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The Right Hook, a weekly segment which covers the machinations of the right wing, from the Republican Party to the Tea Party Patriots, and beyond. By Chris Bennett

New York’s candidate for governor, Tea Party hero Carl Paladino is overwhelmed by the public reaction to his recent anti-gay statements. Paladino created the uproar by saying that children should not be exposed to homosexuality in schools, and called gay-pride parades “disgusting.” Paladino has not apologized and has even criticized his opponent, Democrat Andrew Cuomo, for marching with his own kids in a gay pride parade. In an interview with John Gambling of WOR-AM 710, Paladino pointed to other episodes that had created distractions for his campaign: his near throw-down with a New York Post reporter, and comments he made suggesting that another Albany lawmaker was a criminal. Paladino stated in the interview that he had “definitely stepped on” his own . . . message. Or, to paraphrase from an old Robert Mitchum flick, “The only person f-ing Carl Paladino is Carl Paladino.”

In a related historical side note, it is worth noting that once upon a time a conservative politician with little or nothing to gain took a stand for gay and lesbian teachers. In 1978, Prop 6 was on the ballot here in California. If it had passed, it would have become legal to fire known gay or lesbian teachers in California public schools. But Ronald Reagan, an out-of-office politician with nothing to gain by antagonizing his conservative base came out against Prop 6. This conservative standard-bearer could have easily sidestepped the issue but instead chose to come out in favor of common sense. The corporate media’s focus on agitated right wing Astro-Turf groups such as the Tea Party has devolved into a mantra that Democrats are going to lose big in November’s mid-term elections. Countering that narrative are some facts: In New York State, there are 52,000 are newly registered voters, but according to the Times, half of the new voters registered are Democrats. So, the right wing may have the angry energy, but their votes count only once, just like everyone else’s.

Last July, we brought you the story about the anti-government zealot Byron Williams. Police stopped the gun-toting convicted felon on highway 580 in Oakland, CA. Williams, a convicted felon, opened fire on the police and a 12 minute gun battle ensued. Williams was on his way to San Francisco to kill employees at the progressive Tides Foundation in order to foment a revolution. Now, Pacifica reporter John Hamilton has conducted interviews with Williams from the Santa Rita jail. In the interview, Williams divulges what right-wing media he viewed and which websites he visited. But it was Glen Beck in particular that “blew his mind.” Williams said Beck was like a “schoolteacher on TV,” and was exposing government corruption. One event that triggered Williams was the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill which he maintains was sabotage. According to Williams, the BP spill was a contract hit by Halliburton to shut down Gulf oil production in order to get carbon cap-and-trade legislation passed. George Soros, President Obama, Brazilian oil company Petrobras, and former BP CEO Tony Hayward are somehow all in on the scheme. Glen Beck often portrays George Soros as a liberal Machiavelli out to destroy America. In all, Glen Beck attacked the Tides Foundation 29 times in the eighteen months leading up to Williams’ alleged planned massacre.

The Right Hook– Reality Based News and Views.