife and Parks employees from testifying about policies in their bailiwick. Far from being expert witnesses, the group says they are violators of the state's ban on staff influence on political bodies. The novelist Tom Clancy, on the other hand, is the kind of expert witness that passes muster with Sports Association's president Gary Marbut. He is quoted in a press release as saying:

We are angry that FWP employees continue breaking the law, employees who think they are above the law. FWP has been warned repeatedly that their personnel are in violation of the law. Tom Clancy says there is a name for people who break the law, including government employees - criminals. (Clear and Present Danger, page 432)

Thanks for that citation, Gary.

(And thanks to Montana Human Rights Network Policy Director Travis McAdam for this priceless tidbit.)

Source: Montana Shooting Sports Association News Release, February 1, 2007.

You're a Monkey Too

In a recent subscriber pitch, the National Review could have used some of retired editor William F. Buckley's famed wry humor and conservative insight. "The establishment media write about conservatives as if we were rare specimens under their microscope. We've turned the tables on them. We look at them as if looking at, well, monkeys in the zoo. It's rather a lot of fun!"

Source: May 2007 direct mail for National Review.