Ann Coulter calls John Edwards "Faggot"

[tdogg]

Daniel and Jamie, thanks for the lessons well-learned PRIOR to me opening my big 'mouth'. I did have some thoughts on Ann's looks, although nothing differentiating bad vs. good. My thoughts were along the lines of methinks she doth protest too much, and I did notice a bit of an adam's apple and some of her features could make an argument towards being slightly 'masculine', so my thoughts definitely drifted towards the possibilties especially since I really don't know all that much about her.

So, in a sense of thoughtfulness, compassion and love, and hopefully non violence as well - Ann Coulter, if you are out there and happen upon our wonderful Soulforce forums, and this thread - please know, no matter who you are or what your views are, there is a lot of love and acceptance here. Please give up your attacks on gays and lesbians, hold on to your opinions if you must, but the comments are not necessary or welcome and certainly not a joke to any of us here. But if you are truly searching for answers, information or generally want to engage in a compassionate dialogue, please feel free to 'drop in'. There is enough love here for you. We only ask that you show respect to us and those we love.

[revtj]

Jamie, I understand your point that this is a public forum. Sometimes I feel like it's a 100% safety zone among friends and that I can go too far if I'm feeling like it and it won't matter.

I take 100% full responsibility for the things I said about Ann Coulter. I alone answer for my opinions and I regret if my opinions somehow misrepresented our overall Soulforce philosophy to which I am fully committed.

That being said, I stand by my statements, only I wish to make them in a more polite, civil form:

I think it is suspect if not outright hypocritical for her to endorse abstinence given her overall fashion choices.

I would not be surprised at all to find that she uses illegal drugs before interviews and public appearances. Something enhances her ego to the point of extreme self-righteous judgment and bitter condemnation that is out of line with her own reality. There have been others, like Rush Limbaugh and Ted Haggard, who were using illegal drugs and going on these kind of right-wing rants. I don't think it is out of line to question this.

I believe she is paid by the right to be the character she portrays and this a form of prostitution to me. I feel sorry for her getting used in this way. I believe losing her job and sinking to a place of having to see herself as others see her, and how 97% of the rest of the world lives, would be a redemptive experience for her.

The only remedy for an inflated ego is deflation and I feel confident in my faith in wishing this for her, not only for her own integrity but also because the evidence shows that the worst human rights offenders in history have had overwhelmingly malignant narcisissm.

The gospel of John portrays Jesus insulting, calling names and condemning religious authorities who exploited the people using fear and faith. In particular John 8 is an extremely hard chapter to read if you subscribe to Soulforce philosophy. My observation is that Jesus felt about his religious home - Judaism - the way a lot of us feel about the churches that nurtured us and then rejected us when we came out. It is a love/anger out of which families have bitter fights in order to find their best selves. I pray Ms. Coulter finds her best self as I too am on that journey to be a better servant of the Lord.

Again, I take full responsibility for my opinions.

[revtj]

Speaking of being paid by the right to play a character as being a form of
prostitution...

http
://www.jeffgannon.com/archives/columns/index.html#a000883

[nmwolfboy]

Glad i waited until after Jamie's reminders about non-violent speech before responding about Ms. Coulter. Not sure i could have kept a disparaging epithet or two from launching out of my mouth!

i expect Ann to say hateful outrageous things, especially when she's got an audience. But it was the audience's reaction that saddened me beyond belief. Despite initial gasps at Ann's remark, it was plain from their reaction that her audience thought it perfectly acceptable.

i read recently that making bigoted remarks against homosexuals is the only remaining 'acceptable' public predjudice. Imagine if dear Ann had used a disparaging word in reference to any racial group. Or against people with developmental disabilities. Or against any grouping of people other than gays. Would her audience have felt as free to express their delight at her remarks?

-scott

[andrewlittle]

While recognizing dear Jeff as another child of God, it is unfortunate that he used words that are unmistakably ignorant. I would also guess, while seeming to be a remarkably likeable person, that those kinds of words fill his brain, since he issues them forth so freely.

That "faggot" has become the new “N-word” is evidence of how far our culture has drifted. (Obviously, just a spelling mistake on Joe's part) For decades, the “F-word” was the four-letter one you couldn’t say on television, but now it's part of mainstream liberal vernacular. (Thankfully, you'll never find a republican, conservative or Christian using that one.) However, rallying behind a slur of their own, gays can take to the streets in their assless chaps and nipple piercings (at least he noticed - hmmm) and skip the two centuries of slavery and a hundred years of separate lunch counters and drinking fountains to demand whatever they can extort from pandering politicians.

So that's how come our African-American brothers and sisters have acheived full and total equality in each and every respect - they paid the admission price. What's wrong with you folks, eh - didn't you realize there's a mandatory hazing to go through?

And all it took was 2 centuries of slavery and a hundred years of exclusion before the our black friends began extorting their rights from pandering politicians. Damn you guys are impatient. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the "pandering" politicians have been the easy targets and wouldn't it be the domineering, hateful ones who would have needed extorting?

The Left has no claim to righteous indignation when it comes to “hate speech.” In January 2005 Howard Dean told a group of New York Democrats: “I hate Republicans and everything they stand for.”

Oh, my gracious. Such foul and abusive language. How could any self-respecting, God-fearing, human being utter such disgusting tripe. And, "hate" is pretty strong, too.

Since Dean used such indiscrete language as that, it means, of course, that the door is open for conservative children of God to toss just about any kind of objectionable insults as a result.

Of course, then he ends with:

True to form, John Edwards used the incident to raise funds for his presidential bid. If anything, faggots should be offended by being mentioned in the same sentence as the sleazy trial lawyer.

Good thing he didn't have something like ...

Contribute
Your support will
help me keep
up the fight!

... on the same page. Oh crappe (oops), he did. Go figure.

[scott snedeker]

She harmed herself the most. I'm sure the majority of people see her as shallow. I can guarantee that she will not exhibit the same cronyism again. She shot herself in the foot.

Furthermore she raised consciousness one notch further. No one else will risk a similar blooper. She has brought in a new political etiquette by sacrificing her image, Now the image of the wrong thing to do. She took a chance and lost. Insensitivity backfired.

In a way we are now indebted to her.

The best way to demonstrate her failing is to contrast with a message of non-judgement and non -violence. If she were more in contact with unconditional love of self and others, she would have felt uneasy enough not to make such a comment.

[marutidas]

I agree with Scott, it is a Buddhist teaching that say,"our enemies present us with opprotunities that our friends do not". Ann Coutler, insensative as she might be, has help us show that such inapporpriate tactics are no longer acceptible, especially in the bid for the presidency. And she has graciously removed her self a fundraiser for anyother conservitive canidate as well. And for that she derserves our thanks.

[Alecto]

I just wanted to throw out there that I thought her defense was interesting. "It's a schoolyard taunt". How does that make it in any way appropriate for a grown adult to use?