The Peter can not count

Pam's House Blend

Check out Alvin's post at Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters on Peter LaBarbera's claim that homophobe pastor Ken Hutcherson "led a full one-third of Mt. Si High School students OUT of school Friday to protest the pro-homosexuality "'Day of Silence'."

For the record, Hutcherson did not lead one-third of the students out of the school. His protest only had 100 people, which was one-tenth of the number of people he wanted to be there (Hutcherson was asking for 1,000 attendees for his so-called prayer vigil.)

The school reported that 495 students did not attend school, including 85 athletes, who were excused for personal beliefs.

Mount Si's gay-rights Day of Silence is far from quiet

By Lynn Thompson
Seattle Times Eastside bureau

More than one-third of students didn't show up for classes Friday. Principal Randy Taylor said 495 out of 1,410 students weren't at school, including 85 athletes whose parents had asked that they be excused for their personal beliefs.

About 100 people joined the Rev. Ken Hutcherson, a prominent anti-gay-rights activist, in prayer and song that questioned the dedication of a school day to what they said was a controversial political cause.

Snoqualmie police placed yellow crime-scene tape between Hutcherson's supporters and about 40 counterdemonstrators, including some former students, who tried to drown out the pastor by beating drums and chanting, "Go home."

Earlier, about 80 parents and supporters of the event, sponsored by the school's Gay Straight Alliance (GSA), stood quietly outside the school as students arrived in the morning. Some wore tie-dye scarves, and a former student waved a rainbow flag.

"We want to let students in the GSA know they have support in the community," said Lucinda Hauser, a Mount Si parent and member of the local Methodist church.

Members of the group of supporters said they did not want to confront Hutcherson or his supporters and left about 8 a.m.

The national Day of Silence was observed Friday by more than 200 high schools around the state and more than 7,000 school and colleges nationally. It has been observed nationally for the past 13 years.

Hutcherson, pastor of Antioch Bible Church in Redmond, last week called for 1,000 "prayer warriors" to join him outside the school Friday.

He and his wife also took out a half-page ad in the Snoqualmie Valley Record calling on residents to join them.

full article

Latvian anti-gay strategy

Seattle-area's answer to Fred Phelps, Ken Hutcherson of Antioch Bible Church.

You might recall that back in March, Pastor Hutch made headlines because of his claim that the Bush White House's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives named him "Special Envoy for Adoptions, Family Values, Religious Freedom, and Medical Relief," and he represented himself as such in Latvia. The White House denied this, and Hutch threatened to prove his status by producing video of him being given the "power." He has yet to produce his evidence.

Southern Poverty Law Center's Casey Sanchez states that Latvian-based fundamentalist extremists are fomenting anti-gay thuggery on the West Coast, specifically among Russian and Ukrainian immigrants in the Sacramento Valley. The group calls itself the Watchmen on the Walls.