51 years old and my first college choke hold

[MichaelHarris]

man I rock! It wasn't a full blown choke hold, more of a chest hold and drag. The story, some far-right Phelps type came to WSU today and started spouting the most hateful verbal sputum. A young female student whose father is a minister confronted him. He started quoting scripture telling her she has no place at school, women have no business in pants, they should be home with babies. Right after that he called a theology student fat and a glutton. When Islamic students got their turn he told them about the place reserved in hell for them. I could go on and on but I think you see by now that this was basically not a nice guy.

I had just written an article about the Equal Rights Amendment and the Conservative movement to kill it every time it comes up. I had my facts under control but not my temper. When he made the young female student cry I dove in, head first. My questions were fast and furious, giving him no time to answer. There is no answer anyway, these guys only judge and twist. His response was to get in my face, less than an inch away and yell, "Liar, blasphemer!" over, and over. In a flash some big guy had me in the abbreviated choke hold and was dragging me away. I got a pretty good cheer from the crowd, so at least I got that going for me. Photos? You know I got um, I always roll with a camera!


Telling her school is for men and women should be at home with babies


One of our football players and member of the Christian Athletic group trying to fix the message.


Gay and Lesbian brothers and sisters getting theirs in

The WSU TV station filmed my "event" and interviewed me later but I don't get local cable so I won't see it.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

1. How about more details

- Who grabbed you?
- Where are the pictures of the assault?
- Were they arrested and if not, why not?
- If they were not arrested, how badly did you beat them?

I am quite serious about the last question...

[MichaelHarris]

3. I think is was

a graduate student in the diversity department. I've seen him around in the Comparative Ethnic Studies office. He's a nice guy and I'm sure he was only trying to keep me out of trouble. The local cable station shot the video, I think they call it Cable 8. It's a WSU channel. I wish I could get it but I have Direct TV so I won't see it.

I know most of the journalism people since I also shoot photojournalism, albeit stills, not video.

In defense of the guy who grabbed me I really was about to hit the bigot, I had already snapped and lost the fight by losing my temper.

[Lex]

2. Who grabbed you and dragged you away?

Glad you are okay.

There's no reasoning with religious fundamentalists.

[MichaelHarris]

4. I'm pretty sure

it was a graduate student in Diversity and/or Comparative Ethnic Studies. He actually did me a favor because in all honesty I had snapped and was about to hit the guy. I'm not small and it wouldn't have been very pretty.

[backscatter712]

6. He did do you a favor.

The Westboro Baptist "Church" is filled with lawyers, and funds its hate-fest tours by suing the fuck out of people who assault them.

If you laid a finger on that sack of shit, he'd sue you so fast your head would spin.

Remember, wear a ski mask when assaulting the Phelps-tards.

[Norquist Nemesis]

5. Brother Jed antics continue on campuses

Personally, I always thought the university should demand that they rent a room for a specific period of time and students can come and go as they please. These people who go to campuses in this manner aren't students exercising their free speech rights...they are purposefully causing a disturbance (for free!) and should have to pay to be on the campus.

[ddeclue]

7. When I was at Georgia Tech in the mid to late 80's we had a guy called Brother Jim

who would come around from time to time to do pretty much the same thing call people sinners, whores, harlots, blasphemers, pick a Biblical insult and he'd hurl it. He was really wackadoodle.

It never failed that hundreds of students would gather round this creep and heckle him out of town.

I still have a button somewhere that I had made that says:

"I'm the guy Brother Jim warned you about"

:rofl:

[MichaelHarris]

8. LOL

I found out later from other students that these guys come on campus every Spring.

[Squatch]

9. WSU? That's my alma mater!

I recall having our fair share of crazies back in the 1990's. Man, I miss that place!