Posted on 09/19/2013 7:03:11 AM PDT by Kaslin
Next week, "The Book of Matt" by famed investigative journalist Stephen Jiminez, is slotted for release. The book tells the true story behind the murder of Matthew Shepard, who has become the angelic face of victimhood in the gay rights movement. Shepard's murder in 1998 launched a national effort, spearheaded by President Clinton, to push for a hate crimes law including sexual orientation. It became the basis for Hollywood's addiction to storylines involving the killing of gay men (see, for example, "Brokeback Mountain"). Shepard, the mythology went, died for America's homophobic sins.
There's only one problem. Shepard, according to Jiminez, was not killed because he was gay. His murderers, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, attempted the "gay panic" defense in court -- suggesting that Shepard had come onto them and provoked them into murderous rage. But that wasn't true. Jiminez, who is gay, reports that Shepard dealt methamphetamine, and that one of his murderers was a sex partner. Even gay-journalistic icon Andrew Sullivan has endorsed Jiminez's work.
But the left cannot let its mythology go. And so The Matthew Shepard Foundation released a statement decrying Jiminez's book: "Attempts now to rewrite the story of this hate crime appear to be based on untrustworthy sources, factual errors, rumors and innuendo rather than the actual evidence gathered by law enforcement and presented in a court of law. We do not respond to innuendo, rumor or conspiracy theories. Instead, we recommit ourselves to honoring Matthew's memory, and refuse to be intimidated by those who seek to tarnish it."
If the facts tarnish Shepard's memory, perhaps that's because the facts are inconvenient.
The same, of course, was true with regard to the killing of Trayvon Martin. The left insisted on a similar racial crucifixion story, in which a thuggish white racist, George Zimmerman, tracked down and shot an innocent black boy in cold blood. The facts of the case simply didn't bear that story: Zimmerman had no racist background; Martin had a history of criminal activity; witness testimony placed Martin on top of Zimmerman, banging his head against the pavement. But the narrative of the left was set: Trayvon was killed for wearing a hoodie and carrying Skittles and Arizona Iced Tea.
Radio host Dennis Prager has wisely observed that to the left, truth is not a value. Ideology is a value. And so the myths of Shepard and Trayvon must live on. That's because the left understands that narrative drives hearts and minds, rather than argument. Were the left to openly contend that gay men and women around America are in danger every day from the vastly homophobic majority of the American populace, most Americans would rightly be insulted and skeptical. Were the left to suggest that most Americans are vicious racists a hairsbreadth away from murdering black teenagers, most Americans would scoff. Instead, the left trots out cases like Shepard and cases like Trayvon -- and manufactures those cases to fit their needs.
Racism and anti-gay hatred must be wiped from the map. But there is no need to fudge the facts in order to combat them. The left's need to seize on individual cases as impetus for broad societal change demonstrates just how desperate the left is to paint exceptional cases as the rule to justify a broader agenda.
Years ago, a man named Whitaker Chambers was demonized as a lunatic, and an opportunist for accusing (correctly) a man named Alger Hiss of being a communist.
Journalism in the US has not improved. Media doesn’t regard facts to be as important as the story, and are eager to smudge the truth to press a hot issue.
I see what you did there.
The left is also deifying Harvey Milk.
There is a Harvey Milk Foundation, which I’m sure is similar to the Matthew Shepard Foundation.
Wait for Trayvon’s momma to start a foundation for him.
In San Diego, in the Hillcrest neighborhood, which has a big proportion of “gay” residents, they recently opened “Harvey Milk’s American Diner”. This diner promises to deliver 1% of gross sales to the Harvey Milk Foundation.
Liberal icons are out there for us to worship.
And this was one of the cases that started much of the ‘gay’ activism.
The MEDIA’s role in all this has to be examined, along with their role for covering up Obama’s background and the socialist agenda of the democraps. (That even many registered democrats - like most America-loving unions workers don't even know about) The MEDIA is the biggest enemy of The Constitution.
The Left never lets facts and the truth get in the way of a good lie that will advance their cause, My FRiend.
Over the last few years, I have come to realize just how much of Liberalism has been built on Mythology. Even in cases where things were “true”, they left out facts that would make the incident less meaninful. For example, the whole Rosa Parks thing, I only fairly recently learned the entire story..
Hmmm. This is reminiscent of Planned Parenthood and its continued 'honoring' of its racist eugenicist founder Margaret Sanger.
It’s going to get even worse.
I guarantee there will be a Harvey Milk Day, just like MLK Day.
And it’s only a matter of time until the Navy christens the USS Harvey Milk.
In the tradition of Horst Wessel and Pavlik Morozov.
It really depends how you define "gay" (a perfectly fine word that has been corrupted to mean homosexual or sodomite). If "gay" refers to the sinner -- absolutely we should not hate the sinner. We are all sinners washed clean only through the cleansing blood of our Saviour who came to save sinners. If "gay" refers to the sin (sodomy, homosexuality, etc) - absolutely we should be "anti-gay". Sin is to be hated and fought. It destroys. It is evil.
Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
And even worse, it separates us from God.
Psalms 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me
For God is of purer eyes to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity...
Conservatives need to find some way to get younger conservatives into communications/media.
There already IS a Trayvon Martin Foundation.
Both of his parents are “employees”, which is why neither of them have to work anymore.
http://trayvonmartinfoundation.org/
see post #15
Wow. Trayvon’s momma, who didn’t even raise him full time after the age of 2, has discovered how to make money so she doesn’t have to work at a real job anymore.
That’s why they had to have an arrest and a trial.
Without it... no payout for the “victim”
Every donation gets you a hemp bag with purple drank, skittles, and a ‘don’t be a snitch’ tee-shirt in it.
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