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July 29, 2009

Tolerance!

Justin Katz

Remind me, again, who the intolerant bigots are?

The police are investigating an assault Tuesday on Bald Hill Road.

The weapon of choice: soda, salsa, eggs ...

"Your basic garden variety of food condiments," Capt. Robert Nelson said Wednesday.

It started as the four men stood at the median on Bald Hill Road and East Avenue around 2:40 p.m. protesting against same-sex marriage.

The location, Nelson noted, afforded them a roomy median and prime visibility.

They caught the attention of a group of women in one of the cars.

The women, who apparently objected to their message, flung a soda bottle at the men and vowed to return.

And back they were, about 15 minutes later, hurling at the men a mélange of food ingredients and drinks and a full repertoire of profanities, Nelson said.

One of the women swashed a protester with pepper spray.

No one was hurt and no arrests have been made, Nelson said

Note the jocular tone Maria Armental applies to her reportage and, in the game that is becoming all too frequently appropriate, imagine how the story would be presented if the men had been protesting for same-sex marriage.

Comments

The intolerant bigots are the ones who all too frequently beat to a pulp or kill the other ones.

The only thing surprising about your post (as soon as I saw the story I knew you'd soon be drooling over the chance) is that you could not think of a way to fit in a lament for the struggling intellectual working-class "conservative" guy beaten down by the snooty Ivy-League liberals and their media cronies.

Posted by: Pragmatist at July 29, 2009 11:11 PM

I assume the above is a reference to Gates/Crowley. I am wondering where all of this "working class" comes from in reference to Crowley. A sergeant on the Cambridge force should be pulling down aout 120K, about the same as a Harvard prof. without an "endowed" chair.

Posted by: Warrington Faust at July 29, 2009 11:43 PM

A modest proposal: let's ban occupation of medians, traffic islands, etc., be it for protests or fundraising.
The unfortunate example of firefighters wandering up to drivers stopped at red lights with boots during August now goes on all year, with all kinds of aggressive fundraising (some done by young children) at traffic lights. Someone's gonna get hurt in this situation.
This situation in Warwick...pox on both their houses. What a bunch of get-a-lifers.

Posted by: rhody at July 30, 2009 12:45 AM

This is what the opposition is reduced to...why construct a valid counter-argument when you can just throw things like a child? It's like the monkey cage at the zoo...and sadly these 'lovely' individuals cancel out the votes from the adults in this state...

Posted by: Brian at July 30, 2009 9:12 AM

The working-class reference above was not to Crowley. It was a reference to the running meme of a good portion of this blog.

Posted by: Pragmatist at July 30, 2009 9:17 AM

Quite shocking, that group of women's intolerance of intolerance. Since you apparently need reminding, these folks are the bigots.

Bomber attacks Outgames
Teen Charged With String Of Anti-Gay Hate Crimes
Gloucester Men Face 15 Years for Gay Bashing
NC Victim: Was Brutal Beating Anti-Gay Bias Crime?

That's just the last couple of weeks. There are plenty of other examples. Sad that a few eggs draw your ire, but these attacks are routine enough that you don't even notice them.


Posted by: Russ at July 30, 2009 9:29 AM

But what's entirely unsurprising, given your recent track-record, is that you seem to have little problem with violence directed against political protesters with whom you disagree.

Posted by: Andrew at July 30, 2009 10:05 AM

Ahh, I get it Russ, it's "payback" right? Or are you saying that two wrongs *do* make a right? Is that what you're saying? Sure sounds like it.

Posted by: Patrick at July 30, 2009 10:26 AM

I didn't comment one way or another on their methods, only on the noxious equation of this to the very real violence and discrimination faced by gays in this country.

I have in the past condemned actions like this. No idea what my "recent track record" might be, except that I called out the Mad Hatters on their right-wing media fueled disinformation campaign.

Posted by: Russ at July 30, 2009 11:05 AM

Russ,

All of the incidents to which you link are terrible, to be sure, but there are sufficient differences that it remains curious that you raise them in response to this story, especially in the degree to which you break the world into gay v. anti-gay.

Of your links, one incident occurred in Europe, and the perpetrator's name, much less his motivation, has not been released. Two of the incidents occurred in or around bars, and the specific catalyst for the attacks is not clear. The fourth incident, involved essentially gang events.

I'll concede that thugs who rob and look for fights at bars are bigots, but more broadly, they're just idiots. For that reason, I won't go in search of tit-for-tat incidents around the globe.

What we have on Bald Hill Rd. are some people doing nothing but expressing an opinion on a topical social issue in the middle of the afternoon. People who disagreed with their point of view not only hurled things at them, but went to get things to hurl at them. Then the state newspaper made light of the story.

Your reaction suggests nothing so much as your desire to maintain a monopoly on the victim-of-intolerance card.

Posted by: Justin Katz at July 30, 2009 1:05 PM

So you're quick to note that at least some of the incidents I mentioned might not have been hate crimes (that's the problem with citing recent attacks), without mentioning that the egg throwing was attributed to women "who apparently objected to [the anti-gay protestors] message." Who's to say? Maybe these guys were asking for it, right?

Sounds like it's actually your desire to find a way to claim victimhood (note - I didn't bring this up). And it's truly bizarre to suggest that gays in any way "desire" discrimination and assault. I'm also not sure how denial of the existence anti-gay violence in the U.S. helps me see your point.

Posted by: Russ at July 30, 2009 1:41 PM

So because there's lots of ugly violence in the world, content of the message aside, you're OK with violent actions directed at peaceful political protests?

Posted by: Andrew at July 30, 2009 1:52 PM

Russ
Thanks for providing the above links

Posted by: RIP Harvey Milk at July 30, 2009 2:16 PM

Wait a minute... are you not OK with violent actions directed at peaceful political protests? The left has seen rubber bullets, tear gas, changes from mounted police, forcible arrest. I didn't know you thought that immoral!

Posted by: Russ at July 30, 2009 4:00 PM

If we could just put down the ideological swords for a moment...
Both parties created a public safety hazard. They should both have been charged.
And I hold the women at fault even more so than the 'phobes. Their childish reaction allowed these guys to present themselves as martyrs.

Posted by: rhody at July 30, 2009 4:05 PM

I look forward to the day,when even rightwing blogs,will report on beatings
and murders of Gays and Lesbians.That day WILL come,i am sure.Maybe the second generation of Anchor Rising ??

Posted by: Harvey in Coventry at July 30, 2009 8:30 PM

"And back they were, about 15 minutes later, hurling at the men a mélange of food ingredients and drinks and a full repertoire of profanities"

So are we dialoguing here?

Or possibly Brian's comparison to simian behavior is more accurate.

Posted by: Monique at July 31, 2009 8:16 AM

Yes Russ, I do find violent attacks against peaceful protests to be wrong. And look at that, I was able to answer the question directly.

Your responses, on the other hand, seem to be confined to people who's content you agree with. So, for example, I'm still not sure if you think something like this attack on protesters from yesterday is justified or not. (And Harvey, I'm pretty sure the people doing the attacking in the link above work for an organization that doesn't support legalizing gay marriage.)

Posted by: Andrew at July 31, 2009 10:18 AM