A Michigan man is suing a pair of Bible publishers, "claiming their
versions of the Bible that refer to homo***uality as a sin violate his
constitutional rights and have caused him emotional pain and mental
instability," the Grand Rapids Press re****ts:
Bradley LaShawn Fowler, 39, is seeking $60 million from
Zondervan, based in Cascade Town****p, and $10 million
from Thomas Nelson Publi****ng in the lawsuits filed in
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. . . .
Fowler alleges Zondervan's Bibles referring to homo***uality
as a sin have made him an outcast from his family and
contributed to physical discomfort and periods of
"demoralization, chaos and bewilderment."
The intent of the publisher was to design a religious,
sacred do***ent to reflect an individual opinion or a
group's conclusion to cause "me or anyone who is a
homo***ual to endure verbal abuse, discrimination,
episodes of hate, and physical violence . . . including
murder," Fowler wrote.
Fowler apparently is a pro se litigant. The Press re****ts that Judge
Julian Cooke refused to appoint a lawyer to represent Fowler, on the
ground that "the Court has some very genuine concerns about the nature
and efficacy of these claims."
The Bible publishers are likely to prevail in this case, and they have
****ographer Larry Flynt to thank for it. In the 1988 case of Hustler v.
Falwell, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the First
Amendment protects speech against claims for intentional infliction of
emotional distress, unless that speech fails to meet the very permissive
standards of U.S. libel law.
Meanwhile across the pond, London's Daily Telegraph re****ts that the
Bristol City Council "has been accused of discriminating against
homo***uals" because it plans to clear undergrowth in a park used by gay
men "for late night outdoor *** known as dogging."
Just how this constitutes discrimination the Telegraph story never
explains, but it does give us an idea: Maybe Fowler should file his
lawsuit in Britain instead of America. British libel law is much more
pro-plaintiff than American. We're not sure how that affects claims of
intentional infliction of emotional distress, but surely Fowler's lawyer
can figure it out in between periods of demoralization, chaos and
bewilderment.
--
It is simply breathtaking to watch the glee and abandon with which
the liberal media and the Angry Left have been attempting to turn
our military victory in Iraq into a second Vietnam quagmire. Too bad
for them, it's failing.
|
