Kolbe Targeted; Right Wing Lies Twice

Apparently, Congressman Jim Kolbe is being investigated on an "anonymous tip" that he went camping on a large trip which included two pages. The claims against Kolbe are obviously without merit:

"I don't want to get into the details," he said. "I just don't want to get into this... because I might possibly be considered for a job in the administration."

However, the former page — who is the one to whom Kolbe allegedly paid special attention — said he had a "blast" on the trip and did not report anything improper to his parents or any House officials after the trip. He said he has a favorable impression of the page program to this day and likes Kolbe.

Right wing blogs like GayPatriot are suggesting that it was a Democrat who targeted Kolbe with this slur (although, given "The List" we blogged about yesterday, as well as the loud attacks from Kolbe from his own party, it's equally likely the "anonymous witness" was a Republican). Lie #1: It must have been a Democrat targeting Kolbe.

Now, for Lie #2: On hops the right wing to "explain" that this is why the Boy Scouts have to "exclude gay scoutmasters":
more . . .

When my son was in the Boy Scouts the organization was fighting back against openly gay scout masters (not gays) and the firestorm from the left about allowing gay men to camp out with these young boys.

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I guess if Kolbe had been a Boy Scout Master it would have been all OK.

Except, of course, that this is a Big Fat Lie as well. The BSA and its supporters certainly did campaign against gays -- loudly. It did not campaign merely "against gay scoutmasters." In other words, they sought to exclude a 14-year-old young out gay scout, or a 16-year-old gay Eagle Scout. "Gay scoutmasters molest boys" was just some of the blood libel used by that organization to justify a ban against all homosexual people in that organization from a 12-year-old gay kid on up to an honorable 18-year-old Eagle Scout with a strong history of achievement in his chosen endeavors.

In short, if you are gay of whatever age, you are banned from affiliation with BSA in any capacity -- young scout, scoutmaster, or even volunteer secretary in a regional association's headquarters.

Outright Libertarians and Libertarians in general support the right of the Boy Scouts to associate with whoever they please, including maintaining their anti-gay ban. Although it must be said that the increasing amount of distortion and outright lies that BSA and their supporters have been using to justify the ban underscores the fact that it has no purpose other than to demonize gay people.

I also think I speak clearly for many of us when I say that we're tired of the anti-gay climate perpetuated by conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats in Washington for their own political gain, and find the word games of both of the old parties to alternately slam gays or wrap themselves in the rainbow flag (depending on what's convenient) to be tiresome, homophobic, and insulting to the intelligence of all.

Let's teach them a lesson this November.