The local backlash against N.C. Sen. James Forrester of Gaston County continued this weekend at the Sept. 24 “Sexy Liberal Comedy” show at Thomas Wolf Auditorium, as attendees set up a punching bag decorated with his mug in the lobby.
In this short video, Asheville resident Joe Cobble cites Forrester’s sponsorship of a proposed amendment to the North Carolina constitution that would ban gay marriage, civil unions and domestic partner benefits, as a reason he set up the bag.
Likewise, during her performance, national progressive talk show host and headliner Stephanie Miller celebrated Asheville for its “sinful” activity and slammed Forrester as a bigot. Before the show, Asheville resident Mike Blankenship presented her with a sign he made that equates Forrester and other Republicans with Nazism. Local designers have also been scrolling Forrester’s words sarcastically on t-shirts.
I want one of those tee shirts. Anyone know where they are sold?
Notice the word resident,not a native. We just don’t except this trash. Forrester for Governor! It is just a matter of time before down town realizes its empty and has nothing to offer to the people,except maybe a corner to sleep in. A town can not make it on Freak shows alone! I along with several thousand natives who built the town of Asheville have taken our business elsewhere.
Downtown empty? Really, whogivesafart? It’s the economic engine keeping the city vibrant. But you regressives wouldn’t know about that since you’ve “taken your business elsewhere”. Good, keep downtown safe for us cesspoolers! Dive in, the water’s fine.
My downtown store TV Eye has been doing fine. New people, including locals, come in all the time.
Dionysis, you can purchase a great version of the “cesspool of sin” t-shirt at Gallery MIA on Lexington Ave. Here is a link to a post from Ashvegas with a picture: http://ashvegas.squarespace.com/journal/2011/9/16/where-to-find-that-asheville-cesspool-of-sin-t-shirt.html
Wear it proudly.
Excellent!
Thanks jeffsguy!
” I along with several thousand natives who built the town of Asheville have taken our business elsewhere. ”
That’s mighty impressive. Since Asheville’s origins as a distinct population center (barely a town) dates to the end of the 18th century, many would love to know the secret to your (and the other ‘several thousand’) longevity.
The sign being carried in the photo at the top of this article is just as full of hate,ignorance, and bigotry as Sen. Forrester’s statement.
First Amendment rights are a two way street, but why perpetuate a war of words and potentially offend those that might otherwise not be offended, on either side. There’s already enough hate in the world.
I hate bigotry. ;) I as a humanitarian have a personal responsibility to stand up against bigotry of any kind.
I along with several thousand natives who built the town of Asheville have taken our business elsewhere
Where is this elsewhere? Biltmore Park?
“Where is this elsewhere? Biltmore Park?”
Gastonia.
As someone who has lived in the South his whole life, I sympathize with whogivesafart and others who have been unable to adapt, change and succeed, and must instead blame all their problems on people who don’t look, act, and speak the way they do. It’s unfortunate, but as time marches on, life requires more education, intelligence and common sense than some of us will ever have.
When Crazy “skinhead joe: made his comment that when one person loses his right we are all in trouble. He himself has proved we are all in trouble. If the government is not to be in the bedroom then why can you bring your sexual activities into the public. Does your right count more than those that do not desire to see tits flopping.
Answer me joe and cecil.
Case in point.
“If the government is not to be in the bedroom then why can you bring your sexual activities into the public. Does your right count more than those that do not desire to see tits flopping”
This is a serious question? A few points:
1. Partial public nudity is NOT “sexual activity.” Now, maybe what gawkers do in reaction to these displays might fall under such a heading, but simply showing breasts is not a sexual activity.
2. Such displays of partial public nudity have been ruled as constitutionally protected expression under the First Amendment via various Supreme Court cases.
“The U.S. Supreme Court has generally struck down prohibitions on nudity and other erotic, but nonobscene, expressive conduct. However, in Barnes v. Glen Theatre, 501 U.S. 560, 111 S. Ct. 2456, 115 L. Ed. 2d 504 (1991), the Court upheld a ban on totally nude dancing, on the ground that it was part of a general ban on public nudity. While recognizing that nude dancing generally has been considered protected expressive conduct, the justices pointed out that such activity is only marginally within the perimeter of First Amendment protection.”
thefreedictionary.com/Protected+speech
3. The only reason that politicians, almost all Republicans, have been trying to get “in the bedroom” is to impose their view of morality regarding the right to an abortion. You may have heard of Roe V. Wade. Today’s Republicans, while mouthing ‘small government’ rhetoric, are eager to thrust themselves into people’s private lives to advance their own ‘social agenda’ which is inherently anti-freedom.
4. As far as constitutional protection of enumerated rights are concerned, it is completely irrelevant what “those that do not desire…” want. Constitutional rights are not, nor should they be, subject to popular vote.
What Dionysis said (and said very well).
Ah! I have out my abacus; I’m keeping count of the number of IDIOTS in political office in our Nation! Forrester, you appear to be afflicted with the same issue as Michele Bachmann; she does not have any brakes between her brain and her mouth either! Do yourself a favor RETIRE!
Do you whining children realize the # of Restaurants and legit stores (not whole in the wall shops) are moving and shutting down? Have you even looked up the word “cesspool”. Its so obvious that N.C. Sen. James Forrester nailed it when he labeled Asheville, Yes! You children are lashing back and spending entirely to much time crying about it, for it not to be true. Like the facts of a prisoner drifting around say he is innocent.lol
Right. The moral and decent business owners of the real Asheville would rather close down and move away than stay in business and take money from libruls and homa sex yulls.
Have you traveled further outside our area and noticed how many MORE restaurants and legit stores have closed across the South? There’s whole strip malls abandoned.
Our cesspool has done an excellent job supporting local businesses, included those that have been established here for decades.
Sen. Forrester should be more concerned with his own back yard than worrying about the moral environment of another city. According to 2009 statistics:
Gastonia had 8.95 per 1,000 acts of violent crime vs. 7.06 for Asheville, 73.75 acts of property crime in Gastonia vs. 56.85 in Asheville; Gastonia had a total crime rate per 1,000 of 82.7 vs. total rate in Asheville of 63.91.
Gastonia has 22% of the population without a high school degree vs. 13.4% in Asheville; 15.3% had four-year college degrees in Gastonia vs. 20.8% in Asheville.
Other statistics show similar differences. Now there may well be more self-righteous busy-bodies per capita in Gastonia than Asheville, but no statistics can be found. Regardless, Forrester and his fellow moral judges should focus on what is going to improve Gastonia and Gaston County, not concern themselves with diverting attention to other locales.