Jerry Falwell is being upgraded to version 2.2? Now with even more venom!

I’m torn on this. In general I agree that it’s in poor taste to bash someone unmercifully before his carcass is even cold, no matter how utterly despicable I think he was. And even though his grieving family and friends probably supported him in his long career of being a hateful gasbag, I nonetheless empathize with their grief.

On the other hand, revisiting some of the things he had said reminds me that Jerry showed no such compassion toward AIDS patients who are supposedly suffering God’s punishment for their wicked ways (nor toward grieving families), nor toward the grieving families and friends of the 9/11 victims (nor toward the vast majority of us who didn’t know any of the victims but mourned their deaths anyway). (And forget his insincere “apologies” for those comments.)

I don’t celebrate Falwell’s death, because there is no point. The damage is done, and cannot be undone by his departure to be with his alleged Heavenly Father. And there are no doubt legions of other hateful gasbags out there, itching for the opportunity to bash gays, lesbians, nonbelievers, the ACLU, etc.

But, despite the grief of his family and friends, I honestly can’t feel too bad about the fact that some folks have vented their true feelings about Falwell soon after his death. I would hesitate to do the same (heck, I waited a few days), but I know that Jerry would not have hesitated to do the same if a prominent opponent had died.

Here’s another great quote, from a review of Black Sabbath’s Mohegan Sun appearance:

“Jerry Falwell died today and here are a bunch of nearing-60 Satan rockers living it up in front of 10,000 delirious people. There’s something truly just about this.”

http://defconamerica.org/

and here’s a new book coming out about the movements the Moral Majority has now spun off to, that seems very interesting:
http://www.kindgomcoming.com/

I’m not going to criticize Joshua for being sort of spiteful about Jerry Falwell, though I wouldn’t have written him an F U like that so close to his death, myself. Maybe in a year or two I would.

And it’s true: people I’ve found insufferable online have often turned out to be decent people face-to-face.

That doesn’t change the fact that Falwell devoted his life to destroying my country.

“My mother always told me that no matter how much you dislike a person, when you meet them face to face you will find characteristics about them that you like. Jerry Falwell was a perfect example of that. I hated everything he stood for, but after meeting him in person, years after the trial, Jerry Falwell and I became good friends. He would visit me in California and we would debate together on college campuses. I always appreciated his sincerity even though I knew what he was selling and he knew what I was selling.”

—Larry Flynt