Rubén Díaz Falsifies NY Archbishop’s Comments To Attack Gay Community
Why did New York State Senator and Reverend Rubén DÃaz, Sr. falsify New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan’s article on marriage to attack the gay community? Guest post by New York City-based novelist and freelance journalist Scott Rose, who frequently writes about human rights.
New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who was last year elected President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote an article, titled “Marriage: the core of every civilization,†which begins by alleging that Dolan was once protested, when exiting from a mass in Milwaukee, for being overly accepting of homosexuals.
“Outside of St. John the Evangelist Cathedral in Milwaukee, where I, as archbishop, was celebrating Sunday Mass on an otherwise magnificent Wisconsin autumn day, were a couple dozen very vocal protestors, representing some off-brand denomination, shouting vicious chants and holding hateful signs with words I thought had gone the way of burning-crosses and white hoods.
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In his press release Thursday, the extremely anti-gay New York State Senator and Reverend Rubén DÃaz falsely characterized the contents of Dolan’s article – which itself already constituted ill-intentioned anti-equality political propaganda – by stating that the protesters about whom Dolan had written were for, not against gay rights. Diaz then repeats Dolan’s phrase about “burning crosses and white hoods†clearly to imply that equality supporters are like the Ku Klux Klan.
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“This frenzied group, taunting the people as they left Mass, were rabid in criticizing the Catholic Church, especially her bishops, for our teaching that homosexuals deserve dignity and respect.
“To be more precise, this group was yelling at us because, they objected, the Catholic Church was so friendly, welcoming, and defensive of gay (they used other foul words) people. They waved placards explicitly quoting and condemning #2358 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which affirms the dignity of those with same-sex attraction, and warns against any form of prejudice, hatred, or unjust discrimination against them, and insists that homosexual acts, not persons, are not in conformity with God’s design.”
Dolan seems to have intended to convey the idea that though he unyieldingly opposes equality, he “loves†and “respects†gay people. Dolan emphasized his alleged disapproval of those anti-gay protestors by writing that they “were shouting vicious chants and holding hateful signs with words I thought had gone the way of burning-crosses and white hoods.†(This reporter finds no documentation of the anti-gay protest of which Dolan alleges having been a target. Dolan was the Archbishop of Milwaukee from 2002 to 2009.)
In his press release Thursday, the extremely anti-gay New York State Senator and Reverend Rubén DÃaz falsely characterized the contents of Dolan’s article – which itself already constituted ill-intentioned anti-equality political propaganda – by stating that the protesters about whom Dolan had written were for, not against gay rights. Diaz then repeats Dolan’s phrase about “burning crosses and white hoods†clearly to imply that equality supporters are like the Ku Klux Klan.
“I read on the Archbishop’s blog that he has been greeted with a similar backlash of contempt by many who want our marriage laws changed,” New York State Senator and Reverend Rubén DÃaz writes in his press release bragging that he had “accepted New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan’s invitation to record an episode of his weekly radio show, A Conversation with the Archbishop.”
“For example, he wrote about a group that waited for him after a Mass in Wisconsin shouting vicious chants and holding hateful signs with words I thought had gone the way of burning-crosses and white hoods.
“It’s horrible to see the bullying tactics and uncivil discourse that continue to be showcased in public and online just to get votes to change our marriage laws.”
Senator Diaz Thursday was contacted with the request that Senator Diaz acknowledge that he published an untruth, a lie, about Archbishop Dolan’s blog. As of publication time, New York State Senator and Reverend Rubén DÃaz has not responded.
Diaz’s malignant implied likening of equality supporters to a hate group, the Ku Klux Klan, on the basis of a lie about Dolan’s blog, is particularly heinous. In addition to acknowledging that he lied about Archbishop Dolan’s blog, Diaz should 1) apologize for the lie and 2) leave his press release in this matter as it stands on his own blog, but publish an update to it acknowledging the inaccuracy and explicitly stating that equality supporters are not comparable to the Ku Klux Klan.
The Archdiocese of New York, too, was contacted for a statement about how Diaz told a lie about Dolan’s blog in order to smear equality supporters as being akin to the KKK. In its reply, the Archdiocese sidestepped the issue, by merely referring to Dolan’s blog, and saying that Diaz should be contacted for a statement.
The problem with the Archdiocese’s condescending sidestepping of the issue, though, is that Thursday, Dolan taped a segment of his weekly A conversation with the Archbishop radio show with Senator Diaz. The topic of discussion was to be same sex marriage legislation. If Dolan now does not state that New York State Senator and Reverend Rubén DÃaz should publicly acknowledge having misrepresented Dolan’s blog, the appearance that Dolan and Diaz may have colluded on the propagandistic uses of the “burning crosses and white hoods†phrase is only strengthened.
Dolan is saying “Who me?†and New York State Senator and Reverend Rubén DÃaz is ignoring the criticism altogether, evidently hoping that additionally inflaming anti-gay bigotry in his followers will be sufficient to help him succeed in perpetuating sexual orientation apartheid in New York.
(Image: Archbishop Timothy Dolan, left. New York State Senator and Reverend Rubén DÃaz, right.)
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U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, Republican of Georgia, is under fire after praising University of Mississippi students, some wearing American flag outfits, mocking a Black woman protester by making monkey sounds and shouting, “lock her up.”
“Counter-protestors at the University of Mississippi made racist remarks — including monkey noises and comparisons to Lizzo — towards a Black woman who was part of a planned protest against the war in Gaza,” Los Angeles Magazine reported Friday.
Collins, who tried to defund Vice President Kamala Harris’ Office in November, declared his support for the counter-protesters at “Ole Miss,” as the University is called.
“Ole Miss taking care of business,” he wrote on social media, atop the video (below).
The counter-protesters, as evidenced in the video, appear to be mostly white.
A large number of users on the social media platform X responded, accusing the Congressman and the counter-protesters of racism.
“When is the inevitable ‘I don’t have a racist bone in my body’ tweet coming,” wondered Rewire News Group editor-at-large Imani Gandy.
“Which part is your favorite, Mike?” asked Fred Wellman, the former executive director of The Lincoln Project. “Is it the white kid acting like a monkey at the black woman or the white security guy acting like she’s a threat? I’m trying to figure out which flavor of racism has you all excited the most?”
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Harvard Law Cyberlaw Clinic clinical instructor Alejandra Caraballo responded to the Georgia GOP congressman, “Thanks for confirming you’re a massive racist piece of sh*t.”
Mississippi Free Press news editor Ashton Pittman wrote: “Rep. Mike Collins, R-Georgia, praises a video showing a University of Mississippi frat boy dancing like a monkey and making monkey noises near a Black woman student who was protesting for Palestine while other frat boys chant ‘lock her up.'”
In a separate post describing a separate video taken of the same group Pittman wrote: “Frat bros at @OleMiss chant, ‘Lizzo! Lizzo!’ and shout, ‘F**k you fatass, f**k you b*tch’ at a Black woman who was protesting for Palestine. Do people really think these counterprotestors are doing it to support Jews?”
Journalist John Harwood did not mince words, writing, “Congressman proud of the racism.”
“Okay, Mike. We get it,” wrote podcast host, documentary director, and author W. Kamau Bell. “You want to be famous for being a racist. Fine. I’ll help you become a famous racist. You’re welcome.”
The original video is here.
See Rep. Collins’ post and the video below or at this link.
Caution: the video is disturbing.
Ole Miss taking care of business. pic.twitter.com/JiL9hs2pHz
— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) May 3, 2024
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While Noem’s shooting to death of her wirehaired pointer, Cricket, which she detailed in the book, is still making headlines overnight a new revelation made news: Noem falsely claims in her book she met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.
A spokesperson for Noem “seemed to concede that the Kim story was false Thursday night,” and notified her publisher, Politico’s Ryan Lizza reported in his exclusive.
But less noticed appears to be the actual text of Noem’s false story, in which she brands children she ministered in church “little tyrants,” and compared them to the murderous North Korean dictator.
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“Through my tenure on the House Armed Services Committee,” Noem wrote, according to Politico, “I had the chance to travel to many countries to meet with world leaders. I remember when I met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. I’m sure he underestimated me, having no clue about my experience staring down little tyrants (I’d been a children’s pastor, after all).”
CNBC reported this week Trump “will mingle with potential vice presidential running mates and wealthy Republican donors at the Republican National Committee’s spring donor retreat. The meetings are likely to act as informal tryouts for a short list of politicos in the running to join the Trump ticket.”
The list of Republican “special guests” includes U.S. Senators Marco Rubio, Tim Scott, and J.D. Vance, Rep. Elise Stefanik, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.
Also expected to attend are House Speaker Mike Johnson, U.S. Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida and Wesley Hunt of Texas, former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, and other elected Republicans along with RNC co-chair Lara Trump.
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NBC News, which says Rep. Donalds is also under consideration, on Friday added there will be “a fundraising retreat that could serve as a screening session” for potential vice presidential running mates.
Meanwhile, the Jefferson County, Colorado Republican Party chair announced a fundraising dinner Noem was slated to attend was canceled after threats were made, The Denver Post reports.
“We understood there was a planned organized protest outside of the hotel, led by Progress Now,” Nancy Pallozzi said. “I felt that our event would be negatively impacted, and we could not take the risk that those who made threats would cause physical harm.”
Over the weekend independent 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. spoke at a fundraiser for a far-right anti-government group in Erie County, New York – a slice of the country that had a large proportion of residents arrested and charged for crimes related to the January 6 insurrection. Kennedy, a conspiracy theorist and vaccine denialist, increasingly is embracing the far-right.
“That group, Constitutional Coalition of New York State, has founders who not only have ties to Donald Trump but are also connected to the stop-the-steal movement through their activist network, which includes groups that had a presence at the Capitol on Jan. 6,” The Daily Beast reported Friday. “It’s yet another instance of Kennedy—who is mounting one of the most well-funded third-party presidential threats in decades—serving as a peculiar bridge between his own anti-establishment movement and Trump’s.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center includes the Constitutional Coalition of New York State (CCNYS) on its page of anti-government groups. Political Research Associates, which detailed the high proportion of January 6 residents arrested and charged, included the Constitutional Coalition of New York State in its February report on “The Rise of the Far Right in Western New York.”
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“If you don’t think the government is lying to you, you’re not paying attention,” Kennedy told attendees at the CCNYS fundraiser, The Buffalo News reports.
“CCNYS founders Nick and Nancie Orticelli are also affiliated with the Watchmen, a nearby militia who Nick has encouraged his social media followers to join. The Watchmen had several members at the Capitol on Jan. 6, and one member, Pete Harding, is still facing charges for violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds,” The Daily Beast noted. “Nancie Orticelli has also hosted the Watchmen’s founder, Charles Pellien, on her weekly radio show on several occasions.”
One of Kennedy’s goals in traveling to New York was to get on the ballot for the November presidential election. Various polls show him taking votes from both President Joe Biden and ex-president Donald Trump, but Kennedy currently has only qualified to be on the ballot in three states, Utah, Michigan and Hawaii, the newspaper reported.
But The Washington Post on Thursday reported The American Independent Party of California, which has a history of “far-right ties,” and “backed segregationist and former Alabama governor George Wallace in 1968, nominated Kennedy for president.”
Kennedy “said this week that he has qualified to be on the ballot in California and will accept the nomination of the American Independent Party, which has a history of associating itself with far-right figures and individuals who have expressed racist views.”
Some news reports and RFK Jr. himself say the Trump campaign was actively courting Kennedy, attempting to convince him to consider being the ex-president’s 2024 vice presidential running mate.
“That MAGA dalliance with Kennedy could be coming back to bite the Trump campaign, some Republicans close to the former president worry,” The Daily Beast also reported.
“’They can only blame themselves,’ a Trump-aligned strategist told The Daily Beast, requesting anonymity to speak candidly about private conversations about the risk Kennedy poses, ‘because they cozied up to him and thought it was funny.’”
Watch WIVBTV’s report on Kennedy’s trip to New York below or at this link.
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