Soon we’ll be living high and wide:
Patrick Sullivan was the kind of lawman Coloradoans loved: a straight-shooting, Republican sheriff who once crashed a Jeep through a fence to rescue two deputies from a deranged gun-toting man and pleaded with legislators to keep assault weapons off the street lest any more citizens get shot.
On Tuesday afternoon, though, investigators from the same sheriff’s department he oversaw for nearly two decades found themselves monitoring a home near Denver that Mr. Sullivan was seen entering.
Soon after, the police arrested Mr. Sullivan, now 68 and long retired from the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, on charges that he had been trying to exchange methamphetamines for sex with a man. He was booked that night at a local county jail that proudly bears his name.
What is it with meth and closeted gay right-wingers? Didn’t that one priest from a mega-church (I can’t remember his name, but he is blonde and also from Colorado) also have meth issues?
David in NY
I remember when they took Bernie Kerik’s (remember our corrupt, prospective Homeland Security head and former driver for President Giuliani) name off the White Street Jail (or whatever they call it now).
Gravenstone
Ted Haggard, and yes he blamed his transgressions on the evil meth. Personal responsibility, what’s that and why should it apply to me?
Brian S
You mean Pastor Ted Haggard? He’s got his own urban dictionary definition as a result.
Hungry Joe
Frankie Laine’s greatest song … after “Blazing Saddles,” of course.
Ziggy
I’m just waiting for them to find the wetsuits and the dildo.
John O
This proves that crystal meth induces latent feelings of homosexuality among the pure and innocent.
West of the Cascades
the “pleading to keep assault weapons off the streets” bit makes Sullivan sound like (at least) a halfway-decent person.
dave
the meth is for the sex
Paddy
@Ziggy: I’ve often thought that Rev. Aldridge’s “situation” is that one all the others aspire to top.
Keith G
Smoke up a baggie of ice (or whatever the nom de jur) and one is looking at 48+ hours of inhibition free whatever suits one’s fancy.
A killer high, in many ways.
patroclus
Why does this blog always seem to be talking about the Sullivans? From Patrick to Emma to Andrew…, we can’t seem to get enough about that clan. Personally, I like Emma, because Brownback does indeed suck and blows a lot, but Andrew with his cutting edge “blacks are stupid” shtick and Patrick, with the usual right-wing gay sex for meth in Colorado modus operandi, are far less impressive.
Jennifer
Poor guy. Had to hide in the closet his entire working life, and now the only way he can get the sex he always craved is to pay for it with cash or meth.
OTOH…it’s hard to feel that much pity for closeted gays who are in the business of making life a living hell for their fellow, non-closeted gays. I don’t see any indication that this guy did that (unlike Pastor Ted) so I feel he deserves some sympathy. Hell, I even decided Pastor Ted deserved some sympathy, despite the fact that he helped uphold bigotry against gays. It must be awful to be that in-denial of your true self. There was a show that followed up with him several years after the scandal – I think it might have been another one of Alexandra Pelosi’s documentaries – and the guy now acknowledges that he’s sexually tempted by other guys, but is still stuck on insisting that it has to be overcome because God says it’s wrong…
Jennifer
WTF? Why is that comment in moderation? It didn’t even have anything resembling pen1s.
cathyx
@John O: Good answer.
Soonergrunt
He should use the Newt Gingrich excuse.
His patriotic love of the country led him to do it.
Jennifer
Is this thing on?
cathyx
So this Patrick Sullivan was kind of like John Wayne, except for the gay sex and the meth part.
mai naem
Well, I didn’t read the andy sullivan thing till late last night but I did go look at TNC and I am freaking glad that he TNC finally dissed Sully. Haven’t looked at Fallows. Hope he did too.
cathyx
I wonder if there are any perks afforded to him in a jail named after him.
ruemara
I feel sympathy for the guy. JUST COME OUT AND BE HAPPY! Gay is awesome, gay is wonderful. You don’t need meth, you just need to be out and find yourself a nice fellow gay and settle down. The closet does terrible things to people and I can’t laugh anymore at old rw guys who have to buy a few minutes of freedom with some cheap rock and a hooker.
Jennifer
@cathyx: More like exactly like John Wayne. John Wayne was a fag.
Dr. Loveless
@Jennifer:
THE HELL HE WAS!
Scott Alloway
John Cole” Was that a Rawhide reference in the title? You’re too young!
cathyx
@Dr. Loveless: Did she touch a nerve?
carpeduum
Anything to distract from positive economic news eh John Gloom Porn Cup Half Empty Cole.
Stay gloomy ya clueless hack.
Cat Lady
I just love the testimonials of people who know the perpetrator in all these kinds of stories – Jeffrey Dahmer’s neighbor saying what a friendly guy (but those funny smells), etc., like the acquaintances interviewed for this article should somehow know about this guy’s proclivities. If my husband was caught trading meth for sex with another guy, which I believe has a probability of 0, I would be surprised but not shocked. The only thing I would ever say to anybody is that no one knows everything about anybody, because it’s true. You think you do, but nothing anyone does should be shocking to anybody. People are just weird like that, and in this case, who got hurt?
cathyx
@carpeduum: I think you aren’t getting enough attention at home.
Amanda in the South Bay
The fact that (according to the article) he could get up to 6 years in prison is pretty bullshitty in my book. Its a sort of karma that this guy is being busted for the same bullshit laws he enforced his entire life, but that still doesn’t make the war on drugs right.
James Gary
@cathyx: Jennifer installed two-way mirrors in his pad in Brentwood—and he come to the door in a dress.
Click her YouTube link if you’re still mystified.
cathyx
@James Gary: I’m not mystified, what are you talking about?
carpeduum
@cathyx: Speaking of being desperate for attention, why not announce you have added me to your pie filter. That will show me who’s boss.
BruinKid
Nothing in the story indicates that Sullivan espoused anti-gay views, or of his opinion on the “War on Drugs”, so I’m going to chalk this up to just a sad, sad story.
cathyx
@carpeduum: If I did that, then you would get less attention than you crave. I wouldn’t do that to you.
Platonicspoof
Meth’s a food product, essentially.
But for someone 68 years old, maybe not.
Ken
I think it’s geographic. Meth is the drug of choice in rural areas, rural areas tend red. Conversely, cocaine/city/blue.
MonkeyBoy
@cathyx:
John Wayne had a problem with “uppers” and their counterpart “downers”.(He once appeared on the Dean Martin show after he confused a downer for an upper).
I can’t find info on what specific uppers he used though they were probably amphetamines though likely not meth.
PaulW
If you’re in a situation where you have to trade sex for meth, I mean for the Love of God have some dignity and make your own meth! I’ve watched Breaking Bad, it can’t be that hard…
Kathy in St. Louis
Not to get too technical. but the guy from the Colorado megachurch was not a “priest”, as you put it. Priest are up to enough without having them lumped in with Haggard, I believe is the name. Priest are Catholic, Episcopal, or from the Orthodox Churches. This guy is a minister or preacher or reverend or something.
Roger Moore
@MonkeyBoy:
Very likely methamphetamine, though probably in pills rather than injected or smoked as is common today. Methamphetamine was legally and commonly available for a big chunk of Wayne’s career, so that’s probably what he took if he was taking any kind of amphetamine.
Karen
So which is a problem with Republicans? The meth or exchanging it for sex with a man?
pf_flyer
Sin, sweet sweet sin.
salacious crumb
my gay friends tell a combo of crystal meth and viagara gives allows you to have uninhibited sex..so i guess that’s what this sheriff was looking for.
Hawes
Right wingers think things like dental benefits are for moochers.
Meth users have no teeth.
It makes picking each other out at the singles bar easier.
numfar
I always referred to that priest as Ted “Tushie-pusher” Haggard.
PIGL
The thing with Republicans and meth? I’ll tell you what it is.
Crack whores are too classy.
Rarely Posts
Based on my gay clubbing experience (but not my personal experimentation: I stick to alcohol and pizza):
Crystal Meth (or, more affectionately, “Tina”) gives a great high and totally uninhibited sex, and it is a hot item among rural gay men and among some urban white gay men. In particular, it’s really hot with the crowd that does NOT go to the clubs, and particularly older gay white men.
In contrast, the club scene is more dominated by classics such as Ecstasy (E), Coke, or Poppers, and a variety of newer drugs such as GHB and K (an animal tranquilizer).
E or Crystal Meth can be mixed with Viagra for a very long period of uninhibited sex. In contrast, mixing Viagra with poppers is a way to kill yourself accidentally.
I still love a good night of clubbing or a rave, but now that I’m in my thirties I finally am beginning to understand why older gay guys are so likely to use drugs. Nowadays I hit 2 am and I am exhausted, and I suspect a significant amount of the drug use is to be able to stay awake until 7 am.
Also, it’s easy to exaggerate the drug use. The vast majority of gay clubbers stick with alcohol, but as a result they don’t become infamous for their consumption habits. In contrast, everyone remembers the one guy who shits the dance floor while he’s high.
David in NY
Reminds me of Eugene Gold, too, but he was also maybe senile.
KrisWV
Meth has a redneck down on it’s luck reputation, but in it’s “Miss Crystal” mode (same drug different name), it’s a huge health problem in every gay community in the Western world. It goes well with sex, it’s cheap and you don’t know how hooked you are until you are good and hooked. Because you have the “I’m only smokin’ for the hookup goodtimes” excuse at first.
It’s not funny — it’s the worst health crisis for gays since AIDS.
Jess Sane
@BruinKid: Well, he certainly did his part for the war on drugs – he was VERY proud of busting raves, and he was co-Chairman of the group Citizens Against the Legalization of Marijuana.
Moonbatman
He is no Dupnik. But anyone who supports the Assault Weapons Ban should not be swiftboated like this.
Paul in KY
@Amanda in the South Bay: Meth is not a drug. It is a form of poison. It gives you druglike effects as it harms your body. I think the sentence would be appropriate.