Jeremy brings us the story of North Carolina bumpkin state senator Jim Forrester, who apparently referred to the city of Asheville, North Carolina, as a “cesspool of sin” in the lead-up to the unfortunate vote for hate that just happened in that state. Now he has clarified his anti-Asheville comments! Bumpkin say what?
“It was kind of brought up in a church meeting we had and I don’t know what prompted me to say that, but I distinctly remember a couple of weeks ago they were all out baring their breasts and everything up in Asheville,” Forrester said. “They have a lot of very liberal people. They have a lot of homosexuals that live in the Asheville area.”
Forrester continued: “I think, it used to be you think of Wilmington with all the movie people down there would be the worst place in the state or Chapel Hill where they have a lot of liberal people and so forth. But Asheville is just doing a lot of things that I don’t like and I don’t think a lot of people in the Asheville area like.”
Boo hoo hoo, whiny yokel. But here is why I find this funny. Here are three pictures of Asheville, North Carolina, if you have never had the good fortune to go there:
In short, Asheville, North Carolina, is one of the nicest, most beautiful places in this entire country, not to mention in North Carolina. Ooh, but wingnut no likey the Asheville, due to gays.
If you’re not familiar with Chapel Hill, it’s recognized as one of the nicest small towns in America, and is the home of UNC-Chapel Hill. Read more about it here!
I’m not as familiar with Wilmington, the third place Wingnuts McGee was whining about, and I don’t feel like looking it up right now, but you see the running theme here?
To draw a contrast, Jim Forrester’s district features a lot of race cars turning left, and also two interstates cross there. Stop me before you get too excited.
The reason I bring this up is that it reminds me of the constant bitching and moaning that the Right does about “coastal elitists” and whatnot. They sit in their La-Z-Boys in Nowheresville, America and lose their minds about lib’rul places like Boston and New York whar people just don’t act right. And when you read or hear their words enough, you start to notice an undercurrent: jealousy. The idea that somewhere out there, smarter, better educated people are having more fun and living happier lives.
So Jim up there is free to call all the places he doesn’t like “cesspools of sin.” The rest of the country will continue to call them “the nicest places in North Carolina.” [And no offense if you live in another part of NC that is also nice! There are actually lots of nice places in that state, as it is a bit like Tennessee and has a fairly strange combination of cool, cosmopolitan cities and beautiful scenery, and amidst all of that, thousands of lifelike replicas of the cast from Deliverance.]
Native of the Asheville area, and still live here! (If you really want to know the story (protest) behind the bare-breasted women downtown about a month ago, let me know…but it’s a LOT to wade through, and the story still hasn’t died out.)
Ironically, although Forrester is a state senator from Gastonia, most of Asheville has now been gerrymandered into the 10th US Congressional district, which includes Gastonia! :-)
Meh, who cares? Boobs never killed anyone.
The thing worth noting about Sen. Forrester is that he has spent his career making life-and-death decisions as a physician. He’s had to study evidence and make rational observations about his patients.
He promoted the anti-gay amendment with the claim that gays’ lifespans are 20 years shorter, saying that this “fact” influenced how he cared for gay patients.
It defies explanation that he retains a license to practice medicine.
who cares? WHO CARES!? I support naked boobs 100 percent.
I accept and enjoy boobies!
@ Evan…here, if you think boobies never killed anyone…
http://ashevilletoplesschildabuse.com/
Dr Carl Mumpower (conservative former city councilman, and a practicing clinical psychologist who is in deep need of counseling himself due to his obsession with this event) and Chad Nesbitt (former chair of the Republican party in Buncombe County, whose stepfather is ironically a powerful Democratic state legislator) have become our local wingnuts aka laughing stocks.
@ Bose – I heard one news report that Forrester had retired from being a physician, but in an interview he claimed to have gay patients.
Here’s a link about him from Pam’s House Blend
http://pamshouseblend.firedoglake.com/2011/09/12/19428/
His most jaw-dropping statement from a town-hall type setting (in a church) was this: “We need to reach out to them [gays] and get them to change their lifestyle back to the one we accept.”
Let the boobies be free! free I tell you!
Asheville looks beautiful. To the NC Travel and Tourism web site to make reservations! :)
I, uh, I lost track when someone mentioned boobies…
Boobies OK as long as male pecs get equal time. ;)
ps..I wish where I lived looked like that ‘cesspool’ in NC.