Yesterday, Joseph Farah wrote and published an article, “Kill the Christians,” on his WorldNetDaily website. He was allegedly attacking an article I’d written (as a private citizen) for Online Journal, but he completely ignored the article’s argument and substance: the need for equality legislation to address the fact that “nearly one-fifth (17.6 percent) of students had been physically assaulted because of their sexual orientation and over a tenth (11.8 percent) because of their gender expression.” Instead he launched into a vicious personal attack and professional assault, replete with childish name-calling and a vocabulary foreign to all professional journalists.

Aside from calling me a little rat, Mr. Farah insulted Penn State’s 60,000-plus students – “the unsuspecting skulls full of mush who attend Penn State” – as well as institutions of higher education nationwide – “the sewers that are America’s universities.”

The title of Mr. Farah’s article defined yellow journalism. No where in my essay – or in my life – have I ever called for anyone to be killed, unlike some who have a problem with gay people:

At the 1985 Conservative Political Action Conference, Cameron announced to the attendees, “Unless we get medically lucky, in three or four years, one of the options discussed will be the extermination of homosexuals.” According to an interview with former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, Cameron was recommending the extermination option as early as 1983. – Mark E. Pietrzyk, News-Telegraph, March 10, 1995.

Paul Cameron’s “studies” are frequently cited by the Christian Right in their theo-political attacks on the LGBT community.

Mr. Farah based his erroneous claim that I advocated killing Christians on the article’s last lines:

A very wise woman recently asked me “Who will rid us of the evil lunatics?”

We will. We must. Public education and a civil, civilized society depend upon it.

Aside from being taken out of context, when did “rid” become “kill”? To be sure, I would like to “rid” the U.S. Senate of politicians such as Rick Santorum, but certainly wish the man no physical harm. And yes, I do believe those who openly advocate discrimination against fellow citizens in the public arena are “evil.”

Not surprisingly, wanting to inflict physical harm was the forte of this WND reader who sent me the following e-mail:

Dear Sir,

It is truely [sic] a shame that dualing [sic] is no longer allowed in our country, because I would love to call you out and put a round right between your eyes.

Have a miserable day.

John XXXXXX [last name redacted]

And then there was this vulgar, pro-discrimination missive from another WDN reader with a desire to bump me off:

Professor Seesholtz:

You’re one radical little queerbait.

Joe Farah has you pegged at Worldnetdaily.com. I’d love to bump into you on the street sometime.

It’s filthy little sodomite trash like you that fuck up our kids and destroy a once-great nation.

May you and your panty-wearing, rainbow flag waving queerfellows roast in Hell.

Suck my cock, freak!

James M. XXXXXX [last name redacted]

Indianapolis, Indiana

Mr. Farah accused me of wanting to squelch debate and opposition, and seemed particularly offended by my statement that he “lorded over” WND. He conveniently forgot to include the links provided for “lorded over” and “Joseph Farah.” The first link was to

Exhibit 24: Joseph Farah, Crusher of Dissent
By Terry Krepel
Posted 9/8/2003

How can Joseph Farah top himself after advocating the murder of adulterers? Why, bring back the Hollywood blacklist, of course!

Set off by an article in which Johnny Depp allegedly called the United States a “dumb puppy that has big teeth” (though he said later his views were misrepresented and insisted he wasn’t trying to be anti-American) Farah called for that draconian solution in a Sept. 4 column. Farah’s reasoned reaction to Depp? “I say we should make certain this scumbucket never works in America again.” . . .

The second, “Joseph Farah” link was background to the first:

Exhibit 22: The First Thing We Do, Let’s Kill All the Adulterers
By Terry Krepel
Posted 2/10/2003

It’s not often you find people who are not Ann Coulter endorse killing people who haven’t broken any laws in articles printed in major publications, but that is indeed what WorldNetDaily’s Joseph Farah does in a Jan. 30 column. . . .

Again not surprisingly, Mr. Farah concluded his ad hominem attack with a call for McCarthy-like purging of all those who hold opinions other than those with which he agrees.

As the two e-mails from WND readers above cited (and there were plenty more using antigay vulgarity and expressing a similar desire to “kill” me), Mr. Farah succeeded in inciting violence, which is precisely the reason SB 1437 and similar legislation is needed, and why the rhetoric of the Christian Right is anything but “Christian” or “right.”