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FBI on White Powder-Gate: Link to Proposition 8 "a stretch"

By Fannie

Yesterday, I wrote about how the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty ran a misleading ad in The New York Times implying that marriage equality activist "thugs" sent white powder to the LDS Church seeking to terrorize it. This powder was later found to be non-toxic. Although it lacked proof as to who sent the powder, the LDS Church was quick to blame the hoax on opponents of Prop 8 anyway.

Even though there has been no proof that the powder, "marriage defenders" throughout the blogosphere have been stating as fact what no one knew for certain. This White Powder Incident merely confirmed what most of these people already believe about what Radical Homosexualists are like.

For instance, one blog quickly claimed: "On top of all the counter-productive things they've already done, now opponents of California's Proposition 8 - the anti-gay marriage initiative - have sent an envelope containing white powder - most likely harmless - to the very large Mormon Temple on Santa Monica Blvd. in Westwood, CA." On her blog, professional "marriage defender" Jennifer Roback Morse promoted a OneNewsNow article claiming that "militant homosexuals... mailed white powder to Mormon churches." On his blog, "marriage defender" the Playful Walrus assumes that the powder was sent by hateful "marriage neuterists" and touted this incident as yet another example of "homofascism." A paranoid LifeSiteNews article accuses "militant" "angry gay rights activists" of sending the powder and also accuses the "mainstream media" of ignoring as much. More on that in a minute.

Now, I'm sure that this will result in some major cognitive dissonance for these folks and their like-minded "marriage defender" ilk who seem convinced that all Homosexualists are militant, angry, pinko terrorists, but in the reality-based world the FBI made the following statement with respect to the many assumptions that it was Prop 8 opponents who mailed the powder:

"That would be a stretch," FBI agent Juan T. Becerra said Wednesday. "We have not received any reliable evidence that is related to the Proposition 8 issue."

Why then, are so many "marriage defenders" jumping the gun on this issue and blaming marriage equality advocates for this incident even though the FBI lacks evidence? Could it be that they are desperate to paint marriage equality advocates in a bad light? Could it be that in their kangaroo courts of morality, The Angry Militant Homosexualist is guilty until proven innocent? Ironic that they consider us to be "fascist" eh?

But seriously, I think most reasonable people would agree that it is wrong, potentially defamatory, sloppy, and amatuerish to accuse individuals of committing crimes when one lacks proof or reliable evidence that they committed these crimes. That's why real journalists, as opposed to propagandists, at least precede accusations with "allegedly" and rarely outright accuse individuals or groups of people of committing crimes unless they are proven guilty in a court of law.

Think we can expect any corrections, clarifications, and/or retractions?

Full post as published by Fannie's Room on December 13, 2008 (boomark / email).