The MountainGoat Report

Beck Not King

Glenn Beck has planned his "I have a scheme" rally (thank you, Jon Stewart) for tomorrow, coinciding, through "divine providence" of course, with the 47th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s most famous speech, delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial August 28, 1963.   Beck calls his "non-political" event the "Restoring Honor" rally and has billed the rally as an iconic event that will "reclaim the civil rights movement."

Putting aside the obvious question:  reclaim from whom, Glenn Beck is no Martin Luther King, Jr.

Is Minnick Still 'Pleased?'

Despite radical views expressed by leaders of the Tea Party Express, Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick accepted their endorsement.  Now that Tea Party Express is active in supporting Arizona's new anti-immigration legislation will Minnick continue to accept their support?

"I'm pleased to have their endorsement."

That's what Congressman Minnick said last month upon learning that he had been named a Tea Party Hero and endorsed by the Tea Party Express.  "They're just ordinary folks who think the government ought to balance its budget.  There's nothing very radical about that," included Minnick.  Campaign spokesman John Foster acknowledged that there were some fringe within the group but implied that those weren't the views of the group as a whole.

Seven months earlier this was Tea Party Express Chairman Mark Williams on CNN with Anderson Cooper:

Partial transcript via Crooks and Liars:

COOPER: But I mean, Mark, what you're saying makes sense to me here when I'm hearing what you're saying. But then I read on your blog, you say -- you call the president an Indonesian Muslim turned welfare thug and a racist in chief.

WILLIAMS: Yes.

COOPER: Is that the kind of...

WILLIAMS: That's the way he's behaving.

COOPER: But I mean...

WILLIAMS: I mean, if he cares to be...

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: Do you believe he's Indonesian? Do you believe he's a Muslim? Do you really believe he's a welfare thug?

WILLIAMS: He's certainly acting like it.

More here.

Calling the President "an Indonesian Muslim turned welfare thug and a racist in chief" would seem radical to most ordinary folks, but that's not just some "fringe" element within the group; that's the chairman of the Tea Party Express--the group whose endorsement Congressman Minnick is "pleased" to accept.

Now we learn that the Tea Party Express is actively circulating a petition in support of Arizona's onerous anti-immigration law, with its potential for civil rights violations considered problematic by a wide array of groups from the Southern Poverty Law Center to the Christian Science Monitor.

Is Walt Minnick still "pleased" to have the endorsement of the Tea Party Express and what would it take for the Congressman to denounce this group?

Skills Matter

This report came out a couple of weeks ago but it's worth noting here, especially given the legacy of assertion, distortion and misinformation foisted upon Idahoans with fetish-like frequency.

From Live Science:

Children raised by lesbian parents fare as well as they would in heterosexual households, new research suggests.

The finding, which comes from a review of essentially all studies on the topic of same-sex parents and the health of their children, helps to tease out politics and science on this highly divisive issue. In general, kids in both heterosexual and lesbian households had similar levels of academic achievement, number of friends and overall well-being.

[...]

At the end of the day, what matters to kids is far deeper than parents' gender or sexual orientation, the research suggests.

"The family type that is best for children is one that has responsible, committed, stable parenting," said study researcher Judith Stacey of New York University. "Two parents are, on average, better than one, but one really good parent is better than two not-so-good ones."

Imagine that.   It's about parenting skills, not gender.

Words Matter

In recent public opinion polling on repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, it appears that the language used affects the level of support.

From Talking Points Memo:

A new CBS News/New York Times poll released this afternoon shows 57% of Americans approve of "homosexuals" serving in the military. Change the word "homosexual" to "gay men and lesbians" and the support jumps to 70%. The change in support holds when respondents were asked whether they think "homosexuals" vs. "gay men and lesbians" should be allowed to serve openly in the U.S. armed forces.

On the "serve openly" question, 44% were in favor when the word "homosexual" is used, and 42% were opposed. When that word was swapped for the alternate "gay men and lesbians" wording, support for serving openly jumped to 58%. Just 28% were opposed.

Apparently words matter.  Interesting.

Bryan Fischer Makes 'Hatewatch'

Proving what Idahoans have known for some time, Bryan Fischer, formerly of the Idaho Values Alliance, makes Southern Poverty Law Center's Hatewatch blog for his latest drivel.  SPLC also proves once again that Fischer's "values" don't stand up to scrutiny.

There’s nothing new about Fischer’s disregard for the Constitution. That much was apparent after the Fort Hood tragedy, when he asserted that Muslims should not be allowed to serve in the U.S. military. But his illogic is in this case is especially glaring. Fischer insists in a follow-up E-mail to an NBC reporter that “homosexual behavior represents and [sic] enormous threat to public health” and that banning it “is a simple matter of … sound public policy.” Why, then, does Fischer support outlawing all homosexual behavior, given that (according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) there has never been a confirmed case of female-to-female HIV transmission in the United States? Fischer doesn’t say.

"Wow is this kind of nonsense still going on? This is so early 1980s," writes one commenter there.  Ain't no time capsule old enough to keep Fischer from his favorite subject.

You know, Ted Haggart once had a similar shtick and apparently he's really diggin' his "reparative therapy" these days.

Bryan Fischer Gets Schooled

Bryan Fischer, the former Idahoan known for his frequent sanctimonious rants against you name it, got schooled yesterday for weaseling out of answering tough questions about his latest sanctimonious rant, including comparing gay people to "slavers" who should be incarcerated.

Jody May-Chang at As I See It writes about the Alan Colmes interview:

It is an utter joy to listen to Fischer as he squirms in the hot seat while Colmes relentlessly presses him. You can almost hear the beads of sweat pour down Fischer’s face as he unsuccessfully tries to defend the indefensible.

Comes complete with video; check it out.  It's priceless.

How Does Minnick Stand on DADT?

This week in a dramatic hearing on Capitol Hill, top U.S. military officials voiced support for removing the policy that for nearly 17 years banned gay people from serving openly in the military.  Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday that it was time to repeal "Don't Ask Don't Tell."

Despite this from top military officials and overwhelming support from Northwest Congressional Democrats, Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick has yet to reveal his position on the policy.

Admiral Mullen's testimony so remarkably diverged from his predecessors' that Dana Milbank wrote at the Washington Post, "If they awarded decorations for congressional testimony, Mullen would have himself a Medal of Honor."

"Speaking for myself and myself only, it is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do," the nation's top military officer told the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "No matter how I look at this issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. For me personally, it comes down to integrity -- theirs as individuals and ours as an institution."

General Colin Powell, sitting in Mullen's seat advocating for institution of DADT in the 1990s, now says he "fully supports" its repeal.

A bill to do just that, now led by Iraq veteran Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-PA), has 187 co-sponsors in the U.S. House.  These include every Northwest House Democrat, except one.  Oregon Democrats, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, and David Wu and Washington Democrats Jay Inslee, Rick Larsen, Brian Baird, Norman Dicks, Jim McDermott and Adam Smith have all signed on as co-sponsors of the bill.  The only exception being Idaho's Walt Minnick.

Seems now would be a good time for Minnick to prove to his constituents that he's not just pandering to the fringe with his strident anti-Democrat-ism, but that he really is that "social moderate" he claimed to be when running for office in 2008.

Time to take a stand and sign on to H.R. 1283, Congressman Minnick.  Gen. Powell has even given you cover now.

Don't hold your breath Idaho Democrats.

Great News In 2C

From the Idaho Press Tribune:  "Caldwell votes to prohibit discrimination against gays."

Among others, State Sentaor Nicole LeFavour (D-Boise) predicted it last June with the departure of Bryan Fischer of the so-called Idaho Values Alliance.

"Nationally, efforts to divide our country over gay people have worn thin," she wrote, "but I'm sure Fischer will find others to demean and condemn. I send a quiet apology off into the rain today to the people of Mississippi. I'm sorry you get him now."

Prescient words with news of Fischer's latest vitriol (gay people are the equivalent of "slavers" and should be incarcerated) juxtaposed against this news from Canyon County.

Idaho definitely got the better end of that deal.

'8: The Mormon Proposition'

Described as "thought provoking" by the Human Rights Campaign, a new film detailing "how countless lives were destroyed" by California's successful 2008 ballot initiative banning same-sex marriage will premier at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend.   "8: The Mormon Proposition" promises to tell the "stories of many LGBT citizens seeking marriage equality and never-before revealed Mormon efforts to stop them."

However, the film will go beyond marriage equality, the synopsis explains, revealing "the truth about Utah's gay homeless youth and the fact that the lion's share of hundreds of homeless teens on the streets in Utah are LGBT youth who have been kicked out after coming out to their Mormon families."

Reed Cowan, producer, writer and director, when asked which of the film's gut-wrenching stories hit him the hardest replied:

The stories that can’t be told by those who are dead are the ones that hit me hardest.  Those are the ones that hurt me the most.  While interviewing people about the epidemic of gay Mormon suicide, I would sometimes catch myself wondering if the spirits of the dead were watching us, maybe even cheering us on…for giving them a voice.  Finally a voice.  And some worth to their lives.

This is a story long overdue and, with the Prop 8 trial now in day nine, good timing.

It Was Rosa Parks

Last night, I caught a little of the health care townhall meeting Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill held yesterday.  One clip included a short bit showing a disturbance in the crowd and an African-American woman being escorted out of the hall by police.  The clip didn't show it and, I imagine like most people, I couldn't help wondering what had happened.

Luckily (or not), someone in the crowd captured the entire exchange and has posted it on YouTube.  The man who filmed it described the disturbance like this:

What happened was the women walked in with signs, the crowd booed and yelled at the women. The women rolled up their posters and put them down. A photographer/reporter approached the woman on the end and wanted to see what the poster was. As the woman went to show the photographer/reporter what the poster was, a man from the bleachers stood up and snatched the poster from the woman and photographer/reporter. As the woman went to retrieve her poster the police stepped in and escorted the woman and the man from the building.

The poster was not of Obama, it was not pro health care, the poster that was taken from the woman and wrinkled up into a ball was of Rosa Parks.

And see the video here:

Those who say the anger spilling into these townhall disruptions has nothing to do with issues of race are either delusional or dishonest.

With Friends Like These. . .

It's bad enough when people like Bryan Fischer, soon to be formerly of the Idaho Values Alliance, spout phrases like "aberrant sexual behavior" and "dangerous, unhealthy and immoral" when writing and speaking about gay people.  We've come to expect it from people like him.  When you go to his website or read one of his missives in the local paper you know what you're getting.

We expect it when people like equal opportunity bigot and radio host Zeb Bell say that being gay is a "sick and perverted lifestyle" and "dirty," "vile" and "disgusting" and use words like "cockroaches" and "pervert" to describe gay people.  Tune in "Zeb at the Ranch" and you know to steel yourself against some very ugly language.

We don't expect to go to a progressive blog and, on a post attempting to shed some positive light on transgender people (including Chaz Bono's recent announcement that he was a transgender man), find this [emphasis mine]:

Part of the issue is trying to figure out how gay people can like the ickey sex, but a lot of it is just foreign because we wonder, why would you NOT like what I like? What is the attraction in that same gender? Eww. It’s unknowable if you’re just not wired that way, and therefore a little scary.

When Nemesis calls gay sex offensive and distasteful (Websters) and describes same gender attraction with "eww," just because they were couched in a generally positive context, those words don't sting any less than if they had been uttered by Fischer or Bell.  Whether thoughtless or malicious, words do matter.

Probably most discouraging is that this came from a supposed ally.  If this is what our friends say and think about us, the road ahead for equality in Idaho is much longer and more grueling than ever expected.

My simple advice to anyone wanting to be an advocate for equality:  put yourself in the other person's shoes.  How would it feel if "icky" was used to describe your most intimate expression of love?  And then get educated.  A good place to start is with this:  the GLAAD Media Reference Guide.

Update: Nemesis has posted a very gracious response to this post.

DADT Nabs Decorated Mountain Home Pilot

With news today that the Pentagon has no plans to repeal the don't ask-don't tell policy for gay service members, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow interviewed decorated Air Force pilot Lt. Colonel Victor Fehrenbach who is being discharged under that policy.

As stated in this first public appearance, Lt Col Fehrenbach is stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base and is being discharged after 18 years of active duty, 88 combat missions, 2,180 total flight hours, 1,487 fighter hours and 400 combat hours.  Oh yeah, and after roughly $25 million in training.

How exactly is Lt Col Fehrenbach "an unacceptable risk?"

Wardrobe Ruling In 'Exotic Case'

Gender identity won't be on trial this June in Twin Falls County but it is difficult for many to believe otherwise.

If you haven't been following the story of Nastaran, or legally Majid, Kolestani, a transgender Iranian refugee accused in the shooting death of the man with whom she shared an apartment in Twin Falls, get caught up here.  As PrideDEPOT boiled down the story back in March:

A request for a change in venue was denied in a murder trial that spotlights gender identity, ethnic diversity, media bias, and uncomfortable issues all contained within a predominately conservative community.

Predominately conservative indeed.

Jurors in Twin Falls County will come from the same group of citizens who hear a rightwing radio host describe LGBT people "vile" and "cockroaches." This is also the same location where gays and lesbians had to fight to be seen in a county parade, and were only reluctantly permitted to participate as long as they didn’t "appear" gay.

Now from the Times-News comes the latest:  "Kolestani can dress as woman, judge rules."

Prosecutors did not have a problem with Kolestani's May 1 request to wear "street clothing appropriate for a female, including female upper body undergarments" during court hearings.  Judge Randy Stoker ruled Kolestani's court clothes must "comply with the Courthouse dress code and must be such as to comply with any requirements of court security," according to court papers filed Tuesday.

Quite an enlightened ruling from Judge Stoker, perhaps realizing that enforcing some gender-specific dress code for Kolestani would be setting a ludicrous nightmare of a precedent.  At what point does such enforcement stop?  Would it have led to undergarment security checks at the courthouse entrance?  Absurd.  As is the Times-News making a point to include the specifics of the request in their report.  (Then again, the T-N editor has made a point of defending the paper's insistence on using male pronouns for her, even calling the case "exotic.")  That the defense felt it necessary to make such a request says something about the territory in which Twin Falls County finds itself.  That Stoker still feels Kolestani can get a fair trial in this county, something else.

A Mother's Quest

Matthew Shepard was a mother's son.  Saying, "No mother should have to go through what I have," in the more than ten years since his horrific murder in Wyoming, Judy Shepard has been on a quest urging the U.S. Congress to strengthen federal hate-crimes legislation.

That quest moved one step closer to reality yesterday when the Matthew Shepard Act was passed in the U.S. House of Representatives.  This despite vigorous opposition from Republicans attempting to kill the bill and making outrageously false claims during debate, including—with his mother listening in the gallery—the assertion that naming the hate-crimes bill for the murdered gay man, Matthew Shepard, was all a hoax.

Similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate and, if passed, President Obama is expected to sign it into law.

Find out more and take action here.

Zeb Bell, Tea Bags & Talk

By now you've heard about the tax day tea parties going on all around the country.  If not, besides living in a cave burning buffalo dung [btw, excellent aromatherapy properties, I hear], you've probably been wondering why some of those around you are saying "teabagging" and snickering while others are furiously collecting tea bags and preparing for the big day.  In that case, click those links and get caught up 'cause the big day is fast approaching.

Whether you fall into the two-thirds of Americans who approve of the president's job performance and are among those snickering, or the third who don't and whatever fraction of those who really don't—enough to stage mini-rebellions involving various incarnations of teabagging (apparently there is a proper etiquette for these things)—and are among those furiously preparing your tea bags for deployment, it should be an interesting day.

In preparation for the day, Fox News is teabagging central; they've gotcha covered... from all angles one would suppose.  And in the Magic Valley, Zeb Bell has gotcha covered for all your teabagging needs as well; he's been talking up the tax day tea party on "Zeb at the Ranch" and on his Zeb's Rebs blog.

In fact, last Thursday he had a chilling exchange with a caller about what he'd like to do on tea party day and folks, this is the Zeb Bell that should scare you.  Yes, as usual, he also talked a lot about things like raising money for Meals On Wheels and he did a segment promoting a veterans group motorcycle ride, which makes what he said Thursday and all the other hateful and bigoted things he has said before even worse.

Zeb's Rebs Attack The Mirror

I've watched it at least a hundred times but I watched it again last night to get this line from my favorite movie, Fried Green Tomatoes, just right.  Evelyn Couch (Kathy Bates) is talking to her slightly chauvinistic, but lovable husband Ed (Gailard Sartain) and says:

"Someone helped put a mirror up in front of my face and I didn't like what I saw one bit.  And you know what I did?  I changed."

Well, evidently Zeb Bell and his Rebs don't like what they see in the mirror that has been put up in front of their faces either, but instead of changing, they've attacked the mirror.

No doubt seeing your own words reflected back at you in black and white can be a bit disturbing when they're filled with as much hate as those spoken on "Zeb at the Ranch" regularly.  No doubt accepting that perhaps your words are offensive and damaging to the community, and the people in it, would be a difficult thing to do.  No doubt it would have been the right thing to do.

Instead they've chosen to attack the messengers.  Yep, Zeb's Rebs actually accuse bloggers of using hate speech saying:

This blog is intended to counter the umpteen blogs out there that berate Zeb Bell and spew their own HATE SPEECH. Yes, hate speech. Those bloggers who preach so vehemently against hate speech are guilty of that very thing.

[...]

Zeb stands for a set of values based on his Christian faith that are true and right, he is not the vile monster the other blogs would have you believe.

Honey, no one has said Zeb is a vile monster, although I've heard him call others vile and much, much worse many times.  Let's review, shall we?

Saying he had never said such things on the air, I heard him berate and call a man a liar for an entire hour, and then some, for writing in a letter to the Times-News that Zeb had called people "cockroaches," when in fact I have audio showing that he has called people exactly that.  Is that one of the Christian values you're talking about?

I've heard Zeb erupt into a boisterous guffaw when Keith said he would like to see a trap door with a noose at the top in the Democratic platform.  Is that one of the Christian values you are talking about?

I've heard Zeb agree with a caller who said that he was afraid that the "freedoms that were given to us by our white forefathers and preserved by white blood will be taken away by people of color in the name of fairness."  Is that one of the Christian values you are talking about?

I've heard Zeb call gay people, not only vile, filthy perverts, but say that "if they wanna actually kill themselves through that lifestyle ... then fine."  Is that one of the Christian values you are talking about?

I've heard Zeb say that he would personally cut off, one by one, the fingers of a person if he suspected they might know where a bomb was and that he would personally conduct torture.  Is that one of the Christian values you are talking about?  Because, never mind having learned in Marine Corps basic training that torture doesn't work and is counterproductive, I do believe that Jesus Christ not only preached turning the other cheek, but said in Matthew 5:44, "Love your enemies."  'Course maybe some would say that Jesus was guilty of a pre-9/11 mindset.

I've heard Zeb berate and condemn an entire religion as hate-filled because some fanatics claim it too.  Well, I'm here to tell you that if someone were to judge all of Christianity based on what is professed to be the Christian values broadcast on "Zeb at the Ranch," they may well decide to condemn it as hate-filled, too.

I could go on and on and on but the bottom line is, I and others have heard many innocent people demonized and berated on your show, none of whom deserved it, and, Zeb, if you or anyone else believes it's hate filled to tell you that's wrong then so be it.  Like others have so eloquently said before me, "hatred, sexism, xenophobia, bigotry, intolerance, racism and general closed mindedness" are not my values and along with the mud that you have chosen to sling at those of us pointing out that what you are doing is wrong, I can say without a doubt that those are not the values of the namesake which you've adopted.

Update 1828:  I failed to read these fine missives before posting this, so go check 'em out too:

• Zeb Dissected - Sisyphus at 43rd State Blues
• The mind of a wingnut - IdaBlue

Someone Should Be Committed

In case you hadn't heard, on April 3, the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the state's ban on same-sex marriages was unconstitutional.  Citing as linchpins of the ruling, basic fairness and constitutional equal protection, the Des Moines Register reported this from the opinion:

"We are firmly convinced that the exclusion of gay and lesbian people from the institution of civil marriage does not substantially further any important governmental objective," the court said in an opinion written by Justice Mark Cady. "The legislature has excluded a historically disfavored class of persons from a supremely important civil institution without a constitutionally sufficient justification."

Opponents of the ruling have vowed to essentially nullify the ruling through constitutional amendment defining marriage as one man, one woman, which, if successful, could become effective in 2012 at the earliest.  These opponents are urging the Iowa Legislature to pass legislation putting the issue to majority vote [always exciting having your rights decided by majority vote] and have established a website to propagate their talking points and message.

On their website, as justification for attempting to deny equal marriage rights, in a section perversely entitled "Motivated by Compassion" and under the headline, "Infidelity, Promiscuity and Insecurity within Homosexual Relationships," they say this [no, I'm not providing a link] :

In view of the evidence, homosexuals will not succeed at establishing exclusive relationships. Promiscuity is a hard habit for anyone to break, straight or homosexual. Promiscuous heterosexuals often fail to learn fidelity; male homosexuals are far more promiscuous than heterosexual males, and therefore far more likely to fail. Lesbians are more promiscuous than heterosexual women. There is little good data on the stability of lesbian relationships, but it is reasonable to speculate that their higher rates of promiscuity and various deep-seated psychological problems would predispose them to long-term relational instability. Existing evidence supports this speculation.

Seriously?  The insanity of denying people the right to have their committed relationships legally recognized because they are supposedly incapable of committed relationships, not to mention the absurdity of the speculation making up the "supposedly," is enough to make you fling yourself off the ledge in exasperation.  Seriously.

These insane and absurd claims and others are being countered by the Human Rights Campaign.  Read, watch and sign here.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna step away from this ledge, crawl back into my cave and—having recently been delivered via messenger yak—burn buffalo dung for a while.  Maybe see if I can't relocate my inner zen.  [Sorry, 'less you're a Zebbie, you'll have no clue how hilarious that last bit was.]

Zeb's Rebs: Ronald Zebell Goes A Bloggin'

I couldn't believe my ears—in fact I spent several minutes afterward cleaning the Diet Coke droplets off my laptop screen—when hearing this bit from Zeb Bell on "Zeb at the Ranch" this morning:

By the way, real quick Scotty, Scotty, Scotty get on the microphone over there and tell everybody my blog address will ya, if they wanna write to Zeb's Rebs.

Yep, folks, after spending the better part of two months regularly berating bloggers with such colorfully descriptive phrases as, "keyboard cowards" and "scurrying little rats hiding in corners" deserving only to be "cast off like a pair of dirty socks," Zeb Bell has become one.

Not only has he become a blogger, but he's chosen a name for his blog as descriptive as the words used to berate them:  Zeb's Rebs.  Apparently, "Bell's Bigots," the name he and a caller joked about having picked out for his merry little band last December, didn't have quite the right ring to it.

Not that Zeb's Rebs is any better.

Anyone who has been living for any part of the last two centuries knows that Reb is the common, informal term used for a Confederate soldier.  You know, the ones fighting to defend the South's right to own people and to secede from the Union.

Maybe Zeb isn't referring to "those" rebs when he enlists others to join his band of rebs.  Maybe he's just referring to a general sort of reb—a rebel of whatever sort—but what on earth would he be enlisting others to rebel against?  The government?  This administration, the leader of which he called the pre-cursor to the anti-Christ again today?

Bad enough, but it doesn't carry the racial stigma that a Reb, reb would connote.

And if that's the case—that Zeb's Rebs are just a general sort of rebel—you'd think that a man who has been under fire for the racially motivated content broadcast on his program, would attempt to avoid using any name that would even remotely suggest a racist connotation.  One has to surmise that he just doesn't care if it does.

Looking at the others listed as contributors on his blog, that becomes even more apparent.  Iron Yak, a Mormon housewife with eleven kids from Burley, describes herself as a writer/artist and is apparently a political cartoonist.  Her artistic talents far exceed her good taste and human decency, however.  On her blog, alongside a sketch of Jesus Christ, you'll find this, making the email sent by Canyon County Commissioner Steve Rule last December, mild in comparison.

Just one of Zeb's Rebs.

Another is well-known, frequent "Zeb at the Ranch" guest, Frosty Wooldridge.  Frosty, described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a Nativist, has had many articles published on the website of infamous white supremacist David Duke, has ties to neo-Nazi Preston Wiginton and has appeared on the white nationalist radio show "The Political Cesspool."  Not exactly the resume of someone tolerant of racial diversity.

Just another of Zeb's Rebs.

Zeb himself has yet to write anything on the blog (it appears that he did post a video).  Maybe until he does, we can't really call him a blogger.  We can, by his own description, though, call him a reb.  Draw your own conclusions as to what, exactly, that means.

And for all those appearing on "Zeb at the Ranch" and thus tacitly endorsing Zeb's Rebs, how do you feel about what, exactly, that means?

Update 11:03:  As pointed out in the comments, apparently realizing that it was offensive, Iron Yak has removed from her blog the racist cartoon I linked to above.  The one she's proudly had posted on her blog for seven months.  Find a screen shot of the cartoon below the fold.  11:35 -- On second thought, I don't want that image on my blog.  You can still find a link to the cartoon here and it's still in google cache--search terms "iron yak" and "lipstick."

Fairness Rally

Rally 1 p.m. Saturday at Boise City Hall to promote "eliminating discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in matters of employment, housing, education, and public accommodations" and to protest the Idaho Legislature's refusal to amend the Idaho Human Rights Act to include these provisions.

Find out more here and if you doubt whether this legislation is necessary, read this.

Zeb's Supporting Cast - 4.03.09

Prominent Idahoans or agencies appearing on "Zeb at the Ranch" this week:

• Senator Denton Darrington (R-Declo) — Tuesday 3.31.09 with Vaughn Killeen discussing law enforcement issues.
• Vaughn Killeen, Idaho Sheriff's Association Executive Director — Tuesday 3.31.09 with Sen. Darrington discussing law enforcement issues.
• Charlie Howell, Jerome County Commissioner — Wednesday 4.01.09 with Doug McFall discussing new jail plans for Jerome County.  Post here.
• Doug McFall, Jerome County Sheriff — Wednesday 4.01.09 with Charlie Howell discussing new jail plans for Jerome County.  Post here.
• Adam Haynes, Mini-Cassia Chamber of Commerce — Thursday 4.02.09 discussing the business and networking project, Kickstand.  Post here.
• Representative Burt Stevenson (R-Rupert) — Thursday 4.02.09 discussing legislative issues.  Post here.

Zeb of the Week:

Zeb Bell, Senator Darrington and Vaughn Killeen discussed the issue of transgendered inmates on March 31.  Listen here; a partial transcript follows (not quite sure how to transcribe nervous laughter):

ZEB:  Yeah and you got another problem creeping up and I'm afraid it's gonna get bigger and we're gonna be addressing that on this program in the weeks to come and that's the transgendered—the people that don't know whether they wanna walk in the men's bathroom or the ladies' bathroom and I'm gonna be very blunt.

SEN. DARRINGTON:  Oh boy.

ZEB:  I see the day coming when... Oh yeah, you can say, "Oh boy," but you know doggone well I'm right.  The day's coming when we as taxpayers are probably gonna have to make another door with a question mark on it.

VAUGHN KILLEEN:  Well as the senator said, "Oh boy," but you might say, "Oh girl."

Well Done. . .

You've probably noticed—maybe you've even read—that for the time being my faithful collaborator on all things Zeb Bell has taken a hiatus from monitoring "Zeb at the Ranch."  At The Political Game, Tara was the first blogger to post the alert that something rotten was being broadcast over the public airwaves in the Mini-Cassia area and since that first warning, has been vigilant (for a time, single-handedly) in raising awareness of Zeb Bell's particular brand of equal opportunity bigotry.  For her efforts and courage she has paid an enormous price.

She's even paid a price for the friendship she's given me.  See, you've heard what Zeb Bell and others in the Mini-Cassia area think about gay people.  Evidently, to some it's just as wrath-provoking to simply articulate that all human beings deserve to be treated with respect and to point out that it's wrong to describe people with words like "cockroach" and "pervert" and phrases like "vile and filthy" and "sick and wrong" and to suggest that a community would be better off if human beings took their own lives.

And evidently it's just as wrath-provoking to count a gay person among your friends, because for simply being mine and telling others that I and people like me deserve just a little respect, she's taken an awful lot of grief—even losing people who have meant everything in her relatively short life.

Speaking up for people who often don't have a voice or could lose everything by daring to use it, takes an awful lot of courage.  Courage that people like Zeb Bell who sit behind a microphone in the comfort of their own home and bluster about "poking people in the nose," urging people to adopt a "John Wayne Christianity" attitude, or the listeners who cheer him on daily, would do well to emulate.  Try speaking out for fairness and decency knowing you could lose everything by doing so.  Try befriending someone who, according to Zeb and supporters, is "alien to society."  Keyboard cowards indeed.

To the people of the Mini-Cassia area:  may you never be on the receiving end of any hate-filled invective (or worse) such as that spoken regularly by Zeb Bell and his listeners.  But if you happen to be so afflicted, may there be someone with the courage to say, "this is wrong," speaking up for you.

To Tara:  thank you and take a well-deserved break.

And finally, this from Martin Luther King, Jr. in his Letter from Birmingham Jail:

So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be.  Will we be extremists for hate or for love?  Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice?

[...]

Let us all hope ... in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.

Tragedy In Black and White

Today "Zeb at the Ranch" listeners were treated to, what I'd like to say was, an amazing exchange between Zeb Bell and a caller named Tony.  I'd like to say it was amazing, because it really was, but sadly, this sort of exchange is all too commonplace for this bunch.  It involves the recent flooding in North Dakota, the flooding in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina and racial stereotyping.

The most tragic thing of all is that both of these men and I'd wager most of those listening would insist that this exchange is not racist.  In fact, earlier in the show Zeb pointed out that Tiger Woods is his favorite golfer and, if you hadn't noticed, Tiger Woods is black.  (See, that makes it all okay, right?)

Listen to the exchange for yourself; a partial transcript follows:

CALLER TONY:  The churches have opened their doors.  Uh, people have opened their homes to strangers to let 'em in so that they'd have a place to get out of the storm.  The high schools are closed; those high school kids have been sand bagging for the last two weeks.  Uh, that, an-and the mayor said, "We will take care of ourselves."  And...

[Zeb interrupts and there's a bit of talk-over for a moment]

TONY:  Now this community—uh, there are very few minorities in Fargo.  Mostly these people are all Lutheran.  Uh, they're good people—they're good Christian people.  Uh, bu-but, but I'm, uh, not just espousing one religion; all of those churches are pulling together.  Uh, anybody with heavy equipment's got it donated.  There's been fuel donated, uh, labor donated, services donated.  And that community—I'm so proud of that community.  Uh, they, they're working their butt off to take care of themselves.  They haven't been screaming to the federal government for aid.  The federal government's not there and you know what, they're, they will take care of themselves.

[...]

ZEB:  [H]ow classy—underline the word—how classy the people in South Dakota and, uh, I should say, North Dakota, are.  They have not asked for anything.  They haven't wailed and cried to the government and said, "Oh this coulda all been averted if they'd done this, that and the other and now we demand this and we want this and everything."  No.  None of it.  These people are acting like Americans.  They're taking the problem in hand, they're meeting it head on and God bless them, they're taking care of themselves.  It's too bad the people in New Orleans, it's too bad the people in New Orleans couldn't have a little pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps attitude and instead of demanding this from the government and demanding that from the government and condemning the government and condemning the United States, take a look at what the people in North Dakota are doing and try pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps for a change!

No one would suggest that what the people in North Dakota are doing isn't a fabulous example of what people can do when facing tragic circumstances, but to compare this disaster to the disaster that was Katrina and to condemn the people of New Orleans for not being able to pull themselves up by their bootstraps is unfair and simply outrageous.  For one thing, the differences in magnitude between the two disasters are unmistakable.  But there is one overwhelmingly large difference that explains why some are praised and others condemned.

Here is some of the North Dakota flooding:

And here is some of Katrina:

You tell me what the difference is and, well. . . Tony even spells it out for you—almost in black and white.

Confused At The Ranch

In nine months of listening to Zeb Bell's brand of radio-talk on "Zeb at the Ranch," I've heard some pretty incredible things, many of them this week, but none that has left me more confused than on Thursday.

This week, like on many other occasions, I've heard Zeb attempt to justify as anything but racist his use last summer of the term "Negroid" when describing then-candidate Barack Obama.  Zeb's fervid defense for using the word and against it being racist, include claims that it's a scientific term and can be found in the dictionary.

While many offensive terms can be found in the dictionary, most people realize that it doesn't legitimize their use and in fact, many dictionaries contain some notation that this term can be considered racist and offensive.  As for it being scientific, the term is based on an 18th century discredited racial typological model that is considered outdated and no longer widely used.  As we've learned, just because Zeb says it's so, doesn't necessarily mean it is.

Nevertheless, it was a particularly hot topic for Zeb this week with the news of President Obama's inappropriate and offensive comment demeaning the Special Olympics the week prior.  [See the clip here if you haven't already.]  Zeb devoted a considerable amount of air time to railing against this comment to the point of becoming incensed that he was called a racist for using "Negroid" while Obama got a "free pass."

All of this despite Zeb's repeated and documented use of the r-word to describe anything he finds disagreeable.  On September 9 last year he used it when talking about those who believe in evolution.  On December 4 of last year he used it to describe atheists.  This year on February 10, he used it when describing the legal situation of Arizona rancher, Roger Barnett.

It's a little difficult to take as anything other than disingenuous and self-serving a man who would rant against someone for making an offensive comment toward a group of people when he has repeatedly used demeaning and derogatory language toward that same group of people.  And he has done this knowing that the term is offensive, even prefacing his comments with phrases like, "Some people may be offended when I say this phrase. . . ," and "I'm going to use that word; if they don't like it that's tough."

Pretty incredible, but typical fare for "Zeb at the Ranch."

On Thursday, listeners were treated to a short two minute blurb that might have gone overlooked if not paying attention, but which has left me puzzled ever since.  Take a listen.

I don't always update the Zeb Page daily, but I do spend time every day reading blogs, searching news reports and other media for content to include on what has become a fairly comprehensive collection of resources.  Occasionally, I'll miss something but usually someone will send me the link later.  In everything currently compiled on the page and those written recently yet to be added, I can't find one instance of any blogger writing something negative about Zeb's physical disability, let alone using it to denigrate him or his value system. 

Where did Zeb get this idea?  Is he trying to further demonize and marginalize bloggers?  Would he fabricate a story summoning his listeners' pity to do so?  I don't have a clue.  But if there is something of that sort on the Zeb Page, someone point it out to me and it will be removed because it doesn't belong there.

After nine months of "Zeb at the Ranch," I thought I had Zeb pretty much figured out.  Turns out, maybe I was wrong.  Maybe I've underestimated Zeb.  At the very least, this latest has left me terribly confused.

He's Everywhere

Zeb Bell makes the Idaho Statesman letters to the editor this morning, alongside one from a familiar name, Carol Bachelder, for those who have been around a while.  (Oh yeah, some interesting reading there.)

The topic of this group of letters:  the human rights act.  But. . . apparently these letters only appear in the online edition of the Statesman.  What's up with that?

Check Out Speak Out!

Teaching Tolerance, dedicated to reducing prejudice and promoting tolerance, has a great publication called Speak Out! offering suggestions on how to respond to everyday bigotry.

Your brother routinely makes anti-Semitic comments. Your neighbor uses the N-word in casual conversation. Your co-worker ribs you about your Italian surname, asking if you’re in the mafia. Your classmate insults something by saying, "That’s so gay."

And you stand there, in silence, thinking, "What can I say in response to that?" Or you laugh along, uncomfortably. Or, frustrated or angry, you walk away without saying anything, thinking later, "I should have said something."

No agency or organization counts or tracks these moments. They don’t qualify as hate crimes, and they rarely make news. That’s part of their insidious nature; they happen so often we simply accept them as part of life. Left unchecked, like litter or weeds, they blight the landscape.

They offer suggestions on how to handle those and similar situations.  They also gathered stories of everyday bigotry encountered by people across the U.S. and relate many of them as examples within the publication.  Here's one:

‘I’M NOT WEIRD’

Cody Downs, 30, has Down syndrome. He cannot read or write, but he lives on his own, enjoys music and worked as a disc jockey for many years.

Cody and his mother, Kay Parks, were in the checkout line at the grocery store. A woman in line behind them stared at Cody with a disgusted look on her face.

Cody turned to his mother and asked, "Why is that woman looking weird at me?"

Kay looked at the woman, then looked back to Cody.

Stymied for an answer and wanting to provide Cody information he would understand, Kay said to her son, "Well, Cody, I guess she’s looking at you that way because she thinks you’re weird."

Cody considered that for a moment.

Then he turned to the woman behind him and said, "I’m not weird. I’m a really nice guy."

It is a great resource and highly recommended.

Stevenson: I Don't Recall

The saga of Idaho Rep. John A. "Bert" Stevenson (R-Rupert) and the derogatory comments made toward gay people last month on Zeb Bell's "Zeb at the Ranch" radio show takes another twist.  Today, Rep. Stevenson recounts a different view of Monday's meeting with leaders of Lion's Pride Idaho and the Southern Idaho Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual and Transgendered Community Center, two LGBT groups hoping to to open up a dialog with Stevenson and put a human face to the issue of discrimination.

In a press release, the groups stated they were "encouraged" by the meeting while recognizing that there is much work to be done in educating legislators and others on the issues.  The release also reported that Stevenson responded to questions about his radio comments by indicating he may have "overspoke."

While failing to report that Stevenson told the groups he was unaware that there are currently no federal protections against discrimination for gay people, the Twin Falls Times-News relates today that Stevenson's view of the meeting differs.

Rep. Bert Stevenson, R-Rupert, said Tuesday that a meeting Monday with a gay-rights group over his remarks during a recent AM radio show was "cordial," but he disagreed he "overspoke" as the group claims he said.

"We had a cordial meeting," Stevenson said. "They understand my position has not changed. They understand it was not personal and there are no hard feelings to them individually."

[...]

"I don't recall saying I 'overspoke,'" Stevenson said Tuesday.

Stevenson is scheduled to appear on "Zeb at the Ranch" again today at 9:30 a.m. . . . if he remembers.  Tune in.  Call in.

Update:  Bell confirms on the program just now that Stevenson will not be on at 9:30 due to voting conflicts.  Also, Lion's Pride and SIGLBT report that the complete quote from Stevenson was, "I overspoke...I wish I could have a mulligan but I'd have to play golf."

Bell's Bigots Surface

Bell's Bigots (Zeb Bell's phrase, not mine) are coming out of the woodwork and are showing just what they are capable of.  Here's one attacking as a keyboard coward (another of Zeb's own phrases) a person willing to speak out, using her own name, about the hateful, hurtful speech broadcast daily over the KBAR airwaves.

Apparently this is the sort of thing Zeb meant by "going on the offense" and, amazingly enough, this guy accuses Tara of standing for "filth" using language that neither she nor I allow on either of our blogs!

Is this what Zeb Bell's supporters are all about?  Is this the brand of "John Wayne Christianity" Zeb Bell envisioned?  Is this what these sponsors signed up for?

Groups Encouraged By Meeting With Stevenson

What follows is a press release from Lion's Pride Idaho and the Southern Idaho GLBT Community Center following a meeting the groups had yesterday with Rep. John A. "Bert" Stevenson (R-Rupert).

In case you haven't been following the story, get caught up here and here.

---

Idaho Rep. Bert Stevenson "Over Spoke" on Radio Broadcast

This afternoon members of SIGLBT Community Center and Lion’s Pride Idaho LGBT groups were encouraged by their meeting with Representative John A. "Bert" Stevenson. After discussing his on-air comments in late February, we were able to inform him that current State and Federal laws are inadequate to protect LGBT in the workplace. He commented that he did not know that there were no Federal protections in place. We learned from Rep. Stevenson that we have a lot of work to do change the Legislature’s perception of LGBT issues.

"We are encouraged by these events and hope to have more public discussions in the future. We feel that Representative Stevenson is very open to listen to any LGBT who wishes to knock on his door," says Donna Harwood, Owner of Lion’s Pride.

When asked what he would like to say to the LGBT community Rep. Stevenson said, "Be patient with us. We need to have identified to us [Idaho Legislature] the differences."

"Rep. Stevenson’s comments on the radio broadcast were obviously not well thought out and were ill informed. The education of Idaho’s Legislative body is going to be a lengthy process. It will take each one of us to reach out to our own lawmakers to make sure we move forward on this issue and the many other LGBT issues," said James Tidmarsh, President of the SIGLBT Community Center.

We presented Rep. Stevenson with a DVD copy of Voices in Exile: Stories of Lesbian Mormons, a documentary by an Idaho Director, a copy of Andrew Sullivan’s book Virtually Normal and "No More Goodbyes: Circling the Wagon Around Our Gay Loved Ones" by Carol Lynn Pearson.

We hope this meeting was able to put human faces to the LGBT community and to bring a little bit of understanding of the struggles that LGBT face on a daily basis.

LGBT Groups To Meet With Rep. Stevenson

The following is a release from Lion's Pride Idaho and comes after the group requested an apology from Rep. John A. "Bert" Stevenson (R-Rupert) for comments made during a segment on "Zeb at the Ranch" with Zeb Bell.

Yesterday Rep. Stevenson made another appearance on the program where he said to Bell, "If I've offended somebody, I apologize but I want people to realize that the question you asked me the last time was my opinion and that hasn't changed at all.  And so if I've offended someone I apologize for that but my opinion hasn't changed," indicating that he has held his position for 30 or 40 years.

Representative Stevenson to meet with Lion's Pride and SIGLBT

Following Lion's Pride's call for John A. "Bert" Stevenson to apologize for his radio remarks made on February 25, Lion's Pride Idaho and the Southern Idaho Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual and Transgendered Community Center requested a meeting with him to discuss our shared concerns.

Representative Stevenson has graciously agreed to meet with representatives from the two groups next week in Boise.

Who You Gonna Believe. . .

. . . me, or your lyin' ears?

This morning, expecting some fallout from an article published in the Boise Weekly today, "Zeb at the Ranch" listeners were instead treated to an hour-long tirade from Zeb Bell directed at a Twin Falls Times-News letter to the editor writer.

From the letter:

Now having listened to Zeb, I'm troubled that he still is able to hold on to a radio spot. He seems to be an equal opportunity hater targeting not only gays but Hispanics, Native Americans and the race of our president. He refers to people as "cockroaches," "despicable, filthy and low classed" even to the point of encouraging violence. I for one will never set foot into businesses that sponsor this hate. And my state is too great for hate.

That prompted an angry Bell to call the writer a liar in various ways for nearly the entire first hour of the program today, saying he said never said such things despite evidence to the contrary.

Check it out:

And that's what you call a bully, folks.

Update:  For another interesting twist to the letter writing, check out this post at The Political Game.  If true, it appears that an Idaho legislator may have participated in an individual getting a harassing phone call from Zeb.  In fact Zeb bragged about just such a call yesterday.  Check out the audio of that here.