NobodySpecial - April 22, 2009 | 7:22 am · Link

Eva Rodriguez is a member of the Washington Post Editorial Board.

So I assume she’s not allowed to pump her own gas, or do anything else moderately dangerous to others.

Desargues - April 22, 2009 | 7:34 am · Link

If her argument were valid, by the same token the Republican Party should choose to dissolve itself, after the demented ravings of its prominent leaders recently.

kommrade reproductive vigor - April 22, 2009 | 7:57 am · Link

By Rodriguez’s logic supporters of women’s rights should reconsider their position. ‘Cos, you know, if one woman is an obnoxious, brain dead dipshit, they must all be obnoxious, brain dead dipshits, so it’s OK to deprive them of rights. I’m sure she won’t mind if the Post docks their female employees’ salaries by 20%.

It’s a wonder that even supporters opponents of same-sex marriage don’t reconsider their position after hearing the embarrassing, infuriating, self-absorbed rantings of quasi-celebrity Perez Hilton Fred Phelps.

Fxd.

MikeJ - April 22, 2009 | 8:07 am · Link

This is really just the old Washington game of “be cool”. In DC you simply can’t let anybody know that you actually care about anything. Everything is supposed to be done to either attack the enemy (the other political party) or con the rubes back home. Sure, people may make speeches about “principles”and all that stuff, but everybody knows that the House is empty and the opposition leader has a Lagavulin waiting for you at Sam & Harry’s.

Perez Hilton’s sin was convincing Rodriguez he meant what he said.

vacuumslayer - April 22, 2009 | 9:23 am · Link

Yes. Because I base all my decisions on issues like same-sex marriage on the words of Perez Hilton.

Besides…that stupid silicone-enhanced bimbo had it coming. Believe me when I felt like ranting myself when I heard her mind-blowingly stupid answer. What exactly is “opposite marriage?” Good lawd, she just one step about Miss Teen South Carolina. ” Such as, such as, such as…” sigh

Comrade Baron Elmo - April 22, 2009 | 9:36 am · Link

Not exactly fair, Doug. Ms. Rodriguez clearly states that she supports gay marriage… and if Perez Hilton really did behave as she claims he did (from what I know of him, it seems all too probable), then he is, frankly, being a bit of an asshole.

Of course, I wouldn’t be surprised if moralistic scolds like Breitbart, Doughat or O’Reilly use this article as an excuse to take up Perez as a cudgel with which to belabor gays (assuming, that is, that they haven’t already) so perhaps she should have been a little more circumspect in her annoyance.

itsbenj - April 22, 2009 | 10:11 am · Link

Come on, let’s face it — the Washington Post is no longer worth the paper its printed on, or the pixels its occupying, and has not been for a long, long time. Yeah there is still some good journalism there, and there’s Eugene Robinson. But editorially, they are just as bad as the Washington Times or the WSJ.

They are extremist right-wingers, and they don’t provide good, consistent, solid news & commentary anymore. They also lack standards, editing, and most importantly, credibility. I don’t read, link to or use the Post anymore. It’s just too ‘Bushy’.

Xanthippas - April 22, 2009 | 10:35 am · Link

I couldn’t disagree more with Prejean’s opinions. I support same-sex marriage—or at the very least civil unions that provide the same legal benefits to same-sex couples that heterosexual couples take for granted. (I’d also prefer for these marriages or unions introduced through legislative acts or a vote of the people, rather than through court orders.) But Prejean and millions others like her have a right to their opinion—and a right to express that opinion without facing the kind of adolescent vitriol spewed by Hilton over the past couple of days.

Or in other words “I support gay marriage in theory, but the only thing that’ll fire me up enough to write a column about it is a gay guy being mean.”

TheOfficialHatOnMyCat - April 22, 2009 | 10:51 am · Link

@Maureen:

Self selected polling has no relevance to anything.

Ken in MS - April 22, 2009 | 11:52 am · Link

No offense to anyone, but, um, I believe that only American names should be allowed to write newspaper columns in American. It’s just the way I was raised. She can write Spanish, if she wants, but I believe that God wants me to stand up for my beliefs. And that’s my answer.

Sure, nobody, not even pink-haired Perez says she can’t offer her opinion. But she sure as hell can be mocked for them. Please.

YellowJournalism - April 22, 2009 | 12:50 pm · Link

Unfortunately, the boys on the radio and Fox News have already jumped all over this story, painting Miss California out to be some poor, maligned woman who was symbolically denied her freedom of speech, not to mention the Miss USA crown. They’ve deemed Perez Hilton the representative of all that is gay and lesbian, and constantly refer to his actions as exactly what’s wrong with the gay and lesbian movement (rude, too vocal, close-minded about anything not gay, etc.).

I was watching an interview with Miss California yesterday, and I could see her becomming some sort of Joe the Plumber for the anti-same sex marriage lobby. She answered questions exactly how Neil Cavuto wanted them to be answered, including ones about the Obama administration and family values. I’d actually felt bad for her at first, with Hilton calling her names and all. But I lost any sympathy once she and Cavuto started up about how she was set up by the question.

Of all the questions she could have received, they asked, why this one? Well, let’s see…you come from California, where they recently had this vote on something called Proposition 8…It’s no big conspiracy to steal the crown from California. It’s a question she should have been prepared to answer, and she should take the consequences of the answer with grace and dignity, not Fox News appearances.

b-psycho - April 22, 2009 | 1:19 pm · Link

Is it un-PC of me to think there’s something odd about a gay man judging a contest of women that’s mostly about their looks?

Mnemosyne - April 22, 2009 | 2:20 pm · Link

This is one of those situations where you feel like you’re trying to decide between having a screwdriver jammed into your hand or having someone break your arm with a baseball bat. I mean, really, is there anyone sympathetic in this story? It’s two shallow assholes whining to the media about how meeeeaaaannnnnn the other person is.

Not that I don’t think it’s funny, of course. The same way it’s funny to think of Tucker Carlson and Glenn Beck getting into a slap-fight on TV.

Against same sex marraige - April 22, 2009 | 5:33 pm · Link

Perez thinks he is cute but he’s not. What a sicko and a jerk he is. He’s an unprofessional judge. Professional judge doesn’t blog and say bad things about a contestant. Miss California did say it is a choice. Just because she’s against same sex marriage doesn’t mean she’s not going to be friends with the homosexuals. Your friend likes the red dress but you like the blue one. She likes two piece swimsuit but you like one piece and you both still friends. I hope Miss California wins the suit because one of the rules for the judges is not to discriminate the contestant’s religion. Congratulations Miss North Carolina. Way to go! I’m from NC!!

comrade baron elmo - April 22, 2009 | 10:29 pm · Link

Just because she’s against same sex marriage doesn’t mean she’s not going to be friends with the homosexuals. Your friend likes the red dress but you like the blue one. She likes two piece swimsuit but you like one piece and you both still friends. I hope Miss California wins the suit because one of the rules for the judges is not to discriminate the contestant’s religion.

Okay, Miss California (with a little help from her friends Neil Cavuto and douchebags like the one above) has officially dethroned and replaced Perez Hilton as Queen Asshole in this little brouhaha. Yahweh save us all from these “I discriminate because I love you” Christians… treacherous scumbags, every one.

I am still wicked pissed at Hilton, though, for handing the wingnut brigade such an easily manipulated talking point. Exercise a smidgen of common sense next time, jackass.

Nomad - April 24, 2009 | 2:08 am · Link

Miss California’s got cahones for answering the question honestly. The end result is that she’s more popular (or at least well known) now than she would have been if she had won