THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD
(apologies to Keith Olbermann)
Utah State Sen. Chris Buttars (R-12th cent.)
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Utah state senator Chris Buttars is now comparing some in the gay community to radical Muslims. Buttars makes this strong comment in an upcoming documentary about Prop 8. And they come just a year after remarks by Buttars greatly offended many African-Americans.... Buttars not only makes the comparison to radical Muslims, but also suggests that gays could pose the greatest threat to America.
(Thanks to David Flanders for this one....)
Every now and again, someone comes along who manages through his words and force of personality to crystallize and refine my thinking on a particular topic. Suffice it to say that Utah knuckle-dragging troglodyte State Sen. Chris Buttars isn't one of those people. That someone in this day and age could feel so comfortable with and perfectly justified in being so openly hateful and discriminatory towards a particular class of Americans is something that defies conventional logic. Then again, you always fear most what you understand the least, eh?
Believe it or not- and this might come as a shock to Sen. Buttars- homosexuals are people, too, with the same hopes and fears that many of us on the hetero side of the fence experience. Who you sleep with, and/or who you happen to love, says absolutely nothing about your value as a human being and an American.
I suppose the one function that Sen. Buttars can be thought to serve is to remind us what can happen when a microphone and camera is put in front of hatred, bigotry, and epic, world-class ignorance. The idea that any public servant, even one so astonishingly ignorant as Buttars, could compare homosexuals to radical Muslims (Is that Suze Orman in first class? With an explosive vest?? OHMIGOD!!! RUN!!!) is almost more than my pointy li'l haid can process.
Thankfully, there is some good news in this sad, sorry episode. It would appear that there are those, even in West Wingnuttia Utah, for whom Buttars' ignorant ramblings were simply too much. Apparently, this isn't the first time Buttars has given free, unfettered reign to his inner asshole. No, it seems that even in Utah accountability can sometimes rear it's ugly head...and bite a troll like Buttars in the ass. Welkum two Utah. Wee gotz standerdz!! Yeah, who knew??
Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, eh??
Here's a questions for those Mormons who think like Buttars (and you just have to know he's not the only one- just the one lacking a self-editing function): SINCE WHEN IS HATRED A FAMILY VALUE?? Just a thought....
