GOP Gay Scandal/murder & sucide case swarming blogtopia

[EV_Ares]

I think I saw something about this on DU sometime back but appears now is starting to gain steam.

There is a bizarre story swarming blogtopia, laced with unconfirmed (and confirmed) sources that could lead to another Republican Sexual Hypocrite "outing" and scandal. First, some facts about the weird murder suicide in Orlando in late August that kicked off the whole matter. A Republican political consultant killed in an apparent double murder-suicide in Florida had worked extensively in Alabama politics including a controversial "Adam and Steve" campaign leaflet that parodied gay marriage.

Ralph Gonzalez, 39, president of The Strategum Group, was found dead Thursday along with his roommate, David Abrami, 36, and a friend, Robert Drake, 30, according to The Associated Press. A motive has not been determined. Weapons and signs of a struggle were found in the house. The Alabama Republican Legislative Committee in 2005 paid Strategum $3,144.06 to print a flier that accused a Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives of supporting gay marriage.

The flier depicted two smiling men on a porch holding hands with the caption: "Let Gloria Dolbare know God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve!" The Orlando Sheriff's deputies have not released a timeline or official motive -- the bodies that were discovered had been dead for several days. Some articles at the time mentioned a gay love triangle, which caught the eye of several blogs. As Andy at Towleroad noted, Florida Today originally ran the story with the "Lovers' fight may have sparked three deaths." He did a screen cap of it:

The newspaper later scrubbed all references to the "lovers' quarrel" from the report without comment.

The fact that it gets even more GOP-scandalous - it also ties into a male escort service/prostitution ring - shows it is begging for additional investigation by the MSM, but no one seems to want to touch it. Drama Queen notes:
In both Monday and Tuesday's posts, my point was that it's highly suspicious that the traditional media has basically ignored the Florida murder suicide: a sensational story that juicily combines fundamentalist Christian politicians and homosexual consultants, election software tampering and this potential tie to a gay porn-related murder in Pennsylvania.
This story is potentially wilder than anything Larry Craig's toe-tapping in an airport restroom. I have no idea what it all means since there are many still off-the-record sources. I'll let Scrutiny Hooligans, Down With Tyranny and Pat Go Bye Bye tell the potentially sordid tale. BlueNC has been on the case for some time now as well. However, you might want to start here for an overview.

The events on the record are noteworthy enough for the MSM to investigate at this point, because the office of right-wing Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC) has gone on the record tying the pol to the shooting. Howie Klein, making a serious charge:
As we mentioned yesterday, Drake, a former marine, also is alleged to have a strong relationship-- both intimate and business/political-- with right-wing Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC). When I spoke to McHenry's office about this they at first insisted they never heard of Drake then, confronted with specifics, admitted they know him. They refused to put Congressman McHenry on the phone. There is every indication that McHenry may have been one of the Republican elected officials who was using the services of the gay prostitution agency connected to Drake. Our pals over at the BradBlog points out the connections between Florida's ultra-corrupt, vote-tampering congressman, Tom Feeney, and Gonzalez and reports the threat to expose the list of Republican elected officials who were using the gay escort service.
Where will it go? Who knows, but with a story of this potential magnitude, the mainstream news media, which has the resources to investigate and uncover whether the thick smoke does or doesn't lead to fire, isn't biting.

Meanwhile, drop by The Pensito Review for a post on the next GOP closet doors that could be kicked open.


(Articles & photos on Americablog)

http://www.americablog.com/2007/09/another-gop-gay-scandal-brews-in-murder.html

[Ian David]

1. See also: Anti-gay "Adam and Steve" GOP Consultant and his "room-mate" killed in muder-suicide

Anti-gay "Adam and Steve" GOP Consultant and his "room-mate" killed in muder-suicide
Topic started by IanDB1 on Sep-05-07 10:26 AM (18 replies)
Last modified by Robbien on Sep-06-07 08:39 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=1736866


McHenry’s office admits tie to murder/suicide shooter
Topic started by bear425 on Sep-04-07 07:21 PM (37 replies)
Last modified by Mojorabbit on Sep-05-07 05:08 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=1733056

[jn2375]

2. love to see the press investigate this further

[mod mom]

3. Great link: Republican Culture of Corruption:

http://fluffer-union.blogspot.com/2007/09/republican-culture-of-corruption.html

[libodem]

4. I just am not getting any glee

out of this stuff. I don't know if my outrage function has gone dead or what? I feel bad for these people. I feel bad for our gay friends at DU, whom despite the hypocrisy factor, must be tired of watching everybody go ga ga over unwelcomed outings. I'm sad for our world, tonight. Bless all of us. Things are so messed up.

[WCGreen]

7. I feel the same way...

[HowHasItComeToThis]

5. I get soooo excited when I SEE PATRICK RUN HIS HE MAN ACT ON THE HOUSE FLOOR

HE IS A ZINGER

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. My Republican friend doesn't believe it was a gay hit because

he said one of them had a fiance. He also said that he knew people who knew one of the departed and they were pretty worked up about it, as can be expected.

Then I started to count the number of current Republican sex scandals, and after each one he kept saying, "Clinton and Lewinsky." By the time I had made it to my fifth Republican scandal, I finally piped in that all of mine had occurred in the last six months and he only had the one ten year old picadillo in exchange. He laughed because he knew I had him.

[pingzing58]

8. Thanks for keeping this story in our publics eye. Keep investigating: more info please.

[tomreedtoon]

9. "Outing" of Repubs is pointless. And divisive.

When these guys are outed, what does the average person think? "Gays are evil. This gay guy pretended to be straight. He was a terrorist."

In other words, by looking for gay Republican males, all that gets increased is anti-gay prejudice. It besmirches the Republicans too, but that isn't the most important social effect.

And it isn't all that effective; Republicans can partially neutralize the effect by pointing out how many Democratic leaders are gay/have had similar scandals.

I know it's really pleasant to think of the Bush Administration destroying itself through hypocricy, because that means people wouldn't have to get up and really work on promoting progressive ideas to their smelly neighbors, but it doesn't happen that way.

[BornagainDUer]

11. I disagree. Jim West, the mayor of Spokane was ousted after beingg

outed. Anything to get a fascist piece of shit out of office is good enough for me. West then went on some rant about homophobes did him under. Shit the hypocritical sleaze bag always came down against gay rights.

He was accused of pedophilia as well as soliciting gay sex over the Internet.


West was involved in a sex scandal in 2005. He was accused of sexually abusing two young boys in the 1970s and 1980s when he was a sheriff's deputy and Boy Scout leader. He was also accused of misusing his office as mayor to lure teenage boys for sexual relationships. West called the molestation allegations "flat lies". However he admitted to having private online relationships in the past year through the Gay.com website (see (<3>).

West confirmed the accusations of meeting men over the Internet but denied the charges that he had sought out minors (see<4>). Using the name "Right-BiGuy" he allegedly offered internships to young gay men (some of whom were just graduating from high school - none of whom, however, under the age of 18 <5>).....more



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E._West_(politician)

[calimary]

12. The value in it comes from destabilizing the enemy.

The enemy being republi-CON hypocrites. The more of this that comes out only serves to underscore and CEMENT in people's minds that republi-CONS are hypocrites, and that their "family values" crap is just that: crap. If you can create an overriding impression - a PERCEPTION - however vague, that republi-CONS = hypocrisy, perversion, etc., it serves. It serves to destabilize them, throw their gullible, ardent, and fucking judgmental followers into a tizzy (and may also serve to discourage them to the point where they're disgusted enough to stay home on election day), and gives Dems the high ground - leading to another impression that maybe, if you want real family values, maybe you've been looking to the wrong gang for guidance.

Further, there's the most illuminating and illustrative post here - post 8 in this very thread - wherein the poster, The Backlash Cometh, talked about running down a list of republi-CON perversion with a knuckledragger friend, and every time a republi-CON name was mentioned - craig, vitter, and let's NOT forget mark foley - the opponent could only hit back with "clinton-lewinsky!!!" Well, after a few rounds of that, in which the poster reports pointing out that - um... that's all you've got, chump! And you have to reach back TEN YEARS to get it. The ones on our list start only a few MONTHS ago.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3508070&mesg_id=3508640

ANYTHING, repeat, ANYTHING that destabilizes the enemy is of GREAT overall value. And it's not just aimed at the bush fuckers, but ALL republi-CONS - who deserved to be tarred and feathered en masse for this - because they've covered for this again and again while parading around like a bunch of holier-than-thou's.

[tomreedtoon]

13. I'm just saying it's a tactic that can bite you back.

After you criminalize homosexuality with these charges - and that's what you're doing, not outing hypocrites, but gays - how can you promote gay rights?

It isn't the hypocracy the public hates, it's the homosexuality. If you don't see that, just wait 'till you try to get gay marriage approved, having shown so many Republicans to be evil homosexuals.

[calimary]

14. Yeah, the public DOES hate homosexuality - which is why vitter's foibles

came and went and we're still hanging around larry craig.

Even so, anything that adjusts and steers the public perception, while at the same time destabilizing the enemy, is valuable.

[BornagainDUer]

10. Here is a related topic.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1715047