The Post's New Low

Oct 14th, 2010
by F. Grey Parker

Tony Perkins - Anti-Gay Activist

One has to wonder what the editorial staff at the Washington Post has been thinking over the last year or so. They've given a regular forum to torture advocate Marc Thiessen. Recently, Dinesh D'Souza was granted space to regurgitate his lunacy about our country being "ruled" by some African-rooted revenge fantasy. Now, in the wake of a rash of suicides amongst young gay Americans, they've made sure to give equal time to radical anti-gay activist Tony Perkins.


Jarret Barrios fires back in the WaPo's "On faith" section:


"We called the Post out for their decision to let Perkins do this. The Post told us, via Twitter: "we're working to cover both sides. Earlier, we hosted Dan Savage of It Gets Better in a live chat."

Yes, you read that right. "Both sides."

The Washington Post - one of the most respected news sources in our country's history - is telling a nation full of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender children, that their lives are up for debate."

Frankly, Barrios is too easy on them. Giving Perkins a forum in this discussion is like giving an Op-Ed to the Klan during a debate over interracial marriage.

Perkins wrote:

"Some homosexuals may recognize intuitively that their same-sex attractions are abnormal--yet they have been told by the homosexual movement, and their allies in the media and the educational establishment, that they are "born gay" and can never change. This--and not society's disapproval--may create a sense of despair that can lead to suicide."

This kind of thinking should stay in the hate-pamphlets where it belongs. What is the Post trying to achieve? Are they seeking the same divide between reality and fantasy that we see within the Wall Street Journal's reportage and editorial divisions, respectively? Is it that they really don't care how outlandish a piece is that appears under their masthead as long as it get's "hits?"

Barrios sums it up:

"Technically, the Post is correct when it says it is covering "both sides" of the scourge of anti-gay bullying.

But one of those sides belongs to the bully himself."

The Continuing Rebuttal of Marc Thiessen

March 10th, 2010

Matthew Alexander, a former senior military interrogator who publishes under a pseudonym for security reasons, has written a caustic review of Marc Thiessen's recently released and garishly pro-torture manifesto:

"My gut reaction on reading Marc Thiessen's new book, Courting Disaster, was: "Why is a speechwriter who's never served in the military or intelligence community acting as an expert on interrogation and national security?"

Certainly, everyone is entitled to a voice in the debate over the lawfulness and efficacy of President Bush's abusive interrogation program, regardless of qualifications. But if you're not an expert on a subject, shouldn't you interview experts before expressing an opinion? Instead, Thiessen relies solely on the opinions of the CIA interrogators who used torture and abuse and are thus most vulnerable to prosecution for war crimes."

As Thiessen continues his attacks on not just the rule of law but traditional morality as well, another voice has added itself to his growing chorus of detractors. This one is conservative author and editor, Conor Friedersdorf who argues that it is irresponsible for editors to even publish his work for it's lack of quality:

"The readers who propelled him onto the New York Times bestseller list can be forgiven if they’re not knowledgeable about United States law, the military code of conduct, or devastating counterarguments that require a bit of outside knowledge. But the editors who willingly publish this man again and again, despite the poor quality of his work and his inability to answer his strongest critics, are being negligent and unprofessional."

Thiessen, on The Daily Show last night, was skewered:

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Exclusive - Marc Thiessen Extended Interview Pt. 1
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