North
Texas
Liberal

Last Saturday, we told you about conservative author and speaker Ann Coulter using a gay slur to describe Democratic candidate John Edwards.

Coulter has taken a lot of flack for her comments, but an editorial in the most recent issue of Lewisville-based newspaper the News-Connection almost treats Coulter's hate speech as if it were acceptable:

Nevertheless, she has her defenders who say that liberal Democrats use hate speech all the time when referring to the president, the vice-president or others with whom they disagree.

Case in point: liberal commentator Bill Maher’s recent statement that if Vice-President Dick Cheney was dead, more people would live.

That’s pretty close to saying he wishes Cheney would die, otherwise, there’d be no point in making the statement. Consequently, if we are to make a comparison of the two comments, it would be fair to say that wishing the vice president would die is much worse than calling a candidate a name that equates with words like, wuss, wimp or sissy.

First of all, Bill Maher is a liberal comedian. He's made many references that were detrimental to Democrats, as well, and most likely considers himself an independent voter, but there's no denying he's on the left side of the political spectrum. Regardless, his comment was said in the context of an HBO show that people watch expecting to see political comedy. Maher may have crossed the line, but what does that have to do with Ann Coulter calling someone a faggot? Absolutely nothing.

When Ann Coulter made her comment, on the other hand, she was at a conference with the Republican elite, including 2008 presidential candidates. Coulter is not seen by the Republican community as a comedian: she was invited to appear as the keynote speaker for a dinner hosted by the Denton County Republican Party, where she appeared alongside Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Lewisville, Rep. Kenny Marchant, R-Coppell, State Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.

Coulter defended her comments in the same way that the News-Connection did, according to McBlogger:

"'Faggot isn't offensive to gays; it has nothing to do with gays," Coulter said on "Hannity and Colmes" Monday night. "It's a schoolyard taunt meaning 'wuss,' and unless you're telling me that John Edwards is gay, it was not applied to a gay person."

Coulter and the News-Connection should take note: the word "faggot" is extremely offensive to gays and lesbians, and there is no excuse for using it. Using a fallacious argument like, "But look at what so-and-so said, and he's a liberal" does not excuse hate speech.

Even Coulter's explanation of her comments is offensive... using a stigmatized word like "faggot," which obviously refers to homosexuals, and saying that it means "wuss" is demeaning, let alone an invented excuse for Coulter's outrageous statement.

NTL respectfully commends Republican candidates Mitt Romney, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani for condemning Ann Coulter's comments and labeling them "wildly inappropriate," instead of making excuses for them likes others have done.

And via Pink Dome, you know it's bad when even ultra-conservative blogger Michelle Malkin finds your comments "an intentionally-tossed verbal grenade," "garbage," and worries that children that attended the event could end up "spewing... epithets."

In the firestorm that erupted since Governor Perry ordered mandatory vaccination of girls with Gardasil, (the human papilloma virus vaccine to prevent cervical cancer), 31 State Senators have requested Perry to rescind his order. Jane Nelson, R-Lewisville, has taken the lead on this issue.

The letter, originated by Lewisville Republican Jane Nelson, says that Perry should wait until lawmakers have a chance to examine the issue and perhaps enact legislation before the policy is implemented. Nelson and others have said Perry’s action puts the state government in a role that would be better left to parents......

Nelson has also asked Attorney General Greg Abbott to examine the legality of Perry’s order and whether it requires the Legislature to appropriate money. The appropriation of state money is a legislative prerogative.

There is some good rationale on each side of this debate, but there is also a great deal of political posturing going on right now. Rather than try to sort it all out, read Off the Kuff's rebuttal and Rep. Jessica Farrar's letter, or catch Farrar's YouTube broadcast on Musings.

Former Democratic candidate for Governor, Chris Bell, has expressed his support of Perry's decision.

It is worth noting that there is no thimerosal or mercury in the HPV vaccine. Mercury was removed from most vaccines after concerns were raised about a possible link between thimerosal and the development of autism.

Shaun Rabb, of Fox News KDFW-TV, interviewed Tarrant County Democratic Party Chair Art Brender and State Representative District 95 Marc Veasey on the recent court decision regarding mail-in ballots. Federal Judge T. John Ward ordered Attorney General Greg Abbott to stop enforcing a provision of the election code regarding mail-in ballots. The ruling allows workers assisting the elderly or disabled to help deliver those ballots to the post office.

To view the video, click here. The following is a partial transcript:

Brender: It's a victory for every voter who needs to vote absentee - people that are elderly, that can't get out, that are bedridden, that are disabled - because for many, many years, up until this law went into effect a couple of years ago, anybody could help them.....

Veasey: It basically suppressed that partciular tradition in the coummunity of neighbor watching out for neighbor. And that's what was so really significant about this ruling.....

Rabb: In an email statement, Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz writes: "The Office of the Attorney General will file an immediate appeal...the district court's decision is contrary to binding precedent from the U.S. Supreme Court, and we are highly confident upon appeal." Brender hopes the federal judge's ruling stands.

Brender: The Attorney General in the comments to Judge Ward said "Well, we would never prosecute anyone for just mailing somebody's ballot, handling it and putting it in the mailbox, that sort of thing." So that admission, I think, is an indication the law is overly broad.

Although a ruling from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals will have enormous impact in the long term, the influence on this year's elections is largely decided. An article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reveals that mail-in ballots for Tarrant County were down compared with 2002.

Mail-in voting for the November general election has dropped 62 percent this year in Tarrant County, although early voting in person is up 8 percent in the county and across the state.

With early voting ending today, Tarrant County Elections Administrator Steve Raborn said he could not explain the sharp drop in mail-in ballots since the comparable election in 2002, but said mail-in ballot applications generated by the major political parties appear to be down significantly this year.

Statewide, mail-in ballots have dropped 26 percent, according to the secretary of state's Web site.

All of the thirteen people Greg Abbott has prosecuted for voter fraud under the 2003 law have been Democrats, and all but one has been Hispanic or African-American.

Amber Moon, spokeswoman for the Texas Democratic Party, predicted that the post-election analysis of the mail-in ballots will show that the decrease is mostly from Democratic strongholds.

Vote by mail in our communities have suffered more because our people have the attorney general's task force following them," Moon said.

A direct comparison to the 2002 election is difficult, with both sides agreeing that strategy may have influenced results. And it's difficult to determine how many of those choosing to forgo mail-in ballots chose to vote in person. However, in the end, it appears Republicans may have accomplished their goal - suppression of minority votes.