Bob Unruh goes way beyond the established facts in a Dec. 1 WorldNetDaily column, asserting that “Two veteran street preachers in Houston are facing a bench trial for spreading the biblical message about homosexuality – and other sins – on one of their favorite corners for preaching in Houston.” He then portrays the preachers as the victim of a gay conspiracy:
Their hearing will be in Houston Municipal Court, which is run by Barbara E. Hartle, who, according to the Dallas Voice, is listed by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund as “one of only a few out members of the Texas judiciary.”
She was appointed to the position by Houston Mayor Annise Parker, identified by the Los Angeles Times as “the first lesbian to head a major American city.”Allen told WND that no matter what happens, the fact that the ministers were handcuffed and ticketed, with their signs and shofar confiscated for a time, sent a chilling message about free speech regarding religion and homosexuality.
Unruh tells only the preachers’ predictably self-victimizing side of the story and makes no apparent attempt to contact the police for their side of the story. Not surprisingly, they have a different view of events.
KHOU-TV reports that the two street preachers “were combative with officers, refusing to give their IDs and disobeying commands” — an account that appears nowhere in Unruh’s article, even though he embeds the TV station’s video report in his article.
For some reason, WND loves to defend (and mislead about) the invasive behavior and extremist views of street preachers.
Unruh’s anti-gay conspiracy got overtaken by reality the next day, however, when he had to concede that this “court system managed by an ‘out’ lesbian judge” dismissed the charges against the street preachers.