Keywords For Misc. (D-F): Bigotry, Corporate Interests, Despicable Behavior, Election 2000, Ethics, Flat World Society, Honor and Integrity, Hypocrisy, Lies, Stupidity, Women's Rights

NICKNAMES: Right Wingers, Nazis, Fascists, Aristocrats, Fanatics, Zealots

Michael D'Andre (Bigotry, Stupidity)

FACT: Locals in Farmingville, NY are upset that Mexican laborers are hanging around looking for work on their street corners, this almost led to the beating deaths of two Mexican immigrants last year. So at a recent public meeting to discuss this difficult topic, Suffolk Republican County Legislator Michael D' Andre interrupted the first speaker and proclaimed: "If Smithtown was attacked tomorrow with the same thing, we'll be up in arms. We'll be out with baseball bats." D'Andre later apologized for his "off the cuff" comments, and said he was "talking figuratively." Then he added, "If you're going to be inundated with a bunch of illegal aliens beyond a reasonable number... What are you going to do, stand there?" 

Don Davis (Bigotry)

FACT: Florida State Senator Don Davis received an e-mail which he thought would be of interest to others, and forwarded it to every member of the state House and Senate, this enlightening email said, "Two things made this country great: White men and Christianity." The message went on to say that all of America's current problems "can be directly traced back to our departure from God's Law and the disenfranchisement of White men." Uproar ensued. After initially stating that "there's a lot of it that's truth," Davis claimed, "I am not now nor have I ever been a racist." 

Jeannemarie Devolites (Honor and Integrity) 

FACT: It was reported by the Washington Post that the daughter of Virginia Delegate Jeannemarie Devolites (R-Fairfax) was sentenced to "more than nine years in federal prison for her role in a gas-station robbery in Fairfax City that authorities said was one of a string of armed holdups in Virginia and New York last summer." 

Family Research Council (Bigotry) 

FACT: The right-wing Family Research Council seems to be getting a free pass for criticizing the President over his "implicit endorsement" of the "homosexual political agenda." In a memo, FRC President Ken Connor released his complaints with Bush: 1) letting openly gay Rep. Jim Kolbe speak at the GOP convention, 2) naming a "militant advocate of homosexual rights," as ambassador to Canada (Paul Celluci), 3) choosing "prominent gay activist" Scott Evertz to head the White House AIDS office, and more. The memo also criticized Colin Powell for presiding over the swearing-in of "openly homosexual Foreign Service officer" Michael Guest as ambassador to Romania.

Tom Feeney (Corporate Interests, Ethics) 04/2002

FACT: It was reported that the Orlando regional transit authority (Lynx) voted to ask Jeb Bush to deny a bill proposed by Florida House Speaker Tom Feeney. The bill would shut down the agency's transportation program for the poor and elderly. In addition, if the bill is passed, a firm represented by a very good friend of Tom Feeney gets to take over Lynx's $47 million transit contract. 

Tom Feeney (Honor and Integrity) 2001

FACT: Florida House Speaker Tom Feeney called a news conference to defend one of his top legislative aides against questions about her job. It seems that the 27-year-old policy staffer, Bridgette A. Gregory no college degree, no technical experience for her job, and used to work as a waitress at Hooters. She is paid $55,664 per year. She can't spell, including, in some cases, her own name. Her work duties have nothing to do with her job description. Oh yes, and she's apparently been working on Feeney's congressional campaign from his Capitol office, which is illegal.

Tom Feeney - (Election 2000, Hypocrisy)

FACT: You may recall Mr. Feeney as the man who led the fight to have the Florida legislature appoint its own set of electors for GW Bush just in case the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of Al Gore. Hey, remember when Al got blasted for wanting to win by any means necessary? Anyway, after last week balking at the Sunshine State election reform task-force's recommendation that $40 million should be spent on fixing Florida's election system, Feeney said, "I don't fix something that's not broken." 

D. Cameron Findlay (Women's Rights, Stupidity)

FACT: At a recent meeting of US Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick's labor advisory committee, Zoellick went to great lengths to explain how important women's empowerment was to him, and unveiled a long list of programs to help women workers around the world. Next, he turned to Deputy Secretary of Labor D. Cameron Findlay for an explanation of how Trade Adjustment Assistance had too often been ignored. Findlay: "TAA is treated like a teenage girl in the back seat of a car. You promise her anything to get what you want. And then when you get it, you leave her." According to the Washington Post, "The group, including five women union reps, was stunned. 

FOX News (Lies) 

FACT: Neil Cavuto did a piece on Abercrombie & Fitch's catalog (which features naked models) and brought in Robert Jones of the "Gay Inclusive Advertising Campaign" to talk about it. But here's the fascinating punchline: after GLAAD did a bit of investigating, they discovered that the "Gay Inclusive Advertising Campaign" doesn't exist. That's right - FOX News were reporting the views of a man from a fictional organization. 

Michael Franks (Flat World Society, Stupidity) 

FACT: Michael Franks (a member of the Texas Republican Executive Committee. The conservative group "Texas Citizens for a Sound Economy" have got a problem with the Texas State Board of Education over some ideas about global warming and acid rain which have appeared in new middle-school science textbooks. The teacher's guide even suggests that students write to their congressional representatives about environmental issues. At a hearing, one of the speakers offered his insight, "These kids are not qualified to advise on national energy policy or to write their congressman, for God's sake." And the open-minded Michael Franks offers this solution, "I think we've found the alternative fuel source that everyone is looking for and that is burning these." 

Russ Freyman (Lies) 

FACT: Russ Freyman is the associate director for media relations at the National Association of Manufacturers. In an attempt to show the world that "real working Americans" were in favor of Bush's tax cuts, Freyman decided to hold a good old-fashioned rally. In a memo to business lobbyists preparing for the Capitol Hill rally in support of tax cuts, Freyman wrote, "The theme involves working Americans. Visually, this will involve a sea of hard hats, which our construction and contractor and building groups are working very hard to provide. But the Speaker's office was very clear in saying that they do not need people in suits. If people want to participate - and we do need bodies - they must be dresssed down, appear to be real worker types, etc. We plan to have hard hats for people to wear. Other groups are providing waiters/waitresses, and other types of workers." 

John Fund (Hypocrisy, Despicable Behavior, Honor and Integrity) 2002

FACT: John Fund, the ultraconservative, militant, anti-choice, hate-monger who endlessly attacked Bill Clinton for his lack of morals, had first encouraged his pregnant ex-girlfriend to get an abortion and now has been arrested and charged with assault. Fund had a fight with his aforementioned ex-girlfriend, Morgan Pillsbury, which resulted in a physical injury for Morgan and an arrest for Fund.

COMMENT: Just a side note: Fund is 20 years older than Morgan and he used to be her baby sitter while he was dating her mother. Honor and Dignity, conservative style.