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By JUAN CARLOS RODRIGUEZ AND PHIL LAPADULA
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Ted Emery
Benefactor
Ted Emery (Photo courtesy of Ted Emery)
Together with his late partner Bill Beaton, Ted Emery has been a longtime supporter of the arts and GLBT organizations in South Florida and throughout the United States. Over the years, the couple helped raise large sums for Stonewall Library & Archives, the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of South Florida and the Dolphin Democrats, among others. This year, Emery, who celebrated his 85th birthday on March 12, committed to a $50,000 matching grant for Lambda Legal. The fund-raising effort raised a record-breaking $270,000 for the gay legal services organization. On March 30, Lambda Legal will celebrate Emery’s generosity at its annual reception at Bonnet House.
Sen. John McCain
John McCain (AP Photo)
While the media obsesses over Barack Obama’s relationship with the outspoken Rev. Jeremiah Wright (Fox News reports on it 24/7), John McCain’s embrace of ultra-right-wing bigot John Hagee has received little coverage.
Hagee, a televangelist, has stated that Hurricane Katrina was “the judgment of God” against the city of New Orleans for hosting a gay parade the week of the storm. He has also referred to the Catholic Church as “the great whore,” “a false cult system” and “the apostate church.” He has made statements blaming the Jews for their persecution and accusing them of worshiping idols.
Despite such extreme views, when Hagee endorsed McCain, the Arizona senator told the press that he was “very honored by Pastor John Hagee’s endorsement.”
It was only after McCain got heat from the Catholic League that the senator issued a cherry-picking repudiation of Hagee’s anti-Catholic views.
“I repudiate any comments that are made, including Pastor Hagee’s, if they are anti-Catholic or offensive to Caholics,” McCain told the Associated Press. Later in the interview, McCain added that he was “against discrimination and anti-Semitism, anti-Catholic, anything racial…” But he conspicuously left out any mention of Hagee’s many anti-gay statements.
Speaking of “whores,” McCain’s embrace of Hagee, not withstanding his later cherry-picking repudiation of some of his statements, shows he is willing to kiss up to the most bigoted, superstitious fool in order to get elected.
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