Alleged Hate Crime in Paradise

ABC News ^ | April 11, 2006 | JEFFREY KOFMAN

[ConservativeStatement]

April 11, 2006 — They were six friends on vacation in the Caribbean, escaping the last bluster of the New York winter on the easygoing island of St. Maarten.

One of them, Ryan Smith, 25, and 6 feet 7 inches tall, had the resume of a rising star: a graduate of Columbia University, a former White House intern, a former intern at the David Letterman Show, and now a researcher at CBS News.

His mother, Patricia Smith, was at home in Sandusky, Ohio, last Thursday morning. She had just sent an e-mail to her son asking him how his vacation was going. She remembers that just after she clicked the SEND button on her computer the phone rang. It was one of her son's friends calling from St. Maarten.

[ConservativeStatement]

Not a love crime but a hate crime.

[Fatuncle]

You know, I have often thought of that picture as Kerry trying to find his ass - and missing.

[Moleman]

This is sad I don't like to hear about people getting beat this bad. I read through the article though and i am not seeing the reason WHY the men got into a fight. The implication is that they were beat due to their sexual preference.

[conservativeharleyguy]

Always interesting to see how "intolerant" and "unenlightened" our poor downtrodden 3rd world neighbors are in the eyes of Manhattan.

Most of the 3rd world hates homosexuals, and regularly locks 'em up for aberrant behavior.

But, then again they haven't had the "benefit" of Will and Grace (and 8th grade gym teachers) to teach (indoctrinate???) them how to "tolerate" each other and celebrate our differences.

Leave it to a bunch of Manhattanites to travel to someplace where they really have no business, and be absolutely astonished when they get their asses whipped for bathhouse behavior.

F*** 'EM!!!

[bboop]

It is the expectation that, just because they have indoctrinated Manhattan, the rest of the world will come along. Not even most of the country right outside Manhattan buys that baloney, really, let alone the Third World. It's tragic but it's not extraordinary. Try hanging out in Iraq.

[steveo]

Most of the 3rd world hates homosexuals, and regularly locks 'em up for aberrant behavior.

Carib people don't like gays... I knew this 20 years ago.

[HostileTerritory]

I read the article. What was the "bathhouse behavior" that invited a tire iron to the skull, again?

[PeterFinn]

Those fellows were fortunate not to be traveling in a Muslim country or they'd be headless right about now.

[JOAT]

Aside from the attack in a 3rd world hell-hole, I find it interesting that both of these guys work in the 'news' media.

It wouldn't surprise me if they are representative a of a large segment of the out-of-touch MSM. (Gay and 'elite.')

It it any wonder they (MSM) constantly force-feed the sheep a steady diet of 'gay is okay' stories?

[doorgunner69]

What was the "bathhouse behavior" that invited a tire iron to the skull, again?

I suspect the report was being politically correct and declined to describe the behavior that tipped off the natives that they were homos.

[InvisibleChurch]

I hope they get well.

[Freedom_no_exceptions]

Most of the 3rd world hates homosexuals...
Leave it to a bunch of Manhattanites to travel to someplace where they really have no business, and be absolutely astonished when they get their asses whipped for bathhouse behavior.
F*** 'EM!!!

Bashing people's heads in with a metal object and trying to run them over because they're homosexual may be appropriate wherever you're from, but I bet that part wasn't included in the Caribbean travel brochure.

[jakerobins]

Not to excuse the behavior of the criminals who did this, but from the reports I heard these two "guys" were making out and fondling each other in a public bar. This may be accepted behavior in NYC or San Francisco but as far as I know the people of the islands of the Caribbean don't appreciate to say to least homosexual behavior. My oppinion is these "guys" should have known better than to make out in a bar outside of San Francisco, but that doesn't make it ok to beat them half to death. If you're going to travel somewhere know the local customs, if they had been in Saudi Arabia they might have been hung. Appreciate the freedom we have in the USA. I hope these people who did this will be caught but with the recent history of dutch law (ARUBA) I doubt anyone will be arrested or prosecuted.

[conservativeharleyguy]

You are right, maybe I did read between the lines a bit, but I'll bet it took a bit more than "hugging" to attract the derision of their neighboring patrons.

Trying to act like you do back home (especially when your "lifestyle" is at least somewhat controversial) is a recipe for an ass-whipping in a lot of locales. Most people don't like things like that flaunted in public.

I think some of the inhabitants of these "exotic" destinations are getting tired of being a playground for "Gay Travel".

[HostileTerritory]

I don't know where you live, but in my experience guys don't need to start making out to make it clear which team they play on. You see a group of men with no women and with a certain type of voice and it's obvious who they are. The article said they were hugging.

[HostileTerritory]

from the reports I heard these two "guys" were making out and fondling each other in a public bar.

Do you have a link to those reports? The story here says otherwise.

[originalbuckeye]

Eight years ago my husband took our (at the time)11 year old son and me to see Patti LaBelle at the Hollywood Bowl. I was really looking forward to it as it was partly a celebration of my birthday. We were sitting about 2/3rds of the way back on the benches. Sparse attendees that far back. Two rows in front of us were seated two gay men. They proceeded to fondle each other and lick each others ears. Happily, my son was looking through the binoculars at the time and we swiftly moved. That level of public display of affection is completely inappropriate. Gay or straight. People need to have some decorum or stay home.

[doorgunner69]

I don't know where you live, but in my experience guys don't need to start making out to make it clear which team they play on.

I'm not that perceptive unless they are being blatant. Few homos (obvious ones at least) where I live, depend on my wife for early warning radar. My bet is they were being gross. Speech patterns and mannerisms in a foreign country don't register too well as they would here.