Rightwing Blogs Try to Tie Gays to Arson at Sarah Palin's Church

by Michael Jones · 2009-01-29 10:25:00 UTC
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Wasilla Bible ChurchWow, we've seen radical rightwing people get desperate and make up stories, but this might prove that they're capable of even lower depths.  Rightwing blogs WorldNet Daily and The Collins Report are each attempting to tie the fire that happened at Gov. Sarah Palin's Wasilla Bible Church to LGBT activists.  According to the blogs, LGBT activists would have a prime motive for starting the fire, since the Wasilla Bible Church is an active stomping ground for ex-gay ministries.

This is pretty ridiculous, even by rightwing standards (and we've seen some pretty ridiculous things).

Here's what the Collins Report said.  Notice how they rely entirely on hearsay, make-believe and a complete lack of any factual basis: "The Wasilla Bible Church cosponsored a conference for 'Ex Gays' that doubtlessly infuriated the Gay Community which is still smarting over California’s Prop 8. Would this be enough motive for some people? Of course it would, but the old media will never mention that possibility. It won’t touch the obvious conclusion that this was an attack caused by Governor Palin’s connection with the WBC either."

EDGEBoston is reporting that both sites allege that one or more "gays" was responsible for the blaze.

So as much as The Collins Report and WorldNet Daily would like to blame the "old" media for not pushing forward this ridiculous theory, it's really a matter of any media (old or new) not wanting to push forward theories from crazy-ass wackos, especially theories stupid enough to suggest that Proposition 8's passage would lead LGBT activists to burn down churches.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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