Monday, December 18, 2006
Pushy, Pushy
Nothing like a little physical intimidation in the name of God.
Sarah Loy, 27, of Worcester was holding a sign in defense of same-sex marriage amid a sea of green “Let the People Vote” signs when Larry Cirignano of Canton, who heads the Catholic Citizenship group, ran into the crowd, grabbed her by both shoulders and told her, “You need to get out. You need to get out of here right now.” Mr. Cirignano then pushed her to the ground, her head slamming against the concrete sidewalk.
“It was definitely assault and battery,” said Ronal C. Madnick, director of the Worcester County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts. Police interviewed Mr. Madnick and several others moments after the incident.
As Ms. Loy lay motionless on the ground, crying, Mr. Cirignano ran back behind the lectern, where moments before he had opened the afternoon rally by leading a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.
How's that for class? He throws her to the ground, then goes back to his photo op. That's what Jesus would do.
Pam's covering this one pretty well, including some of the counterspin coming from Cirignano's camp (they're claiming Loy was an actress who faked the whole thing). So, not to step on her toes, let's look at some of the rhetoric that was used by Mr. Cirignano and his colleagues:
“Heaven will not be heaven if our children are not there with us,” Mr. Cirignano told the crowd, while counter-demonstrators, most of whom remained behind same-sex marriage opponents, chanted “Shame, shame, shame, shame.”
What the hell does this even mean? Are the mean nasty gays going to force you to stop following your particular brand of Christianity? Oh, wait; I'm talking to one of those people who thinks that anti-discrimination policies are a great affront to his faith.
Well, Ray Flynn, former mayor of Boston, showed up, so maybe he said something somewhat level-headed:
“No matter what happens on Jan. 2, it’s not the end of it,” Mr. Flynn said. “We’re the same as Iraq, then. We’re the same as Afghanistan. We’re the same as Russia.”
Hmm, let's see. Iraq: torn apart by sectarian violence, lacking basic amenities, total shithole. Afghanistan: Taliban are coming back, despite our "best" efforts. Russia: Putin. Massachusetts: ...failing to see the comparisons. By the way, Mr. Flynn, do you have any idea what they do to gay people in Iraq?
I can't say which surprises me the least: the intimidation, or the half-assed, "I'm the real oppressed party, not you" rhetoric.
Sarah Loy, 27, of Worcester was holding a sign in defense of same-sex marriage amid a sea of green “Let the People Vote” signs when Larry Cirignano of Canton, who heads the Catholic Citizenship group, ran into the crowd, grabbed her by both shoulders and told her, “You need to get out. You need to get out of here right now.” Mr. Cirignano then pushed her to the ground, her head slamming against the concrete sidewalk.
“It was definitely assault and battery,” said Ronal C. Madnick, director of the Worcester County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts. Police interviewed Mr. Madnick and several others moments after the incident.
As Ms. Loy lay motionless on the ground, crying, Mr. Cirignano ran back behind the lectern, where moments before he had opened the afternoon rally by leading a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.
How's that for class? He throws her to the ground, then goes back to his photo op. That's what Jesus would do.
Pam's covering this one pretty well, including some of the counterspin coming from Cirignano's camp (they're claiming Loy was an actress who faked the whole thing). So, not to step on her toes, let's look at some of the rhetoric that was used by Mr. Cirignano and his colleagues:
“Heaven will not be heaven if our children are not there with us,” Mr. Cirignano told the crowd, while counter-demonstrators, most of whom remained behind same-sex marriage opponents, chanted “Shame, shame, shame, shame.”
What the hell does this even mean? Are the mean nasty gays going to force you to stop following your particular brand of Christianity? Oh, wait; I'm talking to one of those people who thinks that anti-discrimination policies are a great affront to his faith.
Well, Ray Flynn, former mayor of Boston, showed up, so maybe he said something somewhat level-headed:
“No matter what happens on Jan. 2, it’s not the end of it,” Mr. Flynn said. “We’re the same as Iraq, then. We’re the same as Afghanistan. We’re the same as Russia.”
Hmm, let's see. Iraq: torn apart by sectarian violence, lacking basic amenities, total shithole. Afghanistan: Taliban are coming back, despite our "best" efforts. Russia: Putin. Massachusetts: ...failing to see the comparisons. By the way, Mr. Flynn, do you have any idea what they do to gay people in Iraq?
I can't say which surprises me the least: the intimidation, or the half-assed, "I'm the real oppressed party, not you" rhetoric.
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It's quite...interesting that he referred to the three countries that are probably the least likely to offer even civil unions anytime in the near future, if not our lifetimes.
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