Assistant AG suspended over gay-bashing blog

[maddezmom]

Source: The Detroit News


Attorney General Mike Cox changed his stance Thursday, suspending Andrew Shirvell after the assistant attorney general attracted national attention for a controversial blog that ridicules and denounces a University of Michigan student leader for his gay advocacy, religious beliefs and character.

The suspension came a day after Cox told CNN he didn't intend to fire Shirvell, citing civil service rules that protect government employees from being "fired willy-nilly" for exercising their rights of free speech.

¬snip¬


"I'm at fault here," Cox said. "I've been saying for weeks that (Shirvell's) been acting like a bully, that his behavior is immature, but it's after-hours and protected by the First Amendment."

¬snip¬


Also Thursday, Diane Brown, a spokeswoman for campus police, confirmed Shirvell is subject to an ongoing investigation of "harassing or stalking" and banned from campus. Shirvell was read a trespass warning on Sept. 14 that bars him from setting foot on campus, Brown said. Shirvell is appealing the order, but no hearing date has been set.

Cox declined to explain why he suspended Shirvell beyond saying he may have overlooked some activity described on the blog.





Read more: http://www.detnews.com/article/20101001/METRO/10010401/Assistant-AG-suspended-over-gay-bashing-blog

[sakabatou]

1. I can already hear some people saying he was "persecuted"

[mahatmakanejeeves]

24. double post, delete

.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

2. About time.

[66 dmhlt]

46. Sadly, it's now just a "Leave of Absence"

Both just posted a couple of hours ago:

It's personal leave of absence, not suspension, Cox spokeswoman says

Source - "The Detroit Free Press":
http://www.freep.com/article/20101001/NEWS15/101001018/1318/Shirvell-off-job-after-antigay-blog

Breaking news update: The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News are reporting that Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell is taking a leave of absence. This is a developing story. Check back throughout the day for more updates.

Source - U of Michigan's paper:
http://www.michigandaily.com/node/56128

So Cox is even bigger weasel than w/ just a mere suspension.

[CurtEastPoint]

3. I saw the CNN Cooper interview w/him and read his blog.

He's (1) off-balance and (2) a closet case. Seriously pitiful.

[Tx4obama]

7. And here's a link of Cooper interviewing AG Mike Cox (before he suspended Shirvell.)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x510448

[Posteritatis]

53. Cooper's putting the screws to the AG's office over this guy

There's a followup in the Political Videos section that's pretty impressive. Short version is that Shirvell's actually worse than he sounded in that first story, and that Cox is actively protecting him.

(And as inappropriate as it is to probably pull out the closet line, I find it hard not to see the guy as anything other than perched uncomfortably on the throne of Narnia.)

[Tx4obama]

4. It's not a free speech issue when it escalates to STALKING & harassment.

I hope Armstrong is granted his protection order from the judge next week!
And if Shirvell steps one foot on that campus I hope they throw is ass in jail without bail.
In my opinion he needs a mental evaluation - his obsession is not normal.

[dotymed]

18. It usually

"comes out" that a person that behaves like this is in the closet. Hating himself and trying to destroy others that have the same tendencies. It is a strange mental pre-occupation that has been acted out many times.

[AlbertCat]

40. his obsession is not normal.

Sure it is!.... if you're Gay and in love!


:sarcasm:... of course.....


He's a pitiful closet case. Religion isn't helping him (as is usual). He needs some real help.

[napi21]

5. Maloy was talking about him tonight. A real AH! nt

[Downwinder]

6. Larry Dubin says it all:

"My real concern is whether as an attorney for the Michigan Attorney General's Office, he can competently represent gay people in our state,"

[Hamlette]

8. And by giving Cox a way around the ACLU stance

Durbin said: "Perhaps that raises a legitimate question as to his competency to hold this job, rather than examining his right to speak his brand of hate."

Which is "easier" grounds to discharge than his hate speech from a legal perspective. Hopefully Cox (and the ACLU) will raise that issue to fight back against those who will not come to his defense.

It is pretty silent though, as far as I can "hear" on the right wing looney corners of the Internets. Maybe after the Anderson Cooper interview ppl don't want to defend this hate filled closet case.

One can hope.

[dmr]

11. It's not just Anderson, CNN has been playing those interviews all week.

Which is good. We need to STOP this sick hateful behavior, and one of the best ways to do it is to bring it out in the light.

What is wrong with these people? (rhetorical question)

[chollybocker]

9. Suspended?

By his balls, I hope.

How about a few months behind bars for this stalker? The bashing must stop now.

[whatacountry09]

27. LOL... great!

[Divine Discontent]

10. that's a start.... dude so much makes one more mention of the guy without evidence he should be axed

because it all just seems to be obsession with the man who is Gay. The Ass. Atty. Gen. is really creepy about him, and he just doesn't produce hard evidence for the onslaught of attention he gives the younger man. It's stalking and he either is a person that takes judging as part of his "religious" duty, or he's a closet case and is drawn to the poor college dude...

It's creepy, but thankfully not as creepy as Bishop Eddie Long's sordid story! Millionaire 'spiritual daddy' barf....

[TexasObserver]

12. Good. He deserved it.

[dmosh42]

13. The AG office is a waste of taxpayer money, and should be shut down..

The work should be put out on a bid for attorneys willing to do what's right. Holder is useless!

[COLGATE4]

31. Wrong AG. This is about Michigan's AG, not Holder

[valerief]

39. Let's privatize everything and become Somalia! nt

[TheEuclideanOne]

14. Cox looks really bad in this

In the interview of Cox, it was pretty clear that Cox should have just said "I am totally with Shirvell on this" and saved us some time in watching the rest of the interview. I think that the question about the Cyber Bullying pamphlet was a pretty big tell. Obviously, Shirvell's actions match the definition described in the pamphlet. You don't have to be an Attorney general to see that. But when Cox went with "Well, we didn't even create that pamphlet" instead of answering the obvious "Of course it is" it was pretty clear where he stood. Surely, if he can't even own up to such an obvious fact, getting him to agree with anything else that Shirvell has done is going to be like banging your head against a wall. I would say that by suspending Cox, he is clearly doing as little as possible until this "blows over". If he was not a supporter of Shirvell's actions, he would have fired him.

I think that what really pissed me off about this is that I would have expected Cox to really come down on this guy, but instead he was protecting this guy, which in my book means that he agrees with him. Worst of all, the logic he used to defend him was extremely weak. If Cox were in court and made the same arguments, he would be eaten alive.

[No Elephants]

15. Know what's also protected by the First Amendment? Not having a govt employee "bully" you about your

relgious beliefs and your gay advocacy and slander your character because of your relgious beliefs and your gay advocacy.

If the First Amendment does not prevent suspending this guy, how come it prevents firing him?

Willy nilly? Bull puckey.


Here's hoping the student leader files a 1983 action and wins.

[AlbertCat]

42. Not having a govt employee "bully" you about your....

race! It's like having a white supremacist stalk you because you are black. The supremacist can hide behind religion all he wants, but would anyone let it go on this long or get to this point?

[kevinbgoode]

16. Can't speech be limited by the blogger host? I mean, if he was using

...a blog that he constructs from a set program provided by an online business...you know, like blogger. . .don't they have restrictions on what materials can be published?

I'm not sure where they get the idea that this is a "free speech" issue unless the Asst. AG owned the blogging site and program.

[Eric J in MN]

17. Maybe the blog-host doesn't want to end service to that customer. NT

NT

[orbitalman]

19. Couldn't happen to a NICER guy...

:sarcasm:

[TBF]

20. Considering the deaths we've heard about this week alone -

we hardly need someone in a prominent public position spewing hate. Obama made a very poignant statement on 9/11 about inclusiveness, and I wish he'd take a more vocal stand here (repealing DADT would be a start).

The stalking has to escalate this case, and hopefully result in termination. I don't like to see anyone fired but this guy needs to get some psychiatric help and perhaps work in something less visible for awhile as he sorts out his issues.

[Bluenorthwest]

23. Obama spoke of inclusiveness toward other faiths

he did not speak about inclusion of the GLBT community, and you know it. He promised that he would be a Fierce Advocate, but he is leading a nation that intimidates and murders and does it all in the name of Jesus, just like Obama's campaign surrogate Donnie McClurkin, who calls gay people vampires and child killers, whom Michelle called her favorite signer, whom Barack called a 'good, decent and moral person'. So the Obamas are more like Cox than the frame you try for. Sorry 'bout the facts being the facts and all. But those were choices Barack and Michelle made with their friend Joshua DuBois.

[TBF]

35. I agree with you -

it disgusts me that Obama has taken this approach. I'm not sure if it is his true stance, or if he's just pandering to moderates/conservatives. I've learned though that you can't listen to what our president says without watching the accompanying actions. Very disappointing.

[No Elephants]

56. DADT and DOMA. Both are Jim Crow laws--signed by Clinton, now trying to distance himself from

DADT, too late to do anyone much direct good. (Always trying to have it both ways and always going with polls.) However, someone of the stature of a past President saying "Discrimination by sexual orientation is wrong." may influence Democrats who think otherwise.

DOMA is a different issue. I have not heard Bill regretting that and Obama has indirectly endorsed it while he campaigned. ("When it comes to marriage, God is in the mix.") Unlike DADT, DOMA will not result in additional cannon fodder (or military translators) AND ic will cost money.

[L.Torsalo]

59. No Elephants,

I salute you. These "regulations" ARE Jim Crow laws. No further description is necessary to describe the "civil rights" of GLBT humans in the USA in 2010.

[tblue37]

21. The only reason Cox finally acted is that the national spotlight highlighted the

situation.

[karmkay]

22. Bingo!

The request for protection should have been the trigger, but clearly Cox feels immune because he is leaving and, till Anderson got his hooks into this case, it was a local case of state-supported, or at least state-ignored wing-nuttery.

[rurallib]

29. that old sunlight deal. Sure wish we'd have lots and lots more sunlight.

[activa8tr]

25. I think Mike Cox was asleep at the switch not to catch this before

Anderson Cooper highlighted this crazy man on CNN the other night.

Kudo's to Anderson Cooper and the local Michigan stations that took on this issue.

[COLGATE4]

32. Cox wasn't asleep at the switch. He's about as bigoted, a real

RW asshole. This is the tone of many in the Mich. AG's office.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

26. Shirvell is another fine graduate of the Ave Maria School of Law.

Ave Maria School of Law

As president, Sarah Palin would make it one of her first acts to fill every legal office in the federal government with people just like him. It would be Monica Goodling, part two.

I was going to say "part deux," but I didn't want to sound, you know, French.

[COLGATE4]

33. Yeah, that 'law' school is about one rung above the

"Close cover before striking" School of Law.

[No Elephants]

54. LOL.

[ooglymoogly]

38. You meant "freedom" of course.

Just translating.

[No Elephants]

55. AFAIK, no one has fired Godling's hires in the D of J and elsewhere.

Every other President in my memory has fired the prior President's non civil service hires, unless, as with Poppy Bush, the prior administration was the same Party.

Of course, as to attorney hiring, Godling and her surrogates eliminated the difference between permissible civil service hiring questions and permissible non-civil service hiring questions, as well as eliminating the difference between church and state.

Hundreds of lawyers who had been graduated from religious law schools were hired, even if the schools were then unaccredited AND the attorney being hired had failed the bar exam.


Lawyers, even those being hired for civil service, were quizzed about their feelings on cases like Lawrence v. Texas and Roe v. Wade, even those being hiring to work on things like housing discrimination. We are likely stuck with these civil service losers until they die. No demand for them anywhere, but in Dummya's administration. And, just before leaving Cheney converted some political slots into civil service slots.

But, I wish to God that Obama would do what his predecessors have done and purge Dummya's remaining political appointees.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

58. Try, if you can, to find the LinkedIn profile for F. Vincent Vernuccio

I posted about him at DU earlier, and as soon as I did, his profile vanished. Google has cached it, though.

Four Conservative Activists Guilty In Phone Caper At Senator's Office, post #65

F. Vincent Vernuccio

He's from Ave Maria too. He basically couldn't hold a job, but he miraculously ended up as political appointee at the Department of Labor. He is now Labor Policy Counsel at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. In other words, no one else will hire him, as usual.

[JVS]

28. That guy is fucked up.

[bullwinkle428]

30. Shine a light on these bigot enablers, and they suddenly change their tune!

[jsgindc]

34. Post a pic of Andrew Shirvell

Just as we see the pics of the two who video taped the kid at Rutgers...


Let's show the pics of these people who think it's ok to bully.

[lonestarnot]

36. A start but should be fired.

[dgibby]

37. Shirvell appears to be an unhinged,

obsessive stalker. As such, I would expect him to escalate now that he's been suspended because he will blame Chris for all of this. People like him never take responsibility for their own actions, see themselves as martyrs for their cause, then seek revenge on the object of their obsessive hate. Chris needs an immediate restraining order AND a body guard. This is not going to end well.

[maddezmom]

41. UPDATE& CORRECTION from DetNews; Assistant AG takes leave amid gay-bashing controversy

Laura Berman / The Detroit News
An assistant attorney general who has attracted national attention for a controversial blog that ridicules and denounces a University of Michigan student leader for his gay advocacy, religious beliefs and character has taken a personal leave following intense public scrutiny, a spokesman for Attorney General Mike Cox said today.

Cox spokesman John Sellek said, however, Andrew Shirvell will be the subject of a disciplinary hearing after he returns to work at an undetermined future date.

Shirvell's decision to go on leave came a day after Cox told CNN he didn't intend to fire Shirvell, citing civil service rules that protect government employees from being "fired willy-nilly" for exercising their rights of free speech.

Cox said he hadn't earlier read all of Shirvell's blog, "Chris Armstrong Watch," which dogs Armstrong, the 21-year-old, openly gay president of U-M's student government and accuses him of "anti-Christian behavior," "mocking God," promoting homosexuality and trying "to recruit your sons and daughters" into the gay lifestyle.



From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20101001/METRO/10010422/1409/METRO/Assistant-AG-takes-leave-amid-gay-bashing-controversy#ixzz117Rxwnf4

[Pathwalker]

47. Mike Cox, the Teabagger candidate came in third in the Republican primary

and he's still pissed. And he's still an embarrassment to the fine citizens of Michigan.

[butterfly77]

50. Takes a leave until we forget about it..

FIRE HIS ASS! Cox needs to go too...

[ooglymoogly]

43. Cox was dragged kicking and screaming, to finally make a minimal

gesture. Shirvell is a closeted nut case, holy rolling freak who should have chosen the ice capades instead of "Born agin' "Christian" or a grossly illogical interpretation of biblical law.

Whether he eventually is fired, of course, is another question that begs credulity.

Our justice has been seeded with these right wing nuts right up to and including substantially the $upremes; and are intent on subverting the law to zealotry or American "$heria" law for the good of corporate America, their benefactors.

That imo, is why common sense no longer has meaning in this country as far as the "law" is concerned. Law; with the advent of the drug wars and of the religious freaks on the $C, have obliterated any real meaning to judicial and government prosecution of a convoluted "meaning" of the law; other than that of an oppressor. Our very own predatory government; who only prosecutes the middle class for the slightest transgression to fill corporate prisons; and never the powerful, unless like Martha, they are Democrats or backsliders.

My take is that Shervill is so tied up in knots, he is about to explode; and is very dangerous; having a severe crush on Armstrong that he can not express in any other way, than hatred; thereby in delusion, punishing his own closeted feelings in the most cowardly way; as these self loathing "Christians" inevitably do.

The overlords and warlords have learned how to use these creeps; in that hate breeds chaos and chaos breeds the fog in which to steal the rug from the middle class by taking over the government to keep the ruse going for ultimate profit; handing the taxpayer the bill for their obscene theft.

[panzerfaust]

44. "This article is no longer available online for free"

From the link this morning: "The story you're attempting to open is no longer available in our live online system. It may have been moved, or may have expired. Expired stories, those more than 60 days old,..."

That did not take long.

[maddezmom]

45. they updated it and changed the link, here is the new link

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4560374&mesg_id=4560659

[cecilfirefox]

48. When I friend Mr. Armstrong on Facebook I encouraged him to keep a pistol in his house and on him at

all times. This order will be issues and then he will be in a very dangerous space of time.

[butterfly77]

49. Took too long now..

Mike Cox needs to tell us what he was doing at the Kwame Kilpatrick party where Tamara Greene was murdered....

[Why Syzygy]

51. OORAH!

At the very least, he should be fired. I would like to see some investigation into possible HATE CRIME!!

[Lorien]

52. Call to complain:

CALL the State Attorney General's Office of Michigan and register your outrage. 517-241-7093

[No Elephants]

57. Thanks for the number and the suggestion, Lorien!