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by Brian O'Connell In late January, trolling for votes in Manchester, New Hampshire, Sen. John Kerry took on one of the Democratic Party’s favorite punching bags, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. To great huzzahs from the crowd, Kerry excoriated Ashcroft and the Patriot Act by intoning that “we are a nation of laws, not men”. Then, in his characteristic, lawyer-like tones, Kerry proceeded to lecture the audience on the propriety of law and the perceived impropriety of the Patriot Act. Never mind that Kerry voted for the Act – it’s obvious by now that Kerry does not want to be in the same room as a decision. In fact, you don’t want to be in a movie snack line behind the agonized Senator from Massachusetts, sweat pouring from his billboard-sized brow over having to choose between Goobers and Raisinettes. No, the quote, originally a cornerstone of The Federalist Papers, resonates these days after the Mayor of San Francisco defied both state law and the will of the California people in granting marriage licenses to over 1,700 gay and lesbian couples over Valentines Day weekend. It’s a slap in the face to California voters, who recently approved a ballot initiative prohibiting gay marriages and declaring that the state could only recognize marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The initiative passed into law in March 2000. You’d think that a political figure like Kerry who says he supports “laws over men” would be lining up to express his outrage over Mayor Gavin Newsom’s stunning display of contempt for the rule of law. Sorry, but like most big decisions, when the phone doesn’t ring, you know that it’s Kerry. Perhaps it’s not fair to just pick on the Senator. His avoidance of the issue suggests he has the good sense to at least consider the damage that Newsom has done in issuing marriage licenses to gay couples. You can’t say the same for the national media, many of who are only too happy to don their cheerleading outfits and eagerly wave their pom-poms in support of Newsom and gay marriage. The Los Angeles Times calls Newsom a “pinup boy” for the gay and lesbian movement. The Associates Press cites Newsom’s “bold, perfectly choreographed” bid for gay marriages. Reports by CNN describe the ceremony participants as “jubilant” who have had “a barrier lifted”. And on and on. Clearly, the notion of an elected official breaking the law is okay-dokey with the liberal media. In fact, the sentiment expressed by media members seems to suggest a “what took you so long?” mentality. Ironically, the media hasn’t always supported acts of civil disobedience. Flash back to November, 2003, when Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore was fired from his post after refusing a court order to remove a granite monument of the Ten Commandments from the state’s main court building. Again, an act of civil disobedience by a high-ranking government official. But instead of the open arms treatment the press gave Newsom, the media bared their fangs and went after Justice Moore with the gusto of Justin Timberlake delivering a wardrobe malfunction to Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl. A man of conscience to most people in Alabama, Moore found himself under attack by the media elite. Quotes from the indispensable Media Research Center cite ABC’s Robin Roberts accusing the Justice of "trying to restore morality." CNN’s Aaron Brown opted for the Kerry/Ashcroft treatment, asking Moore "Don’t we also, all of us, stand for the rule of law?” Time magazine called Moore a “joke”. Then there was Newsweek columnist Eleanor Clift, who called the lead lawyer in the case against Moore, “a hero” for sifting through all the evidence that led to the removal of Moore from office. I wonder if she will call lawyers for the Campaign for California Families “heroes” for taking on the sanctimonious Newsom Don’t bet on it. Just like in the weeks following 9/11, when Reuters’ editor Steve Jukes called “one man’s terrorist another man’s freedom fighter,” the likes of Roberts, Brown and Clift will see no comparison between the two men. They’ll say that the Mayor’s bid for gay marriages was an act of civil disobedience while Judge Roy Moore’s bid for religious freedom was a heinous, criminal act by a religious zealot who deserved to lose his job. Oh, the media elite will say that Newsom should lose his job one day, too. But only after he’s elected president. Brian O’Connell is a Doylestown, Penn.-based author and political writer. Reach him at brian.oco@verizon.net. |
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