Comments on Falwell's passing

Joe & Wayne

Joe Solmonese and Wayne Besen sum up my thoughts nicely.  I might also ad this.

Lurleen on Twitter

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by: Lurleen @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 17:37:46 PM CDT

remember Rev. Mel White?

Rev. Mel White was a ghostwriter for Falwell (and other evangelicals), but came out in 1992. He divorced after trying all the quack remedies for teh gay, and he's been with his partner for 27 years. They live in Lynchburg, not a large city, and Falwell had no shame in demonizing gays even though he had worked fairly closely with one and still lived in the same town.

False witness, anyone?

I can forgive ignorant bigotry easily, but betrayal of friends and neighbors is far more base.

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by: NancyP @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 18:21:21 PM CDT

Mel White's Book

At the request of a Christian lesbian friend, I read Mel White's autobiography, Stranger at the Gate. It's pretty good. I regret that all of the efforts of Mel White and Soulforce could not change Jerry's mind.

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by: Holly in Cincinnati @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 18:53:44 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Ding Dong, the Witch Is Dead

Jerry Falwell was a sick bastard, and I greet his death with unmitigated joy. If the hell he believed in actually exists, he's there right now, wailing and gnashing his teeth for the things he did.

BANNED for TOS violations.

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by: William Wilson @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 18:21:41 PM CDT

Couldn't agree more

There will be an anti-Memorial rally here in San Francisco at Harvey Milk Plaza on Castro Street today at 5PM. I hope there are more all over the country.

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by: claudew @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 18:30:00 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Rallies

Rallies in honor of Falwell's death are the the WORST thing we can do for gay rights.

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by: Holly in Cincinnati @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 18:54:55 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Holly....you are sooooo right!

I can't think of anything worse for the collective gay rights movement that to hold a rally in honor of another humanbeing's death. Either we are better than that, or we are not. There is no inbetween, no 'buts.' A husband, father, and grandfather died today. I know what he did to us, I know what he said about us...but to hold an anti-memorial rally is just pathetic.
We MUST be better than our advesaries, no matter how hard it is at times.

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by: AshevilleAnn @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 19:05:52 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Re: Holly....you are sooooo right!

The scary thing about this though is that his audience will perceive the lack of an angry response as being a typical weak kneed liberal thing.  Those people are craaaaazy!

My America includes LGBT families.

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by: Mena @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 20:01:46 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I totally disagree

The minute gay people go "respectable," we become marginalized. The most effective thing we could do as a community is demonstrate by the thousands with the message: "Good riddance, you hateful bastard!"

BANNED for TOS violations.

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by: William Wilson @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 00:31:24 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Sad. But true, I think... (n/t)

"Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain" -- Iowa state motto

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by: Sportin' Life @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 11:38:24 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

I agree, Holly

Dancing on someone's corpse is ghoulish and does nothing to rise above the hate and ignorance that Falwell promoted out of his misguided faith.

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by: Pam Spaulding @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 19:42:23 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Sick

That's as sick as anything the Phelps Family did EVER.  Leave his family to grieve in peace.  I don't think Harvey Milk would be proud either if he were alive to see this spectacle.

"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it." -- Thomas Jefferson

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by: Daimeon @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 18:57:16 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Bullshit

We have every right to remind the public of what this hateful bigot really stood for. I hate the hypocrisy of refusing to speak ill of the dead. This man did irreparable harm to our community.

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by: claudew @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 19:10:04 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Fundamental Disagreement

If I remember correctly the Phelps' put up an anti-memorial in Casper, Wyoming for Matthew Shepherd or at least tried.  As Holly said above, either we are better than that or we are not.  There's no buts or anything else in between. 

"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it." -- Thomas Jefferson

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by: Daimeon @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 22:34:25 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Count me out

The classiest way for a gay American to acknowledge that vile man's death is to utterly ignore it.

Celebrating the death is a big, big mistake.

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by: oddjob @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 19:10:38 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Laughing at this post is about as far as I'm willing to go.

Jerry Falwell died of heart failure.

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by: oddjob @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 19:12:38 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Ayup.

The best response is indifference. Don't legitimize his hatred by giving him attention for it in death.

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by: Darkrose @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 19:45:21 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Anti-Memorial Rally

Ok, nobody liked this asshole.  Snarky comments are one thing--I admit to making "Ding Dong, the Dick is Dead" and "piss on his grave" comments--but an anti-memorial rally would accomplish nothing but bad PR for the gay community.  We have every right to be glad this guy is wormfood, but a rally?  That is overstepping it, and right wingers will throw this back in our faces for years to come.  If we are going to have something thrown in our face, let's make it count for something.

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by: JoshWatermanMN @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 19:22:10 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Agree

I've made my disgust of the man quite clear, and in spite of that, I feel no need to "celebrate" his death.  In fact, I feel no need to acknowledge him at all.  He's dead, thank God, Goddess, or whoever is judging his soul right now.  No more words of hatred towards us will utter from his mouth.  For that, I'm glad.

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by: callie @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 20:47:14 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Or do something constructive

This would be a splendid time to make a memorial donation in the Reverend's name.

To PFLAG.
To GLAAD.
To Plannded Parenthood.
To your local GLBT community.

You can do good, and thumb your nose at the same time.

No one ever talks about [extermination]. They just do it. And you go on with your lives, ignoring the signs all around you. And then, one day, when the air is still and the night has fallen, they come for you.

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by: valarltd @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 21:34:24 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Donate to soulforce

  And have them deliver a big card and flowers.  A big bus or two, followed by the Fagbug. 

  I would support this.

  But how to word the card?

If I make sense? it was quite by accident.

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by: HappyCat @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 22:15:56 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

my feelings go to his family for one reason,

  To lose a loved one is hard to deal with, as I lost my father 1 1/2 years ago.

  My dad was a great man who didn't understand GLBT issues and had his oppinions from long time being taught that Homosexuality was wrong for reason he kept to himself.  He had a hard time understanding me being transgender, but he had an open mind, that let him see that I am still his child, still a human being, and not the stereotype that Jerry and his ilk spread.

  My father got to know his new daughter before he passed, and took his time to spread the word about me in the light that he finally saw me happy when I came out, and changed the minds of many who thought the negetives about gays, lesbians, and transgender people.

  Jerry died with the hate in his heart for those of us, and he will get what he deserves.  I celebrate his death for the reason he can't spew his shit no more. And as the rest of his followers pass away, I will celebrate those as well.  When they can see that I am just as human as they are, than I will celebrate their life.

 

If I make sense? it was quite by accident.

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by: HappyCat @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 19:04:56 PM CDT

Rally's Not Good Public Relations

But still, I've got to say, some of the remarks here- and I love Pam but I have to include hers- are much too reverent for such a lowlife as Falwell.  The "ding-dong, the witch is dead" variety is really more appropriate.  When somebody so thoroughly evil kicks the bucket, it is logically a call for celebration.  Some of the icky sympathy stuff, I might add, seems disingenuous.  Not everybody deserves the same respect.  Falwell's family?  Don't make me laugh.  Look, the Virginia Tech murderer, Cho, was a pain in the ass to his family all his life.  In fact, it's amazing he didn't kill THEM.  I feel sympathy for the Chos.  Why on earth should I feel anything but contempt for the Falwells?  Likewise, when Dick Cheney kicks off- and it can't be far
away, it looks like he lives on pork rinds- do we overlook that he intentionally got us involved in a bogus war
that took what is fast approaching 3500 American troops?
Yes- "Our hearfelt sympathy to Lynne Cheney, Elizabeth
Cheney, Mary Cheney, and in certain selected states,
Heather Poe."  Gimme a break.  There is a time for respect and decorum at someone's passing, and a time to celebrate it.  We are all created equal, but we don't WIND UP equal. 
Not everyone deserves the same all-purpose Hallmark condolence card. 

=>The truth usually isn't pretty. Don't blame me for telling it.<=

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by: Chadster @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 19:14:50 PM CDT

Dignity, folks (not the Catholic kind)

Snarky jokes in private are great.
Serious discussion in public of the damage Falwell has done is great.
Praying for the soul of this spiteful man is fine, if futile. (God might listen, but would Jerry be willing to repent?)

Holding an anti-Falwell rally is no better than the Phelps family. Really - we know better than to do that.

For his kids, he's the only father they have, even if he was an SOB. For the wife, that's x number of years together raising kids. The kids and the wife have already read all the charges against Falwell. They have to be exposed to some of them again, because they are now newsworthy by proxy. But we don't have to dogpile on in public with demonstrations.

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by: NancyP @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 19:52:51 PM CDT

Phelps

Turns out that holding anti-Falwell rallies would be exactly like Phelps.

Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That wants it down.
--Robert Frost, "Mending Wall"

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by: smadin @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 23:01:38 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Larry Flynt - Will interesting to hear / read his condolences

Since he's the only American to prevail over Falwell and his stupidity all the way to the Supreme Court.

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by: RogernDC @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 22:34:48 PM CDT

Falwell's Dead

ill
ill
ill
ill
ill
ill
ill
ill

of the dead, I am speakin'

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by: TeddySanFran @ Tue May 15, 2007 at 22:55:00 PM CDT

Jerry Falwell Dead

I guess there is not much left to say as Jerry's life's work says it all; namely to demonize and keep gay folk marginalized in order to get the base all jacked and hyped up and to keep them in this emotional state.  It was a very successful formula that he learned early on.  This very persistent gay bashing was a huge part of his formula-to maintain the hyper frenzied state of the empty and misguided souls. We all know this very simple Modus Operandi continues to very effectively rally the evangelical and other bigoted groups resulting in a still very formidable, and powerful base not to mention maintaining the foundations of many lucrative christianist careers and industries.  To Jerry, the means always justified the ends. 

Poor Jerry did not realize that his life was and will always remain a shining example of a perfectly good life wasted to its fullest extent possible. May God have mercy on his soul.

RIP.

vanhattan

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by: vanhattan @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 01:19:25 AM CDT

Jerry Falwell

His slobber was fit badge for his breast.  I'd pray that hate did not define his life, and that God helped him move beyond the fear and ignorant bigotry he espoused.

  1 John 4:20  (Whole Chapter)
If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

The evil that is in the world always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence, if they lack understanding. There can be no true goodness nor true love without the utmost clear-sightedness. --A.Camus

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by: robin ruse @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 03:22:13 AM CDT

Great News

One should not have to pretend to mourn someone one strongly dislikes.  That would be disingenuous.  The fact is that Falwell was a hateful human being in word and deed.  Good riddance.  Frankly, I rejoiced at the news.

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by: danielftl @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 03:41:38 AM CDT

Celebration

While many above have said it's wrong to celebrate another's death,I would remind you of the elation that swept a great deal of the world to learn of Hitler's death.  In my mind, Falwell was no better than Hitler, except that Falwell was more like Goebbels, putting out outrageous propaganda and trying to turn his flocks against whomever he didn't like or disagreed with and totally disregarding his victims' humanity.  So, yes, I'm glad he's dead.  When I heard the news yesterday, I started singing "Happy Days Are Here Again".  Now if only we'd lose a few more to the Grim Reaper.

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by: johnnyleen @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 05:40:31 AM CDT

Goebbels, Thankyou,

  What a sweet man he was. 

Goebbels was known for his zealous and energetic oratory, virulent anti-Semitism,
and perfection of the so-called Big Lie technique of mass propaganda.

  http://www.calvin.ed...

Reminds me of a few still breathing.

 

If I make sense? it was quite by accident.

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by: HappyCat @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 05:57:25 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Interesting

that CBS last night said he had apologized for that remark.

"It's sad to hear, as of last week (in an interview with CNN), he stood by his 2001 comments that gays, lesbians, pro-choice advocates and feminists were to blame for 9/11."

Already re-writing history they are.

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by: HDBiker @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 06:15:06 AM CDT

Close bed quarters among church and state

For those who think we should mourn this man, know this:  today coming into work, I passed the Tennessee State Capitol and the flag was at half mast so were the flags at all the judicial offices including the state supreme court.

Think this man was just another religious nut?  Think again.  People like Falwell and his ilk infiltrated our courts and our legislatures simply in order to make laws that destroy people like you and me.  They have universities intent on doing nothing but churning out hateful little replicas of themselves that take over business, education, and government.

All the while we were playing nice afraid to speak the truth.

I'm glad he's gone and I can't WAIT for Robertson to follow him!

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by: callie @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 08:20:44 AM CDT

ROCK ON CALLIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is not much more to say after what you have just said C.

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by: HDBiker @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 08:39:18 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Robertson, James Dobson, the Hutch, Porno Pete,

And the WBC phelps gang,  the faster they follow the better!!!

If I make sense? it was quite by accident.

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by: HappyCat @ Thu May 17, 2007 at 00:37:56 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

You're way nicer

to his family than I am. A family that benefits from his peddled evil with never a word or action against it deserves nothing but contempt.

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by: Morty @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 08:48:26 AM CDT

couldn't agree more

how someone can stand aside and watch someone hurting other people is something i can't understand.  my sympathies most emphatically do NOT go out to the families and friends of bigots like falwell. 

anyone with half a heart would have disassociated themselves from that piece of human garbage long ago. 

The gays stole my lunch money

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by: matt in mpls @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 15:23:51 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Osama bin Laden

When Osama bin Laden dies, how many people will be sending condolences to the family? Do you think there might be a little celebrating going on in this country?

How many LGBT kids committed suicide because they were rejected by parents who listened to Jerry Falwell? How many have had to sell their bodies to survive after being kicked out of the house? How many people who died from AIDS might have survived had Reagan not been under the influence of people like Falwell? Falwell was responsible for far more death and misery than Osama bin Laden.

I think the commments here in response to this post on AmericaBlog are a bit more representative of the feelings in the community.

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by: claudew @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 08:48:42 AM CDT

Good Points, Claude

Not just about Falwell, who looked and sounded like an evil clown, but about Reagan, who too-often seems now like some sort of great and benevolent statesman.  Thousands of gay men died because of Reagan's pandering to Falwell.  And I might throw in, I wish back then Little Ronnie had sashayed into the Oval Office and said, "Dad, there's something I have to tell you..."  Yes, I know it's a difficult decision, and a very personal choice, I'm aware of that.  But there's no getting around the fact that people like Reagan were so clueless they thought they didn't know any gay people.  In Reagan's case, he did.  His son.  And had he known that, he might have told Falwell to shove it.  (Or not... who knows.)

=>The truth usually isn't pretty. Don't blame me for telling it.<=

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by: Chadster @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 09:45:44 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Princess Sparkle Pony has a musical tribute

Check out Princess Sparkle Pony's post today. S(he) dug up some catchy old tunes from Jerry Falwells church of way way back.

"The Monkey Song" and "Ecumenical Movement" are sure to be classic cult hits!

And apparently Larry King is gonna have Larry Flynt on his show tonight for an Extra Special Tribute to Falwell.

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by: RandyH @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 08:59:42 AM CDT

People feel bad for the family

as if we all know for sure they are upset about him being "raptured".  For all we know they are partying at the mansion.  Besides, who knows what goes / went on behind the doors of churches?

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by: HDBiker @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 09:00:04 AM CDT

Judging from Falwell's demise

I bet it has a lot to do with bacon . . .

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by: JoshWatermanMN @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 09:03:23 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

I detested

Falwell and I detest all those others of his hateful, narrow-minded, Bible-beating ilk.  I am personally very happy he is no longer among the living, and I will rejoice as others like him join him in taking that long dirt nap.

BUT

A rally to celebrate (regardless of what it's called) his death does our cause a whole lot more harm than good.  It will be thrown back in our face for years to come.  The best thing we can all do is to celebrate privately and simply ignore his death publicly.  The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.

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by: Jami @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 09:29:05 AM CDT

The enemy you know...

...is better than the enemy you don't, or whatever that old saying is.

An article in today's WaPo is an interesting read, and perhaps we should be more worried about people who aren't Jerry.  We might miss him:

http://www.washingto...

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by: SuburbanHomo @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 09:56:33 AM CDT

Falwell hadn't been a kingmaker for a while....

before he died. However, he had a specific role, and that role was to clearly articulate the things that the more politically savvy evangelicals tended to talk about in code in a mixed audience. (They all sound alike when talking to evangelical-only audiences). He also had great strategic effect by starting a conservative evangelical univ. with degrees in mass communications, journalism, politics, etc and a culture emphasizing participation in government and propaganda-making as a way towards dominionism.

Dobson, D.James Kennedy, R. Land are all of the same generation as Falwell, but have retained importance in politics, partly because they didn't have a widely publicized organization crash on them like Falwell did with Moral Majority. The elder generation is able to influence the elder generation of donors and of politicians, who might not go for an ideologically compatible but stylistically divergent young guy like the Mars Hill pastor.

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by: NancyP @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 13:44:37 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Surprised

I'm just surprised that God couldn't keep him around for the Rapture.  Jerry said it was going to occur soon!

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by: SteveinNJ @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 14:53:43 PM CDT

Maybe that was the rapture

and he was the only one holy enough to be taken!

What the hell was I doing in Oaxaca in 1992, on the eve of the Zapatista revolution?

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by: Cambridge Kid @ Wed May 16, 2007 at 15:39:53 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Im glad Jerry Falwell is dead.

Im glad Jerry Falwell is dead.

I can only hope those that follow him and those who do not believe in 'Seperation of Church and State' follow him into the dirt quickly.

The type of people are useless and ruining the world and the earth we live on.

Much like George W. Bush and all his cult followers.

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by: Corey @ Fri May 18, 2007 at 17:29:20 PM CDT