What passes for humor and civil rights in South Carolina

There used to be a derogatory saying about South Carolina: Too small to be a state, but too large to be a penal institution. Ironically, despite an abundance of gracious people in many places, Palmetto State politics and the South Carolina blogosphere continues to descend into a racist, homophobic gutter.

The one you've heard about, of course, is GOPer activist Rusy DePass joking about Michelle Obama, gorillas and evolution.

Here's one that might have escaped your attention: Daniel J. Cassidy is a member of the South Carolina Advisory Board to the US Commission on Civil Rights. Here you can find him presenting himself as the watchdog over the proper expenditure of Federal funds for tutoring disadvantaged students. So far, so good, right?

But Cassidy also publishes a blog called Sunlit Uplands, whose subtitle is Faith, Freedom, Defense of the West, Renewal of the Culture.

Let's sample some of Cassiday's blogging choices over the past couple of days, keeping in mind he's a civil-rights official:

There's this post (complete with picture of author Pat Boone) warning Christians that the end times are coming and that the US government has embarked on a conscious policy of religious persecution that includes arresting people for conducting Bible study in the privacy of their own homes:

WARNING: This column is written for, and addressed to, America's Christians only. Well, maybe devout Jews as well, but no one else. People of other faiths, or no particular faith at all, probably won't comprehend the looming danger or see anything to be concerned about.

But this is a three alarm, red alert wake-up call for people who are serious about their Judeo-Christian religion. The end of our religious freedom in America could be at hand.

Or, how about this one, written by Frank Gaffney, on how President Barack Obama--birth certificate or no birth certificate--is America's first Muslim President?

This is not to say, necessarily, that Mr. Obama actually is a Muslim any more than Mr. Clinton actually is black. After his five months in office, and most especially after his just-concluded visit to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, however, a stunning conclusion seems increasingly plausible: The man now happy to have his Islamic-rooted middle name featured prominently has engaged in the most consequential bait-and-switch since Adolf Hitler duped Neville Chamberlain over Czechoslovakia at Munich.

We have this one warning you that queers are seven times more likely to raise queer children (but that this research is being suppressed, and only WorldNet Daily brings you the truth):

A licensed psychologist with both clinical and forensic practice outreaches is warning that it appears children of homosexual couples are seven times more likely to develop "non-heterosexual preferences" than other children, but lawmakers establishing policy often don't know that because the researchers have concealed their discoveries.

Or there's the clever coverage of Judge Sonia Sotomayor's candidacy for the Supreme Court:

No surprise here! Just as they were giddy over the election of Barack Hussein Obama, the Communist Party USA is enthusiastically backing Sonia Sotomayor's nomination for a seat on the United States Supreme Court.

And finally, Daniel pontificates on the need to pass laws making it illegal for Sodomite Trolls (like my good friend Waldo, who is the unnamed blogger who bears the brunt of his anger) to blog anonymously:

The TimesOnline reports today that the British High Court has ruled that "thousands of bloggers who operate behind the cloak of anonymity have no right to keep their identities secret."

We can't wait for such a ruling or legislation in this country. We wonder if the sodomite trolls of the South Carolina blogosphere would have quite so much to say about all the rest of us if they were forced to disclose their real names. It is hard for some not to look at what they write, just as it is hard for some not to look at train wrecks or collisions by the side of the road. One in particular is a living witness to how spiritually and mentally damaging his disordered lifestyle can be. But given that these bottom feeders purport to have such "pride" in their chosen lifestyle, why are they too ashamed to associate their real names with their daily spew of hate?

First reaction: who knew there was still somebody actually using the word Sodomite?

Second reaction: Waldo is apparently scoring some serious points against Mr. Cassidy's credibility (in a Catholic insider joke, Waldo refers to him as Savonarola), or this would not be the third time the erstwhile defender of South Carolina civil rights has taken a run at him (though carefully never mentioning his blog or linking to it).

Third reaction: this is at least the second Fatwah against Waldo by conservative South Carolina bloggers. I reported on an earlier and ongoing attempt by the creature Waldo refers to as Boy Fogle back in February, quoting the little cretin's most wanted section on Waldo:

This person came out of nowhere at some point in the spring of 2008. Not much is known except that they are gay, probably male, hail from Washington State or Oregon and currently live in the Upstate. The mere mention of homosexuals in a negative light is enough for this person to make someone an enemy for life. And like the others on the"Most Wanted" list, that means an onslaught of hateful, cowardly personal attacks with a hefty dose of curse words.

Waldo observes that one of the nicer points about the Delaware blogosphere is that, mostly, we all continue to link to each other, which is not the case in South Carolina.

While we have had our arguments about anonymous blogging here, the truly disquieting aspects of the new Cassidy witch hunt include (a) the advocacy of legislation to prohibit anonymous blogging and (b) the clear imputation that he seeks to discover Waldo's identity in order to go after him on a whole new level. This is scarey, and should serve as a warning to us all, especially here in Delaware.

But my primary warning would be for Mr. Cassiday, who apparently wants to have it both ways: civil rights and good government crusader by day, reactionary blogger by night, and ready to burn his metaphorical crosses on the virtual lawn of anybody who calls him out.

The rules are simple, Savonarola: don't get into the game (especially under your own name) if you aren't willing to take the hits. And quit whining....

By the way, jerk, I know who Waldo is, and you don't.