CA: Child Molester Raises $$ for Garamendi: Put that in your pipe and smoke it

FlashReport ^ | 8/8/06 | Karen Hanretty

[NormsRevenge]

The San Francisco Chronicle Blog "broke" the story and the Associated Press is now running with it: Mel Gibson wrote a fundraising letter for Tom McClintock. Gasp!

And McClintock stopped using it earlier this year. Uh, gasp? No gasp? Nothing? Meaningless?

Well, if Gibson writing a fundraising letter for McClintock carries any weight or significance, then surely it is significant to point out that John Garamendi, McClintock's opponent in the race for Lt. Governor, benefited from a fundraising letter written by Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul and Mary fame. Yarrow, you may or (probably) may not recall, was convicted of child molestation a few decades past and served time in jail for taking "indecent liberties" with a 14 year old girl. (Washington Times, Oct. 1, 2004) Yarrow was later pardoned by President Jimmy Carter. (Of course he was.)

In 2004, Texas Democrat Martin Frost cancelled a fundraising appearance with Yarrow, after learning of his molestation conviction. Interestingly, Frost appeared favorably in press reports for having the backbone to cancel any political appearances with Yarrow.

"Crimes against children are very serious offenses," Frost said in a statement. "I do not believe it is appropriate for Mr. Yarrow to campaign on my behalf." (National Journal's CongressDaily, Oct. 1, 2004)

This is as good a time as any to point out that Garamendi still hasn't endorsed the Jessica's Law initiative. Perhaps he's concerned how it would impact his financial contributors.

Unfortunately, I suspect McClintock will be assumed guilty in the media by his association with Gibson, despite the fact that he stopped using the fundraising letter and has disavowed Gibson's anti-Semitic statements.

Oh, and I don't suppose that in any of the reporting by the major dailies in California or by the Associated Press that any reporter will bother to include that McClintock's political opponent, John Garamendi (who, by the way, still hasn't endorsed Jessica's Law), raised money in 2001 from a letter written by a convicted child molester.

I have a copy of the letter from Yarrow on Garamendi's behalf, if any reporter wants it. It's quite a read. (Yarrow thinks John Garamendi can change the world. He must have been high when he wrote it.)

[Clint Williams]

This is as good a time as any to point out that Garamendi still hasn't endorsed the Jessica's Law initiative. Perhaps he's concerned how it would impact his financial contributors.

Given that Yarrow has a pardon, how would it affect him? And why the plural on contributors?