O'Connor says religious right hate-speech could spur violence against

[BR_Parkway]

judges, calls her critics "extreme".

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/04/oconnor-says-religious-right-hate.html

Wow. I'm glad our old-time liberal non-profits have NOT jumped on the anti-judge hate speech issue that I've been preaching about for, oh, a good month now. Obviously I was wrong and the story has no legs whatsoever.

From this week's Newsweek:

In a speech earlier this month at Goucher College, O'Connor herself said she was surprised at all the violent threats she received. "I don't think the harsh rhetoric helps," she told the crowd. "I think it energizes people who are a little off base to take actions that maybe they wouldn't otherwise take."

More from O'Connor's speech criticizing the conservative Christians, who she apparently thinks are not "thoughtful citizens" - but rather part of the "extreme" in America:

Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said harsh political rhetoric could spur violence against the nation's judges, offering a veiled response last night to some national figures who in the past week have blasted the courts for failing to intervene in the case of a severely brain-damaged Florida woman.

[indepat]

1. Religious right hate speech: a cancer eating at the heart and soul of

America?

[kweerwolf]

2. It never ceases to amaze me ...

... how the right-wing extremists shoot themselves in the foot and end up turning more moderate (or should that be "less delusional"?) people against them with their antics.

I've seen it happen on a local level on several occasions. First was back int he early '90s when the city council was considering adding sexual orientation to the human rights ordinance. Several council members were on the fence on the issue and it was not clear that the ordinance would pass. Then - like rotten, moldy manna from heaven - the odious Fred Phelps and his "klan" of inbred relatives show up with their hate-filled "God hates fags" signs and suddenly the the measure passes unanimously.

Then almost two years ago the council considered offering domestic partner coverage for city employees. Spurred on by allegedly "christian" radio, the fun-d'uh-MENTAL-ists launched a calling and writing campaign. They were so vicious that council members on the fence moved to the pro-domestic partners side and passed the measure unanimously. In fact, one of the council members who had been luke-warm on gay issues previously is now one of the biggest supporters of the LGBT community after all the "yer goin' to hell fer a-votin' fer da homo-sect-shul agender!" abuse she received.

As much as right-wing extremists and hate-mongers disgust me, I still have to say: God bless their pointing little heads occasionally concealed beneath those pointy little hoods.