Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
We hate to say it, but we’re in a little bit of withdrawal this week. The ACC Tourney means we didn’t have WLOSers at noon yesterday, and we won’t have Bob and Victoria at noon today. Darn. What are we going to do without Bob chuckling through the weather and Victoria stumbling through her scripts?
Rape trial interrupted
WLOSers have been all over the rape trial of a Buncombe County man charged with raping an 86-year-old woman, and it’s turned out to be a hot story for them. On Thursday, the man on trial slit his wrists and throat with a blade from a broken disposable razor. He was taken to the hospital with mostly superficial wounds.
When they got him back to his holding cell, though, he rubbed his wrists on a wall to rip out his stitches, so they had to take him back to the hospital, reported Michelle Boudin, who has been covering.
The trial was delayed. The judge made sure not to tell the jurors what was going on, Michelle said.
‘Pro Christian business rally’
That’s what WLOSers called it, because that’s what the organizers of Saturday’s rally are calling it. But it could just as easily be called an anti-gay rally.
WLOS interviewed a local reverend who hasn’t been shy on such matters, Wendell Runion, a rally organizer who said he’s hoping there will be a big turnout Saturday.
This all started with a lesbian couple who worked at the Wolf Laurel ski resort. The couple had a commitment ceremony, and their photo was published in the local newspaper alongside weddings and engagements. The lesbians said that their employer saw that and promptly fired them. The two women took their case to the media, and held a rally on City-County Plaza a couple of weeks ago.
Now the Christians are rallying. And other forces are marshaling around Ashevegas. There are sure to be people protesting the Christians on Saturday. And one or two other local churches will be holding vigils Saturday in support of the lesbian couple.
Lottery
Sheraldo gave us a fun shout report about the upcoming North Carolina lottery. It’s only weeks away! We’ll be able to buy scratch-off tickets for $1, $2 and $5. The biggest prize to start with be something like $5,000.
Local stores are having ticket-dispensing machines installed. And in Raleigh, the ticket designs were unveiled. To be honest, they look cheesey. But every lottery ticket looks cheesey.
We don’t care. Bring on the lottery.
What the news doesn’t tell you is that the Rally’s organizer is a "church and religious advisor" to Congressman Charles Taylor.
http://scrutinyhooligans.blogspot.com/2006/03/charles-taylor-advisor-leads-hate.html
Here’s an interview with the Rally’s leader, Dr. J. Wendell Runion:
http://scrutinyhooligans.blogspot.com/2006/03/debate-is-greatest-sin-dr-j-wendell.html
And here are a couple more quotes from Leviticus that might be fun to toss around when the Ragin’ Religious Right hollers about the inerrancy of the Bible:
Leviticus 15:19-24
"19 " ‘When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening.
20 " ‘Anything she lies on during her period will be unclean, and anything she sits on will be unclean. 21 Whoever touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. 22 Whoever touches anything she sits on must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. 23 Whether it is the bed or anything she was sitting on, when anyone touches it, he will be unclean till evening.
24 " ‘If a man lies with her and her monthly flow touches him, he will be unclean for seven days; any bed he lies on will be unclean."
Leviticus 11:10
"10 And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you:"
Leviticus 19:19
19 " ‘Keep my decrees.
" ‘Do not mate different kinds of animals.
" ‘Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.
" ‘Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material."
O, I like pseudo-Xtians. Nice terminology,Newsjunkie.
Good point, Junkie.
I take issue with labelling these gay-bashers as Christians, Ash. True Christians don’t preach hate and intolerance from behind a mask of respectability. "Pseudo-christians" is my usual term although "Christian" in quotes works, too.