Ten GOP Senators File DOMA Brief

On Friday ten GOP members of the U.S. Senate filed a Supreme Court brief against the overturn of DOMA.  Among the many citations included are two from the landmark case Lawrence Vs Texas, which struck down sodomy laws nationwide in 2003. An excerpt:

Notwithstanding the Attorney General’s belated discovery of DOMA’s allegedly unconstitutional motivation, this argument is flawed because legislative motivation is not a basis for setting aside a federal statute supported by legitimate and rational government interests. This Court’s precedents do not sup-port evaluating the constitutionality of a federal statute based on subjective characterizations of the motives of individual legislators. In any event,support for traditional marriage cannot be equated to“animus,” as Justice O’Connor observed in her concurrence in Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558, 585(2003). It would be particularly inappropriate to invalidate DOMA based on the alleged motivations of individual supporters, given that the statute was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and signed into law by President Clinton.

Much of the rest of the brief takes the position that there is no "animus" behind the desire to deny civil rights to gay Americans. It's just the logical thing to do.

Sen. Saxby Chambliss To Retire

RELATED: Longtime JMG readers may recall that Chambliss has a history with this blog.

I Just Got Fired By AOL News

In their "11 Famous Politically Correct Firings" story, AOL News names me as the person canned from Sen. Saxby Chambliss' staff for writing anti-gay hate speech on some homo blog. Oh well, there are worse things about me on the internet.

UPDATED: AOL News has updated the story with a correction (misspelling my name, which they got right when I writing hate speech).

(Tipped by JMG reader TryGuy)

Olbermann On Chambliss Call

Hey, somebody finally got my name right!

Sen. Saxby Chambliss Just Called Me To Offer His "Sincerest Apologies"

I just got off the phone with Sen. Saxby Chambliss, who said he was calling to personally apologize for the "All faggots must die" comment left here on JMG last Tuesday. I'll paraphrase what Chambliss said to me, but reporters, please don't excerpt any of this as his exact words.

CHAMBLISS: "Joe, I don't know if you're Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, but none of that should matter. Because what was said on your blog by someone from my office is just not acceptable, no matter who is saying it and who it's being said to. I just want to offer my sincerest apologies. There has been some talk about how long it's taking to find the person behind this, but we just wanted to be very careful and handed this off to the Senate Sergeant at Arms, because this is going to seriously impact somebody's life and we wanted to make sure we got this right. So again, I just wanted to call you and personally apologize."

JMG: "Thank you, Senator. I do appreciate the call and I do accept your apology on the condition that your office issues a public statement repeating what you've just said to me. I'd also like the disposition of your staffer's job status to be made public."

CHAMBLISS: (Speaking to someone in his office: "Has that gone out yet?) "Joe, I believe our statement is ready and will be going out this afternoon."

I'll post the official statement from Sen. Chambliss' office as soon as I get it.

UPDATE: Here it is.

Sen. Saxby Chambliss issued the following statement this afternoon:

"The office of the Senate Sergeant at Arms has concluded its investigation, and I responded to that report immediately with the removal of a member of my staff. I commend the Sergeant at Arms, Terrance Gainer, and his staff for their very thorough and professional work.

"I have called Mr. Jervis, the blog’s author, and apologized to him personally, and I am sorry for the hurt this incident has caused. Regardless of one’s position on issues and policies, such comments are simply unacceptable, are not befitting those who work in the U.S. Senate, and I will not tolerate them from my staff."

Obviously we are still waiting to learn the identity of the staffer and what his position was with the Chambliss office.

GEORGIA: Activists To Protest At Atlanta Office Of Sen. Saxby Chambliss

Angry about his inaction about an anti-gay death threat left on this blog, Georgia activists plan to protest at the Atlanta office of Sen. Saxby Chambliss this afternoon.

The Queer Justice League of Atlanta has called on Senator Saxby Chambliss to immediately respond to allegations that a member of his staff posted a defamatory remark on a popular LGBT-oriented blog. [Snip] Members of the Queer Justice League have called on the Senator to respond. Art Izzard, also with the organization stated: “We want an official, contrite apology for Senator Chambliss, to the LGBT community and to all Georgians. We also want Senator Chambliss to commit to engaging his employees in sensitivity training, to equip them to better handle the concerns of his constituents.” The group has requested an in-person meeting with Senator Chambliss on Wednesday, September 29, 2010 at 4:00pm to respond to their requests. They invite members of the LGBT community and their allies to join them in front of the Senator's Atlanta offices, located at 100 Galleria Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30339. A press conference will follow.

Queer Justice League spokesman Jeff Schade: "Senator Chambliss was elected to represent all Georgians, not simply those that represent his ideological or other views. The fact that he has chosen to try to ignore this very serious action by a member of his staff speaks volumes on his character and ability to be an effective leader for the state of Georgia."

AC360: Rep. Jared Polis & LCR's Clarke Cooper Discuss Chambliss Scandal

Tonight CNN's Anderson Cooper discussed the "all faggots must die" comment left by a Sen. Saxby Chambliss staffer here on JMG, bringing on Rep. Jared Polis and Log Cabin head R. Clarke Cooper. (The same pair discussed the issue on MSNBC's Hardball yesterday.) Tonight's conversation focused more on the delay in identifying the culprit, although LCR's Cooper once again attempted to derail the issue by launching into an attack on Obama over DADT.

UNRELATED: CNN really has a problem with my name, this is the third mention in as many weeks in which they get it wrong. Whatevs.

GOP House Nominee Stephen Bailey Visits JMG To Attack Rep. Jared Polis Over Saxby Chambliss Comments

"Jared Polis recklessly slandered every Republican and Republican staffer with his comments -- guilt by an association not predicated by the bias at issue. This is a logical fallacy and it undermines the moral high ground on this issue. He hurts his cause when there is a valid point to be made and lashes out emotionally and insults innocent people. When an organization has as many people as a political party, it will include some who do not reflect the values of the organization and certainly not all members. I have heard anti-gay comments a few times at Republican events. I, or others, have spoken against those comments. The comments reflect the personal biases of a very small number of people and not of all Republicans.

"Republicans believe in constitutionally limited government. Our Constitution protects the rights of everyone equally. Those values are incompatible with persecution of individuals or a group of individuals that are not guilty of violating anyone's rights. Monitor Sen. Chambliss and the resolution of this intolerable act. Allow for time to ensure that the guilty party is identified. A rush to judgment could accidentally identify an innocent and damage their reputation. If there is no accountability after a reasonable time, then the Senator will deserve your contempt." - GOP U.S. House nominee Stephen Bailey, in a comment he left on this JMG post last night. Bailey's opponent is Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO).

RELATED: Endorsed by Ron Paul and Dick Armey's FreedomWorks, Stephen Bailey is a libertarian Tenther who believes that the federal government has no authority to impose any laws not specifically mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. Bailey's campaign site glowingly quotes Ayn Rand and he has signed on to the Tea Party-influenced Contract From America (their italics.) He also wants to abolish the Federal Reserve and force the losers of civil lawsuits to pay the legal costs of the winner, effectively chilling any response to corporate, medical, or law enforcement wrong-doings. In denouncing the concept of global warming, Bailey says, "Use common sense. Is the climate of your area substantially different today than 20 years ago?"

QUESTION: Has a GOP candidate for national office ever before taken to the comments of a gay blog to attack his opponent? I can't recall such a thing happening in the past.

MSNBC's Hardball Covers Chambliss Story With Rep. Jared Polis And Log Cabin Head

Tonight MSNBC's Chris Matthews covered the Sen. Saxby Chambliss "all faggots must die" scandal, bringing on openly gay Rep. Jared Polis and Log Cabin head R. Clarke Cooper to discuss what should happen next. Watch Cooper quisle his defense of the GOP, saying that there aren't any gay haters in the GOP's offices. Matthews responds incredulously: "Not at ALL?" Jared Polis added, "Clark has a tough job being a member of a club that doesn't want him as a member."

Sen. Saxby Chambliss Admits: It Was My Guy That Said "All Faggots Must Die"

The office of GOP Sen. Saxby Chamblis has admitted that it was their staffer that left the comment "All faggots must die" on this blog yesterday. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:

U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss’ office has determined it was indeed the source of a highly publicized homosexual-bashing slur on an Internet site. But in a statement, Chambliss’ office said it has not discovered exactly who was behind the slur, and has turned the matter over to the Senate Sergeant At Arms. “The (Sergeant at Arms) has worked side by side with our personnel to determine whether the comment in question emanated from our office. That appears to be the case,” an unsigned statement from Chambliss’ press office read. “There has not been a determination as to who posted the comment,” the statement read. “That part of the review is ongoing, and is now in the hands of the Senate Sergeant at Arms.” Spokeswomen for Chambliss did not return a reporters phone calls or emails seeking more details.

We're standing by for your apology, Sen. Chambliss.

UPDATE: The New York Times has interviewed me for likely publication tomorrow.

UPDATE II: Keith Olbermann covered the story tonight.

Tweet Of The Day

My Interviews With Fox & CNN

Fox News commenters think the story is fake and if it's not fake then I should be arrested for violating the privacy of a Senate staffer. Or something. CNN's reporter just confirmed the details and doesn't quote me. The story has also landed on the Washington Post and some progressive blogs like the Daily Beast and Talking Points Memo. Change.org has launched an email campaign to Sen. Chambliss' office demanding that he address the situation. Chambliss' office has been unresponsive to media all day.

JMG is also getting buried with hits from Fark, Reddit, and Digg today, so apologies if the trollery reaches new heights. In particular, please email me if you see comments calling for the physical harm of public figures. Anti-gay asshats have been trying to leave such comments here so that the media will see them and report that "the gays are just as bad!" As always, be advised that JMG comments have been harvested and published elsewhere in the past.

Michelangelo Signorile Show: 4:30PM

I'll be on Michelangelo Signorile's show on SiriusXM OutQ at about 4:30pm today to talk about the Sen. Saxby Chambliss story from yesterday. The story has gotten tons of web coverage, including from some major national outlets, but so far today Chambliss' office is apparently being unresponsive to inquiries. Listen to the Signorile show online for free. (Registration required.) NOTE: This post's photo will only be hilarious to hardcore Simpsons fans.

CONFIRMED: Sen. Saxby Chambliss Admits "All Faggots Must Die" Comment Came From His Atlanta Headquarters

I've just gotten off the phone with Atlanta Journal-Constitution political writer Jim Galloway who says that Sen. Saxby Chambliss has confirmed that the "All faggots must die" comment left here on JMG earlier today did indeed come from his Atlanta office. Galloway reports that Chambliss told him his office is conducting an internal investigation. For now Chambliss' spokesperson has issued a preliminary statement:

“We have seen the allegations and are moving quickly to understand the facts. This office has not and will not tolerate any activity of the sort alleged,” Chambliss spokeswoman Bronwyn Lance Chester said. “Once we have ascertained whether these claims are true, we will take the appropriate steps.” The comment was posted on Joe.My.God., a blog dedicated to gay and lesbian issues. “All [gays] must die,” wrote a commenter identifying himself as “Jimmy.” Blog author Joseph Jervis of New York City used the Internet Protocol address attached to the comment to trace the slur to “the neighborhood” of Chambliss’ office in Atlanta. Readers quickly helped. “Among the fields in which gay people are over-represented is the IT field,” Jervis said. The office of U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson is in the same area. But a spokeswoman for Isakson said his staff quickly ascertained that the message did not originate with them.

Galloway tells me a further confirmation, and hopefully, the identity of the commenter, should come tomorrow. I've also talked to producers at CNN and two Fox affiliates who may be covering the story. Thanks, as always, to our worthy JMG geeks for all their help!

UPDATE: CNN will be covering the story during Rick Sanchez' show, which begins at 8pm EST.

UPDATE II: The AJC's Galloway cautions that Chambliss is not taking responsibility yet.

UPDATE III: It looks like CNN booted the story for anti-gay preacher busted for sex with teenage boys.

PhoboQuotable - Sen. Saxby Chambliss

"In my opinion, the presence in the armed forces of persons who demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts would very likely create an unacceptable risk to those high standards. It will lead to alcohol use, adultery, fraternization, and body art. If we change this rule of 'Don't Ask, Dont Tell' what are we going to do with these other rules?" - Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), who is worried that if DADT is repealed, soldiers will get drink, visit whorehouses, and get tattoos. Unprecedented!

Bringing Saxby Back

Saxby Chambliss has been called as the winner of his Senate runoff race in Georgia, ending the possibility of a Democratic super-majority.

On the heels of a concession by Democrat Jim Martin, Republican Saxby Chambliss took the stage to claim his second term in the U.S. Senate. But Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan, who faces a tough slog to re-election in January, grabbed valuable, 10 p.m. television time from the re-elected senator.

Chambliss thanked the RNC head for valuable resources sent to the state. But WAGA (Fox5), the only TV station broadcasting the event live, ended up cutting away from Chambliss in mid-victory statement. In front of a crowd numbering 300, Chambliss thanked supporters and the volunteers from 43 states he said worked on his campaign. “You’re the reason this happened,” the Republican said. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

“You have sent a strong message to the world that conservative Georgia values matter,” Chambliss said.

And we still don't know what's up in Minnesota with Al Franken.