RedState.com editor and Fox News contributor Erick Erickson has never been coy about making ridiculous statements at the expense of the LGBT community. Well, just yesterday on his radio show, he was at it yet again. In light of the tragic shooting in Paris, which left 12 journalists dead, Erickson decided to make the asinine comparison of that to an Atlanta fire chief who recently got fired, due to, according to Erickson, being against the LGBT community.
First off, Erickson's claim on why Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran was fired is inaccurate. According to Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Cochran was not fired because of his religious beliefs. He was fired because he distributed his self-published book condemning homosexuality, which goes against Atlanta's sexual orientation nondiscrimination protections. Even while Cochran was being suspended for a month due to complaints of him distributing said book, he openly stated that he would continue to do so. This, and not his religious views, is why he got fired.
Even so, here's what Erickson had to say regarding the matter:
"We gotta talk about what happened in France, but I just think it is worth pointing out that one group destroys the livelihood of those who dare to mock or dissent, and the other took their lives, but both are doing it to drive debate from the public square ... to shut them up and shut them down, segment them away from society."
Let's stand back for a moment and compare the two situations, shall we?
Situation #1: An Atlanta fire chief gets fired after continuing to distribute his anti-LGBT self-published book after being suspended for the same thing due to complaints and the city's sexual orientation nondiscrimination protections.
Situation #2: Muslim extremists shoot and kill 12 journalists in Paris over a satirical cartoon at the expense of the prophet Muhammad.
My analysis: One person basically got warned about his behavior, and after continuing to do it, got fired. He's still alive and breathing. In another case, twelve people were shot and killed and will never again be afforded the opportunities life has to offer. Wait, how is that similar again?
Erick Erickson's analysis: "It's the same thing!"
No... If we were to display a picture of Erick Erickson side-by-side with the word idiot, those would be "the same thing." The two situations in which Erickson compared are about as similar as taking an afternoon nap and climbing Mt. Everest.
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2015/01/08/3609333/erick-erickson-atlanta-charlie-hebdo/
First off, Erickson's claim on why Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran was fired is inaccurate. According to Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Cochran was not fired because of his religious beliefs. He was fired because he distributed his self-published book condemning homosexuality, which goes against Atlanta's sexual orientation nondiscrimination protections. Even while Cochran was being suspended for a month due to complaints of him distributing said book, he openly stated that he would continue to do so. This, and not his religious views, is why he got fired.
Even so, here's what Erickson had to say regarding the matter:
"We gotta talk about what happened in France, but I just think it is worth pointing out that one group destroys the livelihood of those who dare to mock or dissent, and the other took their lives, but both are doing it to drive debate from the public square ... to shut them up and shut them down, segment them away from society."
Let's stand back for a moment and compare the two situations, shall we?
Situation #1: An Atlanta fire chief gets fired after continuing to distribute his anti-LGBT self-published book after being suspended for the same thing due to complaints and the city's sexual orientation nondiscrimination protections.
Situation #2: Muslim extremists shoot and kill 12 journalists in Paris over a satirical cartoon at the expense of the prophet Muhammad.
My analysis: One person basically got warned about his behavior, and after continuing to do it, got fired. He's still alive and breathing. In another case, twelve people were shot and killed and will never again be afforded the opportunities life has to offer. Wait, how is that similar again?
Erick Erickson's analysis: "It's the same thing!"
No... If we were to display a picture of Erick Erickson side-by-side with the word idiot, those would be "the same thing." The two situations in which Erickson compared are about as similar as taking an afternoon nap and climbing Mt. Everest.
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2015/01/08/3609333/erick-erickson-atlanta-charlie-hebdo/
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