God, it must be hard to be both gay and conservative. You even have to shut up when the publisher of one of the most influential right-wing newspapers, the Washington Times, says that God wants gays to be "eliminated" in a slaughter that will be "greater than the communist purge."
Michelangelo Signorile in the NY Press:
Can you imagine the owners of the New York Times--or the Los Angeles Times or Cleveland's Plain-Dealer--pining out loud for the mass extinction of an entire group of people? Let's say they envisioned the incineration of all gays, claiming it was God's plan, and had their words posted on the web.At the very least, sensation-stalker Matt Drudge would link to the comments immediately, rightly whipping it into a major story. His zeal for fomenting scandals involving liberals would certainly overpower his obsessive fear that people might think he's gay just for defending gays. (As if the rest of the world still doesn't know he's gay, even after David Brock's "fuck buddies" revelations and Jeanette Walls' interviews with his former boyfriends.) Drudge's openly gay compatriot, Andrew Sullivan, would no doubt take up the cause as well, attacking those nasty homophobe publishers on the left, railing on his web site about what hypocrites liberals are.
But if the paper in question is an influential conservative daily--one that pumps up both of these right-wing gasbags regularly, and one that publishes Sullivan's work--then the rantings and ravings of its demagogic owner don't seem to matter.
"There will be a purge on God's orders, and evil will be eliminated like shadows," the Unification Church leader Rev. Sun Myong Moon, the owner and primary funder of money-losing right-wing Washington Times, said last week. (The comments were posted online by Rev. Moon's webmaster and picked up by blogger John Gorenfeld.)
"Gays will be eliminated, the 3 Israels will unite. If not then they will be burned. We do not know what kind of world God will bring but this is what happens. It will be greater than the communist purge but at God's orders."
Communist purges killed tens of millions in the 20th century, in case you're keeping count.
So that's a whole lot of queers getting piled up in a whole lot of Moon's mass graves. We're gonna need a shitload of bulldozers.
These diatribes haven't stopped Washington's conservatives from getting in bed with Moon--whose goal is to create a global theocracy, a la Muslim fundamentalists--and elevating his and his paper's stature in return for cold, hard cash for themselves and for their movement. George H.W. Bush took $100,000 from him in 1996 for a speaking engagement, praising the Washington Times as "a paper that in my view brings sanity to Washington, D.C." After Bush called Moon "the man with the vision," the reverend gave him $1 million for his presidential library.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Mac Diva
Great timing, Brian, I read something about the scroundels at the Times yesterday and briefly alluded to it in an entry today. Some of us in the blogosophere, particularly, Atrios, Josh Marshall, Dave Niewert, Roger Ailes and myself, have been mining the Times-neo-Confederate connection for a while. That mindset is pretty exclusive. They have 'plans' for gays, among others. Here's a link to what the SPLC has to say about it.
2 - Dawn
Wow, Matt Drudge is gay? Who knew - oh wait Brian knew. hmmm......
3 - Eric Olsen
I had never heard Drudge is gay before but then I don't pay much attention to such things. I think "outing" is outrageous behavior, if that's what Signorile sees himself as doing.
I have never doubted that Sullivan is self-serving and willing to put up with most anything as long as he gets to preen and stroke himself in public.
I think Drudge is worthless journalistically and have never paid the slightest attention to him anyway.
If Moon actually said this, he is a dangerous freak and you are right to point it out, denounce him, and call Sullivan on his hypocrisy. I would like to see an actual link to what Moon wrote as opposed to a third-party quote - is it no longer on the web? This should be spread far and wide. Anyone advocating any kind of theocracy should be identified and denounced.
4 - debbie
""In early July I spoke in five cities around Korea at rallies held by the Women's Federation for World Peace. There, I declared that my wife, WFWP President Hak Ja Han Moon, and I are the True Parents of all humanity. I declared that we are the Savior, the Lord of the Second Advent, the Messiah."
Rev. Moon
Unification News August 24, 1992"
Who in their right mind takes anything this clown says seriously?
Why stand and argue with the insane?
5 - Chris
Brian, Atrios called and wants his blog post back.
6 - Eric Olsen
I don't think any but his cultists take Moon seriously personally, but if he controls a mainstream media outlet, he needs to be monitored and his influence made explicit. I'd still like to see the link.
7 - Brian Flemming
Umm....
Eric--I added links at the end.
8 - Mac Diva
There is a tradition of wealthy individuals (or governments) buying what appear to be just media outlets and using them to promote their perspectives. For example, before the Moonies bought it, Pat Robertson owned United Press Internatonal. The South African government funded the Saturday Evening Post for years to get its message about how apartheid was really a good thing out. The Manchester Union Leader has stayed afloat because there are wealthy John Birchers willing to back it. As Eric said, this is important because it misleads people. Outlets they consider mainstream aren't.
Debbie, the link to the SPLC article I posted above is well-worth reading. The shenanigans at the Times don't have much to do with news really. It and UPI are about promoting an agenda so far out most conservatives would not agree with it.
I didn't know Drudge is gay either. . . though I should have. Ditto on Armstrong Williams until commenters at Roger's blog told me. I think my gaydar is probably pitifully low.
9 - Natalie Davis
I have heard rumors about Drudge's sexuality for years, but I have yet to see any proof. Then again, I don't give a fig anyway.
Gay conservatives standing by those who hate them is ooooold news. Moon being a kook is old news. That the right wing at its core would rather see queers dead than equal under law is no news flash. Too bad so many people refuse to see those things and cluelessly-cynically-honestly go along with being misled by organs such as the Washington Times, which is about as mainstream -- or fair and balanced -- as Faux News.
And frankly, I see little distinction between gay or het people who support the genocide supporters. It's all tragic, with the queers being somewhat more so. But isn't America all about teaching those considered different to hate themselves? (Massa Dubya is good -- he lets me work in the big house alongside his kinfolk!)
10 - Eric Olsen
Thanks Brian
11 - Brian Flemming
Wow. I had no idea Drudge's gayness was not more widely known.
To be clear, Drudge apparently does not like being called gay and is positively Clintonian on the subject.
However, he speaks (in a sideways fashion) of "dating" men.
David Brock wrote this:
Drudge would deserve his privacy, of course, if he allowed others theirs. But he doesn't, if he doesn't like their politics. He accused Sidney Blumenthal of beating his wife, for example. (It wasn't true.)
Drudge:
Drudge's silence on the Washington Times publisher's gay genocide plans speaks volumes about his character. He's a special kind of hypocrite--gay and willing to tolerate gay genocide talk if it comes from the right. He deserves to be called on that.
12 - Eric Olsen
That sounds pretty convincing. As I said, I have never paid very much attention to him in any regard. Either way, no one associated with the Washington Times should be given a pass on not excoriating this insane call for gay genocide from its messianic owner.
13 - Chris
Robertson never owned the UPI. At most he put some money into it while UPI was in bankruptcy in an attempt to buy it, but his bid failed.
In 1991 UPI was back in bankruptcy court. For a time the only one interested in bidding on the assets was Pat Robertson, owner of the Christian Broadcasting Network, but after performing due diligence, his bid dropped from $6 million to $500,000. In the end, a Saudi outfit called the Middle East Broadcast Centre Ltd. of London bought the company.
14 - Natalie Davis
Thank God for that.
15 - Mac Diva
Correction: Robertson invested millions of dollars in UPI, though sole ownership did not occur. Read about it here.
Regardlessly, the Right Wing chain of of ownership never failed. The other investors in UPI, including the Arabs, continued to hire far Right editors and reporters. Today, it, along with its sister, the Times, employs a roster of persons involved in the neo-Confederate movement, anti-immigration groups and/or 'scientific' racism. Read the citation to my entry in Comment 1 for more information.
I was hoping Dawn would post a response after reading the comments. I believe the fact Con Girl is being criticized mainly in her official role is really significant.
16 - Eric Olsen
Her time is constrained right now - I'm sure she will get back to it.
17 - Jim Carruthers
The Unification Church, better known as The Moonies have a long history combining a cult (of personality), Korean fascism, and political and corporate corruption in Korea and the United States. The movie "Tickets to Heaven" was largely based on the recruiting tactics of the Moonies.
As for who is furnishing Drudge's closet, I suspect the teevee networks. They don't want to spoil the ratings success of "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy", "Will and Grace" and so on, if 'murrica discovered that dorks like Drudge were gay, and were the more typical example, ie badly dressed mouth-breathers like most of the network teevee audience.
18 - Mac Diva
Jim's onto something. If Matt Drudge, Andy Sullivan and Armstrong Williams get their own reality TV show, gay men's claim to being cool with be hopelessly compromised.
Hey, I'm no romantic, but the thought of Drudge wooing David Brock with flowers brings a smile to my lips.
19 - Natalie Davis
One would hope Brock had better taste.
20 - Dawn
I think the whole spoof on "Con Girl" was entirely disrespectful of her title and her accomplishments as a person.
And if they were merely making fun of her without bringing her race into it, then maybe I could agree with Mac.
Let's face it, there is just some serious duplicity going on regarding racial insults depending on which side of the political fence you are on.
21 - Eric Olsen
I agree with Dawn's last statement - it really does seem to come down to fence-placement regarding the appropriateness of ox-goring.
22 - Eric Olsen
And on Drudge, my opinion has always been: stupid, ugly, ridiculously dressed turd. Now he is a stupid, ugly, ridiculously dressed, gay turd - not all that much difference.
23 - Chris
Whatever your opinion of Matt Drudge, he showed the way for normal people to harness the power of the Net and make a difference.
24 - Eric Olsen
Chris, very true, and he has reaped the benefits to an absurd degree ever since. I am jealous, I admit.
25 - Mac Diva
I'm thinking the issues in the Condi poster controversy can be bifurcated -- like ruling one way on some claims in a lawsuit and the other on different claims. So, the attacks on her in her foreign policy advisor role are acceptable. However, one can argue, as Dawn does, that bringing her race into it is not acceptable. The problem is that Condi's race has so much to do with her prominence. But, for the paucity of black Republicans who can be elevated into the spotlight, we would not be discussing Ms. Rice. (And, a Rent-a-Tom like Clarence Thomas would not be on the Supreme Court.) So, as I believe Hesiod might say, her race is, from that perspective, fair game.