Comments on: Yale Singing Group Victims of Hate Crime… in San Fran!

By: Peter Hughes

Peter Hughes — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 19:23:24 +0000

#33-34: You are both wrong. See the facts in post #13.

Also - isn’t the SFPD chief named Heather Fong? Wow - that’s a really staunch Irish-Catholic male name if I ever heard one.

Sigh…too easy…like shooting liberals in a barrel.

Regards,
Peter H.

By: turthlover

turthlover — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 17:41:07 +0000

I grew up in San Francisco. While most of the city is progressive and tolerant of homosexuality - much to the chagrin of large swaths of the United States - there is a hardcore of conservatism made more virulent by the otherwise dominant liberalism and leftism. It also tends to be very homophobic, seeing the “queers” as having “ruined the city”.

One of the worst institutional locations for this trend of arch-rightism and homophobia is the San Francisco police force. It is dominated by several families and by ethnicities, Irish and Italian catholics, and has been for a long time. It has a notorious problem with discipline and with covering up internal messes (lookup “Fajitagate”). It also has a long history of harassing gays and of outright acts of anti-gay violence, especially in the 1980’s, when the SFPD responded with extreme violence to Act Up protests.

That said, this sounds more like the typical thuggish behavior of the privileged brats of Sacred Heart Catholic high school, than any anti-patriotic, or even specifically anti-gay attack. The taunts sound high schoolish - calling someone a “faggot” and so forth - though I don’t mean to minimize the violence.

The scandal is that the police have done nothing - I would suggest from institutional homophobia, and for fear of having to arrest the kids of some of San Francisco’s most privileged.

Good for Hannity of offering a reward, but shame on him for trying to spin this incident as some sort of San Franciscan anti-Americanism.

The Yalies’ lawyer is former law partners with Matt Gonzalez, the ultra-left Green Party candidate who was almost elected mayor in 2005.

By: Radni4

Radni4 — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 07:14:24 +0000

San Francisco is a big city. Although much of the population is liberal, there is still a substantial conservative population, many of which attend the school. I would bet a lot of money that the attackers, and most of their friends, are homophobic, immature, republicans and have nothing to do with the huge gay community in San Francisco.

By: Barbara

Barbara — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 02:56:17 +0000

Here’s a thought: the party crashers were typical jerks who use the catcall “homo” or “fag” to humiliate other males for doing something, hmmm, unacceptable. If the Cathedral School is anything like the snobby expensive private schools that dot this country, they are filled with students who aren’t religious anyway. All this story tells me is that in hyper-liberal San Francisco, singing the national anthem is anathema. They only started the jeering when the singers took up the Star Spangled Banner.

It is a hate crime, or would be if hating patriots were a crime.

Sean Hannity is indeed offering a reward and it’s disgusting that there have been no apprehensions.

By: North Dallas Thirty

North Dallas Thirty — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 17:23:05 +0000

Actually, Deputy Chief Morris Tabak identified the problem with SF quite nicely.

He cited state data showing San Francisco is among the least successful counties in the state in locking up felony offenders.

The city sent 436 people to prison in 2005, the same number as Sonoma County, which has 300,000 fewer residents, and far below Ventura County, which is exactly the same population. Ventura County sent 723 people to prison that year. San Mateo County sent 785.

“A lenient and ineffective criminal justice system does not deter crime, it invites it,” Tabak told the commission.

Roughly 4 of every 100 arrests result in prison terms in San Francisco, compared with other counties, including: 12.8 of 100 arrests in Alameda, 14.4 of 100 in Sacramento, 21 of 100 in San Mateo and Santa Clara, 26.6 of 100 in Fresno, 38.7 of 100 in Los Angeles and 41 of 100 in San Diego.

Tabak said police officers make arrests “time and time and time again,” but that in many cases, offenders are freed to commit more crimes.

As an example, he cited the two-year history of a 25-year-old man who was arrested three times with weapons and drugs, each time released on bail. Last month, the man was arrested again, this time with two assault weapons, but has yet to be charged, Tabak said. He said none of the three earlier weapons cases, which started in October 2004, had been resolved.

By: Michigan-Matt

Michigan-Matt — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 14:03:28 +0000

Hey, is there any truth to the rumor that the good natured, civil, conservative GOP-supporting mega media star Sean Hannity has offered a reward for information leading to the prosecution of the SF bashers in this case?

Wow, I didn’t hear Jon Stewart do that.

I didn’t hear Rosie do that.

I didn’t hear Al Franken do that… oh wait, MeanLeanAl is probably super busy trying to figure out his airtime slot now that AirAmerica is bankrupt and unable to convince even liberal listeners to listen in… why should they? They have NPR and thousands of other conventional outlets to listen to the same liberal, left BlameAmerica spews. Yeah, he and the other Leftleaning media darlings are too busy to stand up to hate crime thuggery in Leftie SF.

And the GayLeftBorgTypes have been so silent, too. Paging Andie Sullivan… here’s your chance to grab some face time on air.

By: Calarato

Calarato — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 05:26:37 +0000

Natalie, thank you. Schoolyard “bully” - That was the motivation or the word I was trying to think of in #6, but missed.

By: Natalie Checsolvak

Natalie Checsolvak — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 03:23:33 +0000

the aicardi family, they are all good people who are definitely not un-american nor predjudice against gays. They just happen to have a son who is a bully. Richard Aicardi probably was invinted to the party, because although rivals Sacred Heart and St. Ignatious student party together in peace even after their own rival games. The name of Sacred Heart is being unfairly put into the lime light, the alumnis have long graduated from SH, why not mention what college they go to. Lastly, an ex-cop was serving alcohol to minors at his house.

By: Peter Hughes

Peter Hughes — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 15:59:50 +0000

Anyone else besides me notice that (a) one of the Yale chorale guys who was assaulted had an Arab surname and (b) some of the guys pictured in the story are not Anglos? In other words, they could not be mistaken for Duke lacrosse players?

Methinks that there is a racist element here. So where are the Sharptons, Rangels, Jacksons et al? Is it because they are not interested in seeing justice done?

Or - perish the thought - because it would make the liberal establishment look bad? I hope they’re not as shallow as that. But I’m not holding my breath.

Regards,
Peter H.

By: Bungalowlife

Bungalowlife — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 14:37:07 +0000

Commenter #9 got the meaning of hoi polloi exactly backwards. It doesn’t refer to society’s upper classes but to the downtrodden masses.

By: ThatGayConservative

ThatGayConservative — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 11:21:01 +0000

Interesting.
According to Sean & Kevin, libs wouldn’t DARE do such a thing, so they can’t possibly be libs.

What are y’all thinking? Libs are all about peace, love, crabs and screwing anybody they deem deserving.

By: The Only Republican in San Francisco

The Only Republican in San Francisco — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 07:30:19 +0000

Ivy-bashing in SF?…

Some visiting singers from Yale were apparently preyed upon by…other rich kids?…

By: Peter Hughes

Peter Hughes — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 05:11:35 +0000

Michael Savage interviewed a reporter in LA who covered the story and I don’t think this will go away any time soon. Mayor Newsome better watch out on this issue - it’s liable to bite him in the tuckus.

And sean, poor poor misguided Sean, as a former UT student who was ALSO a frat guy, you are once again acting like the Drive-By Media. You spatter off a bunch of talking points and a barely relevant link without taking all the facts into consideration. And since you are also quoting a news story that really has nothing to do with the above topic, it shows how desperate you really are.

Regards,
Peter H.

By: Jumpin' Jack

Jumpin' Jack — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 05:02:09 +0000

Folks, long before SF became associated with gay pride, there were Irish and Italian and Chinese ethnic groups here who persist (although the immigration rates of the first two are considerably lower now than that of the last). Sacred Heart Cathedral (”SH” in SF parlance) is a big high school run by the Christian Brothers order and is full of the descendants of Old San Francisco — guys who like to drink and party and carouse and get into some trouble. Not bad boys, mostly, but sometimes rowdy. Some of the parents are SFPD, who themselves were SH grads, and in this city, everybody knows who everybody else is cousins with — and they look out for each other. The ‘gay’ epithets were likely just the rudest thing the ruffians could think of to say…and the SH guys likely knew well they were outclassed by the Yalies and took the choirboys on the only way the SH guys could think of within their booze-sodden brains. Yes, there should be investigations and arrests. It may well happen. Stay tuned.

By: North Dallas Thirty

North Dallas Thirty — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 04:24:36 +0000

Sure, Calarato, ‘twould be great to finally meet you too. It’s amazing….been around these parts for going on three years now, but still have never met GP. I’ve met GPW twice and found him most charming.

By: North Dallas Thirty

North Dallas Thirty — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 04:23:53 +0000

Sure, Calarato, ‘twould be great to finally meet you too.

By: jpe

jpe — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 03:42:27 +0000

Halloween in Greenwich Village? Similarly full of homophobia. Very disturbing.

By: SF South Park Republican

SF South Park Republican — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 01:58:17 +0000

Great that you will be in SF! It will raise the Republican population here to three: you, me, and Matt at The Only Republican in San Francisco -
http://www.onlyrepublican.com/

By: JEM

JEM — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 01:07:26 +0000

Actually, Sacred Heart may be old but IIRC it was generally ‘renowned’ as no better than second choice - where you went if your grades and connections couldn’t get you into St Ignatius.

As the old cheerleader chant went…Sacred Heart Irish Team…I’ll skip the rest.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 00:31:23 +0000

Ummm…what exactly does conservative/liberal have to do with a a brawl that appears to be amongst a bunch of priviliged (probably drunken on at least one side) group of guys? To be fair and balanced, are you gong to report brawls in conservative cities as being caused by conservatives? gimmee a break - stick to real political commentary.