Is it satanic for performers in drag to read to children during a story hour at the Morgantown Public Library?
Is it satanic to vote against the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act?
Well, it seems it is if you are Fairmont City Councilman Barry Bledsoe and to others who showed up to Tuesday night’s Fairmont council meeting.
Bledsoe was unable to attend because he is recovering from COVID-19, but there were plenty of others who supported Bledsoe. Many others, who backed Monongalia County Democratic Delegate Danielle Walker, also turned out.
Walker’s support of the drag queen reading hour and vote against the Abortion Survivors Protection Act so enraged Bledsoe that after seeing an article and comments on a Black Lives Matter crosswalk — planned for the Morgantown neighborhood of Greenmont — he had to respond.
“If you don’t get rid of that satanic Danielle Walker you might as well give up!” Bledsoe wrote in a Facebook comment.
He also noted that Democratic Vice President candidate Kamala Harris was a “hoe,” which was a misspelling for a slang term used to describe a prostitute.
We know this pandemic has people house-bound for more hours than they should be, allowing for more chances of doing something on the internet they might not do otherwise — such as making unwise purchases or bingeing on Netflix. Making comments you probably shouldn’t is another error in judgment.
Bledsoe did apologize for the statement about VP candidate Harris, but not for his description of Walker as satanic. Bledsoe’s supporters have said there was no racial intent in his comments.
A representative of the Family Policy Council spoke on Bledsoe’s behalf, as did former Monongalia County Republican Delegate Cindy Frich, who is running in this year’s election for a seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates.
We believe Bledsoe’s comments are out of bounds.
The Drag Queen Story Hour was moved online because of threats made to the library. According to Monongalia County Democratic Delegate Evan Hansen, the legislative vote that drew Bledsoe’s ire was no more than a political gesture, since infanticide is already illegal. We’re not sure what inspired Bledsoe to label Harris a “hoe,” but the internet can be a very destructive device when used unwisely.
As the election lurches forward to its Nov. 3 day of reckoning, our hope is that Councilman Bledsoe keeps his focus on the municipality of Fairmont rather than the goings-on in his neighboring county. We hope candidates talk more about what they are going to do for the voters rather than sling names at the opposition.
We hope that Walker is able to shrug off this mudslinging. Remember, the highest form of compliment is an insult from a fool.
Morgantown Area News
'Friday, April 26, 2024'
