Donald J. Trump’s naming of an openly gay ambassador to Germany might be cause for celebration were it not for the fact that the new ambassador’s first tweet in his new job managed to insult the Germans. As reported by the Washington Post as well as LGBTQ Nation, Richard Grenell, who worked briefly for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign before he was forced to resign after being attacked by anti-gay turds like Tony Perkins and Gary Bauer, made history as the first openly gay ambassador named by a Republican, only to humiliate himself and the nation he represents by issuing a command on Twitter that many Germans found rude.
As the Post described it, “The offending tweet, written on the heels of President Trump’s announcement that the United States will leave the Iran nuclear deal, declared that ‘German companies doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately.’ This was widely read as an order, if not a threat. At minimum, it came off as a singularly charmless introduction. As one German Twitter critic drily noted: ‘At least where I grew up the way of saying hello to my host was slightly different: Hi, my name is Richard and I am happy to be in Germany, thanks for having me.’”
PERSPECTIVE: Media Circus
As LGBTQ Nation noted, “Grenell… is just as despicable to women on Twitter as the man who appointed him. Grenell is well known for having twittertantrums, and those indiscretions are coming back to haunt him. During his Senate confirmation hearings… Sen. Chris Murphy, of Connecticut, brought up his tendency to use the social media service like your average middle schooler or current president. Murphy called Grenell’s ‘litany of derogatory comments about women’s personal appearances’ concerning and asked him if he regretted acting in such a manner. Grenell claimed it was ‘never my intention to hurt anyone’s feelings,’ and called himself ‘very caring and very sensitive,’ which anyone who has followed his Twitter account for any length of time will have serious reason to doubt. He then claimed he was simply trying to be funny when he insulted the looks of Rachel Maddow, Callista Gingrich, Hillary Clinton, and Madeleine Albright. Some of his lowlights include comparing Clinton and Albright’s looks, in order to insult them both, saying Maddow looked like Justin Bieber, and fixating on Michelle Obama’s sweat.”
This does not bode well for an ambassador to a nation led by a woman, Angela Merkel. Moreover, Maddow looks nothing like Justin Bieber.
As John R. Schindler notes in the Observer, “His sole relevant experience was serving as spokesman for the US ambassador to the United Nations from 2001 to 2008. In that role, Grenell, a right-wing ideologue, was noted for his tenaciousness with the media, leading some of them to memorably describe him as ‘unbearable,’ ‘rude,’ ‘arrogant,’ and a ‘bully.’ Over the past decade, Grenell has continued acting that way, especially on Twitter, where his pugnacious dealings with reporters and others have been a subject of both scorn and laughter. In 2012, he deleted nearly a thousand of his most offensive tweets when he served very briefly as spokesman for the Mitt Romney presidential campaign. Since then, Grenell’s online habits have continued and, while that may have been disqualifying in the past, Trump had no qualms about appointing a fellow angry Twitter troll to a sensitive diplomatic post.”
It will surprise no one to learn that Grenell has also been under contract with Fox News as a “contributor.”
The US Supreme Court tossed the idea of equal protection under the proverbial bus on Monday when it ruled 7-2 in favor of the Colorado baker who refused to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple. As Ariane de Vogue reported on cnn.com, “The court held that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission showed hostility toward the baker based on his religious beliefs. The ruling is a win for baker Jack Phillips, who cited his beliefs as a Christian, but leaves unsettled broader constitutional questions on religious liberty. ‘Today’s decision is remarkably narrow and leaves for another day virtually all of the major constitutional questions that this case presented,’ said Steve Vladeck, CNN Supreme Court analyst and professor at the University of Texas School of Law. ‘It’s hard to see the decision setting a precedent.’ The ruling, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, held that members of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission showed animus toward Phillips specifically when they suggested his claims of religious freedom was made to justify discrimination.”
Breitbart’s initial response to the ruling was surprisingly restrained. Ken Klukowski simply reported the facts: “The Supreme Court granted a narrow victory to people of faith on Monday, holding 7-2 that the Constitution did not allow the Colorado Civil Rights Commission to order Christian baker Jack Phillips to bake a wedding cake for same-sex weddings because a commissioner said Phillips’ Christian beliefs on marriage were ‘despicable.’ The Court left open for another case the broader question of whether the government can force people of faith to participate in same-sex weddings when the government does not openly show open [sic] hostility to their religious beliefs.”
In Twitterworld, Trump’s idiot son, Donald Jr., showed, shall we say, less than full comprehension of the issue when he tweeted, “I am reading about a 7-2 vote. Pretty sure that’s not narrowly… At least 2 dem leaning justices must have agreed.” NO, YOU MORON! WHEN THEY SAY THAT THE COURT RULED NARROWLY THEY MEAN THAT THE RULING WAS NARROWLY FOCUSED, NOT THAT THE VOTE WAS NARROW. As Bugs Bunny would say, “Whadda maroon!”
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