Out-of-Bounds Leads to Penalty Kick
| Category: Americans for "Truth", CWA, Lies, Pam's House Blend, Peter LaBarbera, Rules, Threats, Violence | 3 Comments
Recently a commenter on Pam’s House Blend went out of bounds of the Blend community rules by posting private information and making threatening comments in the comments section of a blog posting that briefly discussed a story that was broken by Dr. Kevin Kaatz, a blogger on this site. The commenter, ”Barry G. Wick,” has been kicked off of the blog and his comments deleted permanently as a result.
Consequently this was picked up immediately by Concerned Women for America and Peter Labarbera who politicized this event by first posting a press release about it blaming Pam Spaulding for Mr. “Wick’s” comments.
In what was, at the very least, an apparent attempt to intimidate and frighten LaBarbera, who is married with children, “House Blend” published his home address in a January 13, 2007, thread titled, “Saturday this and that.” Shortly thereafter, someone identified as “Barry G. Wick” posted the following comments: “It’s across from a park in an area with cul de sacs. I’d bet it’s a residence … and across from a park. Snipers take note.”
“Wick” later seemed to suggest that shooting LaBarbera would amount to an act of self-defense: “Self-defense for gay folks isn’t PC, is it? No, we have to be sure that we’re victims all the time. … When we start standing up for ourselves, we lose all the status of an under class. I refuse to be part of an underclass. I’m equal. And I’m gonna use any language, even outrageous language, to get my point across. … I’m a citizen … equal, proud, and willing to defend my way of life with my life. …”
Later in the same thread “Wick” made his true intent clear: “If I were Azerbaijani and living in Russia right now, I’d want to advocate violence against skinheads … [LaBarbera] and others like him ought to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what future awaits them from a cadre of selected defenders willing to give up everything in order to protect the lives of gay and lesbian citizens. The greatest thing ever to happen to the [Martin Luther King] movement was the Black Panthers. Americans were shocked by an open display of firearms and Black Pride … Pushing back verbally … or with selected action isn’t dishonorable, it’s necessary.” (emphasis Peter Labarbera’s)
Needless to say that threats of violence, whether serious or joking, are COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE and will get you banned from this and many other sites. It’s hard to monitor comments at all times and Pam has said as much on her blog and in her emails to Peter Labarbera.
Being on the recieving end of threats of violence as a lot of us have been is never fun. It however is not a ball we here at Tiny Queer Footballs will ever toss back to either side of this debate.
It is also important to note that Concerned Women for America, have contacted Pam’s employer due to the private information that Peter Labarbera has posted on his website. Peter should condemn such actions as IT WAS NOT Pam who posted the comments. Concerned Women for America should be ashamed of themselves for politicizing this event and offering no correction as Peter LaBarbera clearly has.
On a side note that still needs some mentioning. Mr “Wick” has faxed a personal letter of apology to Concerned Women of America and Peter LaBarbera.
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