Notorious anti-LGBT bigot and hate group leader Scott Lively is very upset that a Christian publisher yanked a revisionist “history” book about Thomas Jefferson written by fellow extremist David Barton. In an interview with World Magazine, Casey Francis Harrell, Director of Corporate Communications for Thomas Nelson Publishing, said the company had “lost confidence in the book’s details. According to Harrell, the publisher
“was contacted by a number of people expressing concerns about [The Jefferson Lies].” The company began to evaluate the criticisms, Harrell said, and “in the course of our review learned that there were some historical details included in the book that were not adequately supported. Because of these deficiencies we decided that it was in the best interest of our readers to stop the publication and distribution.”
Barton’s book, The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the Myths You’ve Always Believed About Thomas Jefferson, was controversial from the start, with even some of the author’s conservative peers distancing themselves from the work. He was savaged by National Public Radio for factual distortions in a recent report that also (accurately) called him out for falsely claiming to be a historian. Given all of this, the publisher’s decision to yank the book seems pretty self-explanatory, right?
Wrong. Enter Scott Lively. In his alternate version of reality, Barton’s book was not yanked by a publisher who suddenly found common sense, but by a Big Gay Conspiracy:
“I have my own little conspiracy theory and it centers on David Barton’s emergence as a vocal opponent of the ‘gay rights’ movement and [Warren] Throckmorton‘s self-appointed role as the saboteur of such people. If you ‘Google’ ‘David Barton’ and ‘Homosexuality’ you will find that Mr. Barton has become a subject of intense vilification in the ‘gay’ blogosphere.”
And then Lively jumps into the gutter:
“You will also find triumphal gloating over Barton’s drubbing by the entire cadre of homosexual bloggers who specialize in attacking Christians, including the ‘Joseph Goebbels’ of this group, Wayne Besen of the ironically-titled Truth Wins Out blog.” (emphasis mine)
While Scott Lively (left), author of The Pink Swastika, is no stranger to wantonly slinging defamatory Nazi references at gay people, his singling out of TWO’s Besen — a Jewish man — for such an attack is disgraceful, vile, and utterly reprehensible. Comparing a man who’s dedicated his life to the struggle for LGBT equality to a person culpable in one of the most horrifying genocides in human history is beneath contempt. Day after day, anti-gay extremists like Scott Lively prove that there is literally no low to which they won’t stoop.
Wear that “hate group leader” designation with pride, Scott. You’ve earned it.
(h/t: Joe, whom Lively also singled out as an “anti-Christ”)
The real issue is that David Barton’s unethical publishers thought that the un-fact-checked book would fly under the radar of critical scrutiny and sell well anyhow. Instead, responsible people called it out for its distortions. Only then did the publisher withdraw the book. The publisher is disreputable.
Scott Lively needs to GET A LIFE!
Scott Lively is truly the embodiment of corruption and evil to espouse such dark and dense vitriolic hate. What a wretched excuse for a human being!
I would think that they would check the facts and review a book that claims to be based in history before they decided to publish it.
Comparing someone who fights for equality to someone who fought just as vehemently for genocide shows the real face of this monster called Scott Lively
It’s becoming increasingly clear that their attempts to paint us as Nazis are an attempt to mask their desire to finish what the Nazis did to us.
Comparing progressives and liberals to fascists and tyrants is a favorite tactic of the extremist right wingers in the US. They have been doing this for years but apparently people are still dumb enough to buy it. The right wing religious wackos are just playing the victim, knowing full well that they are the victimizers. A very simple trick to “turn the tables” on their progressive opponents, but when their followers are too uneducated and ignorant to think critically, the trick works.
“….who specialize in attacking Christians…” Do you even know any Scott?
The interesting thing is that Barton’s loudest critics are heterosexual evangelical Christians.
Is Lively trying to play the “gays are oppressing us” card? For real, Scott, we all just want people to stop lying for Jesus.
Scott Lively appears fixated on two things: homosexuality and Nazis. Seriously. And this seems to be a tactic of the rights these days: project onto others what they are themselves. This is one of the atchitechts of the whole “kill the gays bill in Uganda–and make no mistake–that is what Lively and others like him wold like to do to us given the chance.
I get a kick out of this. The reason is I am a faithful follower if the websites mentioned. I think it was Bryan Fischer who yesterday or the day before named Wayne Besen as a GENERAL of the homosexuals. These haters are getting apoplectic. Well Wayne if you are my General, I salute you, but I think all those other Generals, and Colonels and Lieutenants are going to get jealous.
Well, yes, these b******s are beneath contempt. And they are getting increasingly hysterical.
BTW, I think the Romney campaign is taking lessons from the Christianists these days. Romney pretends to be so upset when President Obama or Vice President Biden criticizes them (or even makes fun of the dog on top of Romney’s suv) and accuses the Democrats of running a “hateful” campaign. They have probably followed closely the success of the Chik-fil-A people who have painted gay people as the haters. This BIG LIE technique has been practiced a long time by the Christianists, who love to be victims, but it is a little disconcerting to see Romney painting himself as a victim, considering all the nasty things he has said about the President.
I didn’t know exposing Christian lies for what they are is considered an attack. Excuse us for being good citizens and exercising integrity.