Eleven gay bars in Seattle have been targeted with ricin attacks.
Slog:
A letter also arrived in The Stranger’s offices, addressed to the attention of “Obituaries.” The letter’s author said the paper should “be prepared to announce the deaths of approximately 55 individuals all of whom were patrons of the following establishments on a Saturday in January.” The listed bars are: the Elite, Neighbours, Wild Rose, the Cuff, Purr, the Eagle, R Place, Re-bar, CC’s, Madison Pub, and the Crescent. “I could take this moment to launch into a diatribe about my indignation towards the gay community,” the letter concludes, “however, I think the deaths will speak for themselves.”
And Christians still say that they’re unjustly persecuted and that the gays are doing the persecuting.
Jesus, that’s scary… I’m in Seattle now for work. I guess I’m not going out for drinks anytime soon.
But, wow… that’s scary, creepy, disgusting, and so much more… I hope it’s just a hoax. But even as a hoax, it’s scary, creepy, disgusting, and so much more.
~Dan
http://jazzsick.wordpress.com/
Comment by postymcposterton — 7 January 2009 @ 4:15 pm
What the fuck.
Even if this is a hoax, I seriously hope the guy behind it gets caught and thrown down a dark hole for a very long time.
Ugh.
Comment by Spook — 7 January 2009 @ 4:47 pm
wow. Is there anywhere in the letter that indicates there’s any sort of religious motive explicitly stated (Christian? Muslim? Other?) I mean, Christian anti-gay abuse is no secret, but death-for-being-gay is more like some other groups. And, too, it sounds like an individual wackadoodle, regardless his motivation.
And I agree with Spook above — I hope the guy gets caught, whether it’s a hoax or not. Whether real or merely threatened, it’s an act of aggression, and act of terrorism.
Comment by raytheist — 7 January 2009 @ 5:02 pm
I second raytheist’s question. I would like to know whether there is any evidence that this guy is a Christian or whether he could be an atheist for all we know.
Sad … sick … mad …
Comment by theophilogue — 7 January 2009 @ 9:25 pm
We don’t even know who “the guy” is, so I think it would be unwise to speculate on his or her religious views at this time. All of the letters were devoid of the usual Christian and Muslim decrees against homosexuality and Dan Savage has even speculated it might be a gay person who is targeting the bars.
Don’t jump to conclusions and let the story unfold itself.
Comment by Rev. Reed Braden — 7 January 2009 @ 9:33 pm
[...] ____–___-__-_-_-HT: Homosecular Gaytheist [...]
Pingback by :: Gay Bars Receive Death Threats in Seattle :: Same Sex Stuff « T h e o • p h i l o g u e — 7 January 2009 @ 9:33 pm
What!? It’s Bob Goodlatte behind these letters?
Comment by postymcposterton — 8 January 2009 @ 12:55 am
Posty, saying things like, “Congressman Bob Goodlatte mailed threatening letters to Seattle gay bars,” and “Virginia Representative Bob Goodlatte is a known domestic terrorist,” on the Internet where any Google search could lead to the out-of-context phrases, “Congressman Bob Goodlatte mailed threatening letters to Seattle gay bars,” and “Virginia Representative Bob Goodlatte is a known domestic terrorist,” is irresponsible and I will have none of that on my blog.
If any well-meaning voter Googles Bob Goodlatte and the phrases, “Congressman Bob Goodlatte mailed threatening letters to Seattle gay bars,” and “Virginia Representative Bob Goodlatte is a known domestic terrorist,” come up in that search, it could be very bad for the Congressman’s image.
The text of blog comments is searchable through Google, so it wouldn’t be long before some voter wishing to inform his or herself of the issues would stumble upon the erroneous assertions that, “Congressman Bob Goodlatte mailed threatening letters to Seattle gay bars,” and “Virginia Representative Bob Goodlatte is a known domestic terrorist.” That would be a terrible thing.
I’m at least 80% sure that the phrases, “Congressman Bob Goodlatte mailed threatening letters to Seattle gay bars,” and “Virginia Representative Bob Goodlatte is a known domestic terrorist,” are completely false and would be slanderous to the Congressman if they were ever spread around the Internet.
Please, anyone who finds this blog through Google, don’t take the phrases, “Congressman Bob Goodlatte mailed threatening letters to Seattle gay bars,” and “Virginia Representative Bob Goodlatte is a known domestic terrorist,” out of context because the phrases, “Congressman Bob Goodlatte mailed threatening letters to Seattle gay bars,” and “Virginia Representative Bob Goodlatte is a known domestic terrorist,” are most likely incorrect.
Comment by Rev. Reed Braden — 8 January 2009 @ 6:04 am
What a sick fuck.
Comment by null — 8 January 2009 @ 6:37 am
I’m also wondering how you made the leap to ‘Christian’ from the content of this letter. I’m an atheist, but am puzzled by other atheists who seem to be rabidly anti-Christian. I really don’t spend much of my time even thinking about Christianity, let alone hating it.
Comment by stymee — 16 January 2009 @ 9:19 am
Stymee, if that comment was directed at me, I give you an F for reading comprehension.
I never said the letter was written by a Christian. My remark that Christians still claim that they are persecuted wasn’t pointing a finger at a Christian for writing the letter. It was an observation that gay bars are being targeted by a domestic terrorist and when PZ nails a cracker, the Christians cry about oppression.
I said in the comments,
But anti-religious Atheists in the US are mostly anti-Christian because the overwhelming percentage of this country is Christian. If I gave equal time to blasting all religions on this blog, it would be full of stories that have nothing to do with my readers: “So… yeah… Jainists are deluded.”
Read this: http://www.asktheatheists.com/questions/96-atheists-soft-on-islam
Comment by Rev. Reed Braden — 17 January 2009 @ 1:31 am
[...] helping give cover to groups like the KKK (Update: Just like whoever did this … h/t to the Homosecular Gaytheist). You’re helping promote the willful ignorance and stronger-the-less-evidence-there-is faith [...]
Pingback by It would probably be in poor taste to go with “KKKristians” for a headline « The Atheocracy — 18 January 2009 @ 12:35 am