FBI Agent Derails Coulter Voter Fraud Case

It's been more than a year since we asked Will Ann Coulter Be Prosecuted for Voter Fraud, and at last we have the answer expected: No. Jose Lambiet, who broke the original story in February 2006, reports in today's Palm Beach Post:

Conservative pundit Ann Coulter has been cleared of allegations that she falsified her Palm Beach County voter's registration and voted illegally -- this, after a high-level FBI agent made unsolicited phone calls to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office to vouch for Coulter.

The caller wasn't just any G-man. According to PBSO documents, he was Supervisory Special Agent Jim Fitzgerald, of the FBI Academy's Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Va. -- the closest reality gets to the serial-killer catchers on CBS' Criminal Minds.

That brings up another question: "So why would an FBI profiler who went after the Unabomber take time from his busy day to even think about a municipal election snafu?"

Fitzgerald called the novice Palm Beach detective assigned to the case, and said he "has been working a stalking incident" involving Coulter. According to the PB Post, he identified the alleged stalker as conservative blogger Dan Borchers of coulterwatch.com. Borchers said he remembers talking to two FBI agents about stalking accusations -- in 1998.

"They stayed for five minutes," [Borchers told the Post], "told me to be careful not to scare Ann Coulter. She hollers stalker at anybody who opposes her."

FBI Agency Fitzgerald told Palm Beach County Detective Kristine Villa that the supposed Borchers probe led to no arrest and he saw no reason why Coulter's address should remain secret.

He added that "he did not have information relating to the allegations of voting improprieties nor did he have any intention to sway the outcome" of [the Palm Beach detective's] investigation.

But she closed the investigation on April 12, Lambiet reports, "without interviewing Coulter; a Realtor, whose Indian Road address Coulter used; or neighbors of Coulter's Seabreeze homestead."

Villa's report leaves the clear impression that Coulter's attorney, Miami's Marcos Jimenez, stonewalled Villa for five months -- at times agreeing to make Coulter available, at others reneging, often not returning calls promptly or claiming not to be able to reach his client.

Thanks to Editor & Publisher for the tip. For the most complete coverage of the Ann Coulter voting case, see the Brad Blog's special report.

Not just one voter in question at Rep. Patrick McHenry's house!

posted at blogactive.com

[Research for this story provided by Muriel Kane.]

Update: Matt at InterstateQ, one of my favorite sites, has the latest on McHenry's nighttime buddy.

CBS News reported today that Michael Aaron Lay, an aide to (the unmarried) Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), was arrested on voter fraud charges.

There is more to the story than you're reading in the CBS news item. LOTS MORE.

First here's the item from CBS on Lay:

The indictment charges that Michael Aaron Lay, 26, illegally cast his ballot in two 2004 Congressional primary run-offs in which McHenry was a candidate. The charges indicate that Lay voted in a district where it was not legal for him to vote.

At the time Lay was listed as a resident in a home owned by 32-year-old McHenry but campaign records indicate Lay's paychecks were sent to an address in Tennessee. McHenry won the primary by only 86 votes. According to Gaston County, North Carolina District Attorney Locke Bell, Lay was indicted on Monday, May 7 by a local grand jury.

Before I get into the other angles...Here's a copy of the voter registration information on Michael Aaron Lay:

Here is the voting, showing the only time Lay voted in the District was during McHenry's first campaign:

AT THE SAME TIME, he was registered to vote in NC, here's four of the many payment entries from McHenry's FEC reports, where he is paid at a Tennessee address:

That is where the CBS Story ends... But, look, there's more!

Here is the registration for ANOTHER person on McHenry's staff, Jason Jent Deans, who registered in the district and was paid at another address. And get this, he registered to vote on June 11, 2004, just before the same primaries that the now-indicted Mr. Lay voted in.

Here's an archived copy of Deans's registration and voting record. He voted in McHenry's district in '06. The registration record is from the NC voter records site, and was on line as late as October of '06, when it was provided to me:

What was Mr. Deans getting paid for in 2004? Working for the McHenry campaign. AND... at different address than his registration! Here are some of the FEC reports on Jason Jent Deans showing him being paid in a different city from his voter registration:

If you need more on Mr. Deans, get this: he RECENTLY changed his voter registration location. Could it be that he was aware of the CBS story or the forthcoming indictments against Lay? Here's the latest registration for Mr. Deans:

There's more...A lot more!

Want more? Yet ANOTHER person registered at the address just before McHenry's first election. While the NC election records indicate that Matthew Allen Hamilton registered to vote at the address in October 29, 1998, just before election day. He didn't vote in that election and did not start voting until November of 2002, four years after he registered. Interestingly, the only primaries he voted in were the ones in which McHenry ran, including a runoff in August of '04:

And in that tightly fought primary in '04, Hamilton voted by absentee ballot:

Could there be MORE people at the address? Um, yup!

Get this! On June 23, 2004 Neil Everett Capano also registered at 1100 Requa Road, McHenry's pad:

I mean, enough already!

The funny thing about McHenry is this: I've received tons of tips from across the state, including one from an elected official who told me, "I can tell you Patrick McHenry is gay. I've known him long enough to know."

Now, I'm not saying he is gay, but he does seem to like engaging with Barney Frank. If you have not seen the video of their exchange, it's priceless.

And on Thursday, McHenry refers to Congresswoman Ellen Taucher as a man. It seems clear to me that Patrick has some serious gender identity issues.

In typical form, is it any wonder that Patrick McHenry was the Republican attack dog against the Democrats on Foleygate? What is really funny here, is how he tries to call Foley an "obscure congressman from Florida." Check this video out:

http://www.youtube.com/v/O6_ye2lFedA

Another GOP Rep. Outed

Patrick McHenry's night-time buddy

More news on 26 year old Michael Aaron Lay, pictured right, (previous posts), aide to Congressman Patrick McHenry (NC-10) recently indicted on voter fraud by a North Carolina grand jury and registered to vote at the home of McHenry.

Pictured right: Michael Aaron Lay

I'm sure somebody will end up claiming that Lay doesn't live with McHenry. If that is claimed, then it just seems as though McHenry's been getting secret night-time visits from his good "pal" Lay (src, emphasis mine):

While looking over the activities of Michael Aaron Lay during the 2004 election year my attention was drawn to a traffic ticket that he recieved in March of 2005. Originally, the ticket drew my interest because Mr. Lay continued to show his voter registration in North Carolina, but on the day of the ticket his residence, his vehicle registration and his license were all from Tennessee. Out of curiousity I pulled the ticket from Gaston County, and I noted the time of the infraction. Michael Aaron Lay was pulled over at 4:57 am on a Thursday morning heading down Highway 321 in Dallas, Gaston County. Presumably Mr. Lay was leaving his "home" in Cherryville on his way to I-40 and Knoxville, TN where he was attending law school. My question is this: Is it really appropriate and seemly for a 29/30 year old Congressman to be sharing his home with a 23/24 year old law student on a weekday/school night such that the young college student is up at 4:30 am and headed back to school at 5:00 am. In my opinion there are only a few good reasons for a young man to drive 3 1/2 hours on a Wednesday after classes to spend the night with someone and then get up the next morning at 4:30 and drive the 3 1/2 drive back to make his classes. I cannot imagine what legitimate tasks in this "Age of Information" could not be accomplished over phone, fax and internet. If this young man's visit was not for inappropriate reasons, at least our Congressman should realize and avoid such an obvious "appearance of impropriety". Michael Aaron Lay is a young man compared to Patrick McHenry. It should be obvious to the Congressman and anyone else that a single man in Patrick's position would be well advised to avoid overnight guests who find it necessary to scuttle out of town on a school night before the sun is even up.

Wow.

McHenry has some answering to do… and now that his night-time friend is going down for breaking the law, there is no hiding.

EXCLUSIVE: FBI MAN SAID TO HAVE INTERCEDED IN ANN COULTER VOTER FRAUD CASE, ALLEGED TO BE HER EX-BOYFRIEND!

(NOTE: We may have more breaking news coming later on another matter, so apologies for the more-than-usual notices today! -- Brad)

EXCLUSIVE: FBI MAN SAID TO HAVE INTERCEDED IN ANN COULTER VOTER FRAUD CASE, ALLEGED TO BE HER EX-BOYFRIEND!

Palm Beach Paper Says FBI Agent Attempted to Clear GOP Pundit, BRAD BLOG Guest Blogger Said to be Reason for Fraudulent Info Given on FLVoter Registration Form, Drivers License!

Conservative Coulter Critic Borchers Responds; Says Her '98-'99 Boyfriend Has Been 'Her Personal FBI Resource for Her Own Purposes'...

The Ann Coulter Voter Fraud case, which we've been covering for more than a year (see our Special Coverage Page here, including her fraudulent Voter Registration Form, the complaint that started it all, and much more) has taken several bizarre twists this morning as Palm Beach Post columnist Jose Lambiet once again steps up with several fresh scoops in the matter, and The BRAD BLOG, who, as of today's article, has now become a corollary in the story, has an exclusive detail or two of our own to offer on the heels of this morning Post report.

First, Lambiet reports that the Palm Beach Sheriffs Office, who had been investigating the matter, have closed the case after an FBI agent interceded on Coulter's behalf. The PBSO had been investigating Coulter's fraudulent, knowing use of the wrong address on her voter registration form, a third-degree felony, as the followed by her knowingly voting at the wrong precinct.

Second, the reason offered by the FBI man for Coulter's use of a phony address on her form --- actually that of her Palm Beach County real estate agent's --was because of claims that she was being stalked by a conservative BRAD BLOG guest blogger!

After the FBI intercession, as Lambiet reports, the PBSO investigator shut down the probe "without interviewing Coulter; a Realtor, whose Indian Road address Coulter used; or neighbors of Coulter's Seabreeze homestead."

"We stand by our detective's work," a PBSO spokesman told Lambiet. "Based on the nature of the allegations, she did as much as she could."

But this gets a lot more bizarre, so keep reading...

The BRAD BLOG spoke this morning with the "stalker" in question, as named by Lambiet, longtime Coulter-critic, and founder of Citizens for Principled Conservatism, Dan Borchers, who tells us that "Ann Coulter used a false allegation as a 'get out of jail free card'" on her voter fraud charges.

The FBI man in question, Supervisory Special Agent Jim Fitzgerald, Borchers tells us, was Coulter's former boyfriend!..

COMPLETE EXCLUSIVE DETAILS, DOCUMENTS:
http://www.bradblog.com/?p=4538

---
Brad Friedman
THE BRAD BLOG - The uprising continues...
http://www.BradBlog.com
VELVET REVOLUTION - The revolution begins...
http://www.VelvetRevolution.us

Plain Text Attachment [ Scan and Save to Computer | Save to Yahoo! Briefcase ]

_______________________________________________  BradBlogAlert mailing list  BradBlogAlert@cville.com  http://mail.cville.com/mailman/listinfo/bradblogalert

GROUNDS FOR IMPEACHEMENT

http://www.scoop. co.nz/stories/ HL0704/S00350. htm

Michael Collins: Did Bush Commit Election Fraud?

Monday, 23 April 2007, 11:15 am
Opinion: Michael Collins

Did Bush Commit Election Fraud?
Gonzales Story - Smoking Gun #1

By Michael Collins
"Scoop" Independent News
Washington, DC
Part 1 of a 2 part series

There is sufficient evidence in the public domain to strongly suspect that Bush committed election fraud in the handling of the U.S. Attorney firings.

Before examining the evidence, it's important to know the difference between the contrived construct of voter fraud and election fraud, a very real phenomenon.

A Critical Distinction: Voter versus Election Fraud

Lorraine C. Minnite, PhD of Barnard College, Columbia University makes the distinction in the introduction to her comprehensive study:

Voter fraud is the "intentional corruption of the electoral process by the voter." …willingly giving false information to establish voter eligibility, and knowingly and willingly voting illegally or participating in a conspiracy to encourage illegal votingby others. All other forms of corruption of the electoral process … (by) elected or election officials, candidates, party organizations, advocacy groups or campaign workers (is)… election fraud.

Minnite points out there were only 24 convictions or guilty pleas (page 9) for voter fraud at the federal level between 2002 and 2005. That's of real interest since the White House has an orchestrated campaign to promote the notion that this is a national epidemic.

While zero occurrences of voter fraud would be admirable, 24 hardly constitute an epidemic. The contrived voter fraud epidemic is used as justification for voter identification laws in at least 22 states which keep minority and poor voters away from the polls. The voter identification requirements, just one example of Department of Justice votersuppression, create a barrier to voting because the many minority voters lack the required identifications. Even the former head of the Department of Justice Voting Rights division agrees with the political use of voting laws since 2001.

Enough on voter fraud, whether real or contrived. Election fraud is the subject right now, the ultimate corruption of the electoral process.

New Mexico Meltdown

New Mexico U.S. Attorney David Iglesias is at the center of what may become a constitutional crisis.

Cong. Heather Wilson (R-NM) trailed her Democratic opponent in the first congressional district. She needed help. It appears that she requested a boost from U.S. Attorney Iglesias in the form of a timely pre election scandal involving a prominent Democrat. That's how Iglesias read her phone call concerning a pre election indictment.

Sen. Pete Domenici, (R-NM) called Iglesias as well. According to Iglesias, there was a clearly implied request for a pre midterm Democratic sacrifice at the altar of election injustice. Iglesias reports that when he refused on the grounds that he lacked evidence (one of those minor details that tends to annoy those in power), Domenici simply stayed on the phone … silent.

Iglesias was gone in a heartbeat for not cooperating with a prosecution that would influence the 2006 midterm elections in his state. But who made the decision? Fingers were pointed but nothing stuck until last week. The Albuquerque Journal reports that during talks with Sen. Domenici, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales refused to fire Iglesias unless the president gave the OK.

Well, Iglesias was fired wasn't he? Gonzales denied culpability, inferring his DOJ subordinate Kyle Sampson made those decisions. Sampson fired that charge back at Gonzales. But the Albuquerque Journal article provides the missing piece. Gonzales wouldn't move on Iglesias without a Bush sanction. How do these pieces fit together?

It's simple. Wilson needed help. Both Wilson and Domenici called Iglesias. No dealIglesias said. Then Domenici made the call to Gonzales who said, no way without a nod from Bush. Iglesias was fired. Therefore, Bush is tagged for giving the order, Get rid of him. Gonzales passed the word and the deed was done.

That sequence of events points directly to Bush as the final decider. He's told us "I'm the decider" in public. Gonzales said as much to Domenici, no way unless the boss says so.

The problem is not only political but legal. Pressuring a U.S. Attorney into a bogus indictment is a federal crime. Domenici lawyered up after Iglesias described his conversation with the senator. Gonzales and Sampson both denied initiating the call on the firing. So it's Bush, and only Bush, as the author of a punishment delivered to a U.S. Attorney who failed to indict a citizen for purely political purposes.

Now that's what you call a high crime. Actually, it's called election fraud, which is defined as "corruption of the electoral process … (by) elected or election officials, candidates, party organizations, advocacy groups or campaign workers." Here we have politicians actively planning improper and illegal acts to influence an election through a contrived prosecution. It's not that complicated.

High Crimes

The New Mexico affair is critical to determining if and how election fraud was committed in the White House. We have a lot of people talking, some getting lawyers, and a critical conversation reported in the Albuquerque Journal, 15 April 2007:

In the spring of 2006, Domenici told Gonzales he wanted Iglesias out.

Gonzales refused. He told Domenici he would fire Iglesias only on orders from the president.

That's the smoking gun. It's the vital link to Bush committing election fraud. He's a politician, the senior politician, corrupting the election process by replacing an honest prosecutor with someone who will cooperate the next time the Senator and the Congresswoman call with their requests that some prominent Democrat be indicted to give a hand to a campaign.

There is enough testimony, from a U.S. Attorney no less, to make a prima facie case that Bush committed election fraud. Ironically, the probable election fraud took place while the White House was promoting the Republican myth of voter fraud.

Let the impeachment process begin.

Previous "Scoop" coverage of the voter fraud scandal and the U.S. Attorneys:

END
Permission to reprint granted with an attribution to the author and a link to this article in "Scoop" Independent News.

Mister 28 Percent

It Can Always Get Worse for Mister 28 Percent

A. Alexander,

Tough times for Mister Bush! According to Karl Rove and his stenographic pals in the corporate-owned press, Mister Bush's big fight with the Democrats over the Iraq War was supposed to give a big boost to the Decision Maker-in-Chief's approval rating. That worked about as well as Mister Bush's Katrina response and his latest Iraq 'surge' plan.

As it turns out and as the polls asking whose side the people were on in the Iraq-timetable-for-withdrawal-debate had predicted, George W. Bush's favorability rating plunged below the 30 point mark and now rests precariously -- according to a Newsweek Poll -- at the extremely unimpressive number of 28 percent.

It is somewhat tempting to say that the good news is that it can't get any worse for Mister Bush. But, if that is the "good news," what would the bad news look like? Well, it appears that the only people still supporting Mister Bush are the extremist Republican evangelical Christians, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and the Decider's parents. Notice Laura Bush wasn't included in that count. A rumor on the "internets" has it on so-so authority that she, like the nation, has had it with 'The Decision Maker' and is on her way out the door. Don't believe it? Get on "the Google" and check it out. And, if loyal Laura is done with Mister Bush, Barney probably has had it, too!

So, comparatively speaking anyway, that things can't hardly get worse for Mister Bush is almost good news. After all, getting kicked to the curb by your wife and dog is about bad as it gets. But, when you're at 28 percent and feelin' lower than a snake's nipple, it can always get worse and for Mister Bush, believe it or not, it does get worse.

How? Well, it turns out that the extremist Republican evangelical Christians, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and his parents aren't the only people who approve of Mister Bush and his latest Iraq 'surge' plan. If there is some teensy al Qaeda element lurking in the shadows of the United States -- of course, hating us for our freedom and liberty -- they are big time supporters of Mister Bush's latest Iraq 'surge'.

Seriously, when al Qaeda's number two, Ayman al Zawahiri, caught wind of the Democratic plan to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq, he pitched a very Bush-like hissy fit! The Democratic plan, he insisted, "...will deprive us of the opportunity to destroy the American forces which we have caught in a historic trap...We ask Allah that they only get out of it after losing 200,000 to 300,000 killed, in order that we give the spillers of blood in Washington and Europe an unforgettable lesson."

Indeed, it is tough times for Mister Bush! Karl Rove and the corporate-owned media had promised him that a big fight with the Democrats over the Iraq War would boost his standing among the people. And, as it turns out, it did...for 28 percent of the people and al Qaeda everywhere, Mister Bush's tussle with the Democrats has made him a true hero.

Gore's candidacy heats up

By Trip Quillman

Special to The Times

In spite of the late great Molly Ivins' admonition that only fools predict presidential elections, I cannot resist: Al Gore will run for the presidency in 2008, and he will win.

As a psychotherapist who spends his days wondering what motivates people, I believe the case for a Gore candidacy is compelling. To have been victorious in the 2000 election (both The New York Times and The Washington Post concluded, ultimately, that Gore won the Florida vote) and yet to have lost that office would have been at first devastating, then infuriating and, finally, maddening.

For anyone to have won the presidency and then to be denied his prize would be motivating beyond measure.

In his film "An Inconvenient Truth," Gore speaks movingly of "the moral imperative" to deal with global warming. There is no more powerful place on Earth from which to address the planet's woes than the Oval Office.

He cannot help but feel some "moral imperative" to seek the U.S. presidency again. Neither can one overstate the less-altruistic drive in all of us to triumph over those (people or events) who have defeated us in the past — especially if the defeat was undeserved.

Gore reportedly wanted to run in 2004 but was discouraged to do so by the Democratic Party. Since 2004, he has grown into an extremely effective and potent figure, explaining the environmental catastrophe we are facing. Although many argue that he could more-effectively fight global warming as a citizen activist, rather than president, the state of the planet has been dear to him since the early 1990s, and he sought high office all through that decade. Why not run in 2008?

Gore is so well-known that he would not have to enter the race until very late, perhaps in the fall of 2007. He'd then be a fresh voice for voters tired of persistent campaigning by the frontrunners in both major political parties. Entering late, with pervasive name familiarity and a campaign message of uncommon urgency, Gore could reduce the need for campaigning, reduce costs and swing directly into the top tier of candidates.

The former VP's platform ("first and foremost, we must save the Earth") will make him the most-attractive of contenders: one who actually leads. He could tell Americans, "I realize that global warming is fifth or sixth on the list of what is most important to you. But it should be No. 1. Nothing — not health-care costs, not taxes, and not the disaster in Iraq — can be more important to our future than the health of our planet."

Americans are aware that Gore was an early and unflinching critic of George Bush's Iraq adventure, and he could speak powerfully during the campaign about what more than half a trillion dollars spent on that conflict could have done to address global warming — a problem that the Pentagon reported three years ago was far more serious than terrorism. Already, "An Inconvenient Truth" has won the Academy Award for Best Documentary. If, as many predict, he wins a Nobel Peace Prize, the compelling force that is Al Gore could become a political juggernaut.

With a healthy showing in the primaries next spring, Gore could then spend six months until the Democratic convention talking up global warming in his eloquent, non-alarmist way, reminding Americans that it is in their interests and the interests of their children and grandchildren to join him in his cause.

Meanwhile, scientific evidence will continue to pile up in Gore's favor. In February, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations stated there was 90 percent certainty human activity was contributing to global warming. In April, the panel outlined looming catastrophes linked to higher temperatures.

After the divisiveness and dishonesty of today's Bush presidency, Gore's call to arms — his exhortation to change and sacrifice a little for the greater good of protecting our planet's future — could be irresistible. He'd be saying, in effect, "The house is on fire, we must put it out," while his opponents would look as if they were debating whether to remodel the kitchen.

The White House has been won before by men with far less foresight.

Trip Quillman is a psychotherapist practicing in Everett.

Karl Rove's Email's

KR@georgewbush.com…

Posted on Friday 13 April 2007

This frantic email from Jeffery Jennings is from when things started with the U.S. Attorney scandal. Notice the date, the server Karl Rove was receiving his emails on, the fact that Karl Rove was a part of things this early, and that Dana Perino [the Tony Snow clone] was already in the loop.

Sounds kind of governmental [rather than political]. To me, this is the most damning piece yet. It says, "Uh-Oh. We're busted. Let's get our stories straight and go into damage control mode." ~~Like a~~ A bunch of petty criminals. The placement of the word, "allegedly," in those sentences is downright funny.

DID RUPERT MURDOCH JUST KILL MYSPACE? FOR THE SAKE OF PSYCHOTIC HOMOPHOBIA?

In the summer of 2005, Rupert Murdoch, a far right propaganda magnate with a huge multinational communications network-- including GOP mouthpiece Fox "News"-- realized he made a big mistake. "He told a high-powered audience at the American Society of Newspaper Editors in Washington DC, that he had got something rather important rather wrong. News Corporation, the global media group he controls, had failed properly to engage with the online world-- and risked losing its hard-won position in news as a result." So he bought Myspace.com for $580 million. The 76 year old curmudgeon is betting he can transform a free social network into a colossal marketing machine.

In pursuit of his viciously bigoted social agenda, he well may have screwed it all up today. One thing social networks don't cotton to real well is The Man coming down with rules and regulations based on prejudices. Murdoch is The Man. Last year in an interview with The Independent, The World According to Rupert, the unrepentent homophobe let down his hair and let his nazi flag fly: "I believe it is wrong. I'm considered homophobic and crazy about these things and old fashioned. But I think that the family-- father, mother, children-- is fundamental to our civilisation."

MySpace, on the other hand, is an avatar of "not old fashioned." Progressive political types are complaining about Obama's "top-down campaign structure" and how it displaced a netroots Myspace attitude with a corporate one, Well, that may be true-- and it may even chip away at Obama's youth-friendly image-- but one thing for sure: Myspace hasn't been homophobic or crazy. Until Murdoch decided to push his own little agenda and make some changes. Myspace no longer lets you select "gay" as a sexual preference on the site when you sign up, nor does it allow you to change your sexual preference to "gay." Adam, the DWT Art Director, has been howling with indignation. he's burning up the tubes. He asks (rhetorically): "Don't believe us?" And then offers, "Try it out for yourself by clicking on 'Edit Profile' and then 'Background and Lifestyle' if you're on Rupert's site." The chatter and outrage and pain among gay Myspace users-- and now ex-users-- is deafening.

TRUTH WINS OUT CELEBRATES THE CLOSING OF CORAL RIDGE MINISTRIES

TRUTH WINS OUT CELEBRATES THE CLOSING OF CORAL RIDGE MINISTRIES' CENTER FOR RECLAIMING AMERICA FOR CHRIST

(Janet Folger Never Reclaimed America For Christ)

Failed 'Ex-Gay' Poster Boy Michael Johnston Helped Lead to Theocratic Center's Demise

MIAMI BEACH - Truth Wins Out today rejoiced over the downfall of the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ, a political arm of theocratic-leaning Coral Ridge Ministries. In 1998, the Center, which was then led by anti-gay activist Janet Folger, gained notoriety by leading a divisive national advertising campaign that featured so-called "ex-gays." The Center's influence quickly declined after its "ex-gay" poster boy Michael Johnston was caught in a 2003 sex scandal.

"Today we celebrate the demise of one of the most insidious anti-gay groups in America that incited intolerance by pumping out virulently anti-gay propaganda," said Truth Wins Out's Executive Director Wayne Besen. "The Center for Reclaiming America for Christ bet the bank on the 'ex-gay' message, and by doing so, bankrupted their credibility after their rising 'ex-gay' star crashed and burned."

The Center for Reclaiming America for Christ featured Michael Johnston, an HIV+ "ex-gay" leader in a million dollar print and television advertising campaign in 1998. In the notorious TV ad, Johnston's mother, Frances, used convoluted logic to explain how homosexuality led to her son contracting HIV. In a full-page print version that ran in national newspapers, Johnston is shown as a young boy blowing out birthday candles under the headline, "From Innocence to AIDS."

In August 2003, Johnston's claims at sexual conversion collapsed. Michael Hamar, a Virginia attorney, contacted Besen to say he had a client who had been having an affair with Johnston, not realizing, at first, Johnston's true identity as a prominent ex-gay figure. Besen was also introduced to another young man who claimed to have had unprotected sex with the ex-gay leader. While in Virginia, Besen was shown a video of a man that looked eerily similar to Johnston having unprotected sex with several men. Hamar's client signed an affidavit swearing the man was Michael Johnston.

The news broke in Southern Voice, a respected gay publication in Atlanta. Johnston resigned his ministry in disgrace and fled to a sex addiction facility in Kentucky, Pure Life Ministries, where he sought counseling. The Center for Reclaiming America for Christ never recovered from this scandal and lost much of its self-proclaimed moral authority on gay issues.

"This is a cautionary tale for right wing organizations that think jumping on the 'ex-gay' bandwagon is good politics," said TWO's Besen. "In the short term, it might cause some opponents to shudder, but in the end, it may lead to the shuttering of windows and doors with a sign that reads, 'Out of Business.'"

Truth Wins OUT is a non-profit organization that counters right wing propaganda, exposes the "ex-gay" myth and educates America about gay life. For more information, visit www.TruthWinsOut.org.

- 30 -

GOP Loves LGBT Well Sorta

Help Wayne fight the "ex-gays"

Charile And Kelly Sitting In A Tree

A onetime beauty queen confirms the buzz about their relationship.

In memorial to Jerry Falwell

Why we are here.

What really happened to the woman George W Bush made get an abortion?

More On Ann Coulter And Her FBI Agent EX

FBI Agent Derails Coulter Voter Fraud Case

Not just one voter in question at Rep. Patrick McHenry's house!

Another GOP Rep. Outed

Patrick McHenry's night-time buddy

EXCLUSIVE: FBI MAN SAID TO HAVE INTERCEDED IN ANN COULTER VOTER FRAUD CASE, ALLEGED TO BE HER EX-BOYFRIEND!

GROUNDS FOR IMPEACHEMENT

Michael Collins: Did Bush Commit Election Fraud?

Did Bush Commit Election Fraud?
Gonzales Story - Smoking Gun #1

Mister 28 Percent

It Can Always Get Worse for Mister 28 Percent

Gore's candidacy heats up

Gore's candidacy heats up

Karl Rove's Email's

Posted on Friday 13 April 2007

DID RUPERT MURDOCH JUST KILL MYSPACE? FOR THE SAKE OF PSYCHOTIC HOMOPHOBIA?

DID RUPERT MURDOCH JUST KILL MYSPACE? FOR THE SAKE OF PSYCHOTIC HOMOPHOBIA?

TRUTH WINS OUT CELEBRATES THE CLOSING OF CORAL RIDGE MINISTRIES

Gov. Crist met Kelly Crosby Heyniger at a charity event in Jupiter in February.
	[Aime Dunstan \| Palm Beach Post]

Help Wayne fight the "ex-gays"

A onetime beauty queen confirms the buzz about their relationship.

Michael Collins: Did Bush Commit Election Fraud?

Did Bush Commit Election Fraud? Gonzales Story - Smoking Gun #1

Posted on Friday 13 April 2007

DID RUPERT MURDOCH JUST KILL MYSPACE? FOR THE SAKE OF PSYCHOTIC HOMOPHOBIA?

Did Bush Commit Election Fraud?
Gonzales Story - Smoking Gun #1