Andrew Sullivan: One Standard for Me, and Another for Thee
This is my “Okay, I’ll post about Andrew Sullivan if you stop writing me about him” post.
Via the Internet Scofflaw, we learned that Andrew Sullivan once sanctimoniously wrote:
My view is that no one is above the law, and that when a society based on law prosecutes the powerless and excuses the powerful, it is corroding its own soul.
So when Andrew Sullivan gets busted for something, he will of course demand to be prosecuted if those less powerful than he are also being prosecuted. Right?
Heh.
Via a swarm of e-mailers, we learn that in a recent case where Sullivan got busted (for pot), charges were dismissed — and a judge has written:
In the Court’s view, in seeking leave to dismiss the charge against Mr. Sullivan, the United States Attorney is not being faithful to a cardinal principle of our legal system, i.e., that all persons stand equal before the law and are to be treated equally in a court of justice once judicial processes are invoked. It is quite apparent that Mr. Sullivan is being treated differently from others who have been charged with the same crime in similar circumstances.
You see, his arrest could endanger his immigration status. Getting busted for pot probably endangers others’ immigration status as well, but they are not Andrew Sullivan, Famous Hypocrite, friend to Obama, and client of the brother of a U.S. Congressman.
The only thing that surprises me about this is that anyone would be surprised.
It’s quite apparent that there is one standard for Andrew Sullivan and another standard for the rest of us. But we already knew that. Andrew Sullivan is the world’s biggest hypocrite. He is a man who decried promiscuous gay sex:
It all began in April, when Sullivan published a mocking account of his recent visit to San Francisco. “The streets were dotted with the usual hairy-backed homos,” he had snarked. “I saw one hirsute fellow dressed from head to toe in flamingo motifs.”
. . . .
This was classic Sullivan, right down to the contempt for what he calls the “libidinal pathology” of gay sexual culture. He considers gay marriage the only healthy alternative to “a life of meaningless promiscuity followed by eternal damnation.” He has hectored gay men for their obsession with “manic muscle factories,” and written at length about the need for “responsibility” in the age of AIDS.
And then advertised online for promiscuous gay sex (link not safe for work):
I take loads in my ass.
I take loads in my mouth.
I give loads in asses.
I give loads in mouths.TURN-ONS
hairy hung masculine guys
And when Sullivan’s penchant for seeking cheap sex from strangers was revealed, he pontificated that it was proper to ignore the controversy:
The truth is: no-one’s legal, consensual, adult private life should be plundered and exposed for political purposes.
I ignored the requests for comment because there was nothing to comment on. . . . I was asked to confirm a story presented anonymously, the only salient details of which I believed to be untrue. Why should I answer?
But when it came to Sarah Palin’s son, Sullivan was only to happy to press Palin to answer a story presented anonymously, the only salient details of which were untrue. Did Sullivan think Palin should answer? Naturally, that was different:
Why not kill this rumor with Palin’s medical records? A 43 year old woman’s pregnancy with a Downs Syndrome child would have been intensely monitored, and the records must be a mile long. Just release them, ok?
One standard for me, another for thee. If there is any point on which Sullivan is consistent, that is it.
I’m just going to throw this out there
“AIDS dementia complex (ADC) is a metabolic encephalopathy induced by HIV infection and fueled by immune activation of HIV infected brain macrophages and microglia. These cells are productively infected by HIV and secrete neurotoxins of both host and viral origin.[23] Specific neurological impairments are manifested by cognitive, behavioral, and motor abnormalities that occur after years of HIV infection and are associated with low CD4+ T cell levels and high plasma viral loads.
Prevalence is 10–20% in Western countries[24] but only 1–2% of HIV infections in India.[25][26] This difference is possibly due to the HIV subtype in India. AIDS related mania is sometimes seen in patients with advanced HIV illness; it presents with more irritability and cognitive impairment and less euphoria than a manic episode associated with true bipolar disorder. Unlike the latter condition, it may have a more chronic course. This syndrome is less often seen with the advent of multi-drug therapy.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=AIDS_dementia&redirect=no
thatguy (eb09ed) — 9/15/2009 @ 7:56 amHeh heh heh. Patterico, you are the BEST. *applauds*
Hypocrisy – is there anything it
no one you know (1ebbb1) — 9/15/2009 @ 7:57 amcan’twon’t do?The penalty for AS’s crime was a dinky fine. Why doesn’t he just pay it?
gp (72be5d) — 9/15/2009 @ 8:00 amBack in the days when I still read (and contributed to) his blog, I got concerned about AIDS dementia. I even e-mailed him about it. Needless to say, his response was unfriendly and I soon drifted away. I haven’t read it in years. He was a fan of Bush until Bush endorsed the anti-gay marriage amendment. Andrew has one policy issue. Just one.
Mike K (2cf494) — 9/15/2009 @ 8:17 am[…] Patterico offers another stunning hypocrisy on Sullivan’s part. (Warning: link quotes a vulgar […]
Above the law « Internet Scofflaw (97ecca) — 9/15/2009 @ 8:26 amI almost vomited when I read that online profile.
Chris Jones (23e428) — 9/15/2009 @ 8:26 amshouldn’t we deport him? He’s got a deadly illness and all.
Juan (bd4b30) — 9/15/2009 @ 8:36 amI don’t know this, but my hunch is he did not want the fine b/c it would somehow affect his residency status (is he a legal resident or did he become a citizen?).
Monkeytoe (e66874) — 9/15/2009 @ 8:37 amMy feeling is that The Atlantic’s Andrew Sullivan is first and foremost a skanky ho.
It’s hard to get past that. Ok I’m past that. Now I’ve moved on to reflecting on how The Atlantic’s Andrew Sullivan has done a lot to skank up the image of gay people. That’s ironic I think. Don’t you think that’s ironic?
I sure do.
happyfeet (71f55e) — 9/15/2009 @ 8:37 amHave read that the action was taken to avoid an issue with his pending citizenship process.
Have Blue (854a6e) — 9/15/2009 @ 8:39 amAlso I don’t think he has dementia any more than Meghan McCain does. Some people are just daft. And fat.
happyfeet (71f55e) — 9/15/2009 @ 8:46 amDidn’t they deport John Lennon for much the same reason?
papertiger (7a9e8b) — 9/15/2009 @ 8:51 amDrug convictions, even dinky marijuana ones, make an alien excludable, since 1996. It’s one of a defense attorney’s biggest headaches. Do you make a deal and keep your client out of jail at the risk of having him deported, or do you roll the dice and face a trial penalty?
In Sullivan’s case, I think he is a self-indulgent asshole. He has bitched and moaned about his struggle to stay in America for years, and now he goes and almost throws it away for a toke. And I think that’s how he got HIV-infected, too. His appetites rule him.
nk (df76d4) — 9/15/2009 @ 8:55 amI believe he wouldn’t pay it because it would be an acknowledgement of guilt. Then, if ever asked by immigration or customs authorities, he would have to admit to being caught in possession of a controlled substance.
This way he gets to pretend it never happened. What. A. Douchebag.
h2u (81b7bd) — 9/15/2009 @ 8:55 amHow did he get caught in the first place? He was lighting up in public, yes? If so, that’s not only ignorant, but arrogant as well.
Dmac (a93b13) — 9/15/2009 @ 9:15 am#8 Monkeytoe and #10 Have Blue: The court decision (linked in the 5th paragraph of the post) specifically mentions that the U.S. Attorney’s office said they were droppping the charge to avoid interfering with his application for a certain immigration-related status, although it’s unclear whether that would be a visa renewal or citizenship. See page 4.
The decision also indicates that the judge asked how this would help, since Sullivan would still have to admit on an application that he had been charged with a drug offense. The prosecutors said they had checked with an immigration lawyer, and he had said that dropping the charges would help. The court decision suggests that this response left the situation still unclear to the judge.
#12 Papertiger: The situation was somewhat similar, except that Lennon’s drug conviction had taken place in England before he attempted to get U.S. residency. Also, Lennon was ordered deported but was able to appeal for a long enough time until the government was no longer interested in deporting him, so he was not actually forced to leave the U.S.
Joshua (9ede0e) — 9/15/2009 @ 9:21 amOf course, the simplest explanation for the dismissal could be that Assistant United States Attorney James F. Lang, Acting Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division, is gay. Net works.
nk (df76d4) — 9/15/2009 @ 9:38 amJosh, I’m also confused.
The reason it hurts immigration attempts to commit crimes is that we don’t want criminal immigrants. How is it the prosecution’s job to short circuit our laws? Change the law if you think it’s so awful (it isn’t) No doubt, even law abiding applicants will have a harder time becoming citizens than Andrew. Corruption.
Juan (bd4b30) — 9/15/2009 @ 10:05 amSince when is it a prosecutor’s job to “look out for” someone charged with a crime? Did he give info on other bigger crimes to get this service (going so far as to check with immigration lawyers to make sure they are helping him)?
this sounds more like a personal favor by the U.S. Attorney’s office than anything else.
Monkeytoe (e66874) — 9/15/2009 @ 10:26 amAndrew Sullivan is just one giant HIV virion…
Frank Drackman (e391b7) — 9/15/2009 @ 10:47 amsome of this just gets weird and hatey I think…
not that there’s anything wrong with weird and hatey but it takes a bit of verve to do it right I think
happyfeet (71f55e) — 9/15/2009 @ 10:49 amHe is consistent.
His only value is power. All other values are used to manipulate others.
Amphipolis (b120ce) — 9/15/2009 @ 11:47 amIn case you are keeping score.
There is no circumstance where I want to read anything that is in any way, shape or form related to Andrew Sullivan.
There is no circumstance where I want to read anything that is in any way, shape or form related to Levi Johnson.
There is no circumstance where I want to read anything that is in any way, shape or form related to Andrew Sullivan.
There is no circumstance where I want to read anything that is in any way, shape or form related to Charles Johnson.
Did I mention, there is no circumstance where I want to read anything that is in any way, shape or form related to Andrew Sullivan?
Larry Sheldon (86b2e1) — 9/15/2009 @ 11:57 amNow that I’ve read this, there isn’t enough soap in the world to make me feel clean. Yuck.
Rochf (ae9c58) — 9/15/2009 @ 12:18 pmIn case you are keeping score,
I like to read stories like this.
Juan (bd4b30) — 9/15/2009 @ 12:19 pmrochf has a point though. I’d ask y’all to add a warning to those milky loads ads, but it’s pretty obvious the ad is disgusting. Andrew is a man in deep disfunction. I don’t care how disfunctional he is sexually, but he’s such a nut when it comes to everything in his life.
I think it’s really sad what his illness may have done to him. I don’t care that it’s his fault; no one deserves that.
Juan (bd4b30) — 9/15/2009 @ 12:22 pmChris Matthews once said the extreme wings of the two parties are like little dogs held under the arm of two owners who pass on the street. The dogs bark at each other.
I can only attribute this site’s intense interest in Sullivan to that phenomenon. I would wager less than 1 or 2 percent of the country ever heard of him.
Actually, I thought I had heard he was conservative, or once conservative, pre-Obama.
Anyway, I read this site way more than his, so I couldn’t say.
This will be my only comment on this subject. Carry on.
Myron (6a93dd) — 9/15/2009 @ 12:33 pmChris Matthews is a little dog. He’s one of dirty socialist Jeffy Immelt’s little dogs in fact. A rapidly aging little dog what looks like death without his makeup I think.
happyfeet (71f55e) — 9/15/2009 @ 12:38 pmMyron admits he doesn’t know anything about Sullivan, but ‘can only attribute’ the criticism of OBVIOUS prosecutor corruption to this site being “extreme”.
What a dumb thing to say.
Who cares if only a small percentage of the country have heard of this former NYT columnist? This is still wrong. Sullivan was never conservative, but he supported Bush for well under half of his term. Myron obviously knows it. Sullivan viciously attacks good people and says dumb things. He’s called Mccain and even Obama voter Ann Althouse “Pro Torture”. He’s railed against unequal treatment of the law, and the democrats love putting him up as some kind of example of moderate conservatism. Of course we want to talk about the fact that Sullivan sought and was granted forgiveness for crimes. I want to know how he got it. I want more coverage.
Sullivan an extreme lefist who is used as a fake moderate republican. Myron’s stunted idea an argument makes clear the left knows he’s one of them.
Juan (bd4b30) — 9/15/2009 @ 12:45 pm#13 nk — In Sullivan’s case, I think he is a self-indulgent asshole.
Well, he definitely indulges that area, quite frequently it seems.
One would think he’d have difficulty doing that when his fat bald head is so obviously crammed up there already.
Icy Texan (259a85) — 9/15/2009 @ 1:02 pmThe best use of Andrew Sullivan at the moment is as a vile, nasty, disgusting, untalented, humourless, sewer-bound counterexample, showing that not all gay males are clones of that guy who’s going to host the award show on Sunday (I’m not going to mention either name.) Light-years apart, moving apart, and still on the same planet.
htom (412a17) — 9/15/2009 @ 1:05 pmCarry on.
Comment by Myron — 9/15/2009 @ 12:33 pm
Thank you – we appreciate your permission.
no one you know (1ebbb1) — 9/15/2009 @ 1:10 pmA.S. has all the characteristics of a pathological Narcissist and/or Borderline Personality. The lying and the seeing himself as above the rules are part and parcel of it.
ras (20bd5b) — 9/15/2009 @ 1:10 pm“Carry on.”
SPC Jack Klompus (c1922b) — 9/15/2009 @ 1:19 pmYou remain one of the stupidest people ever to comment here. Carry on.
Also I don’t think he has dementia any more than Meghan McCain does.
So ?
Mike K (2cf494) — 9/15/2009 @ 2:24 pmI mean I don’t think the Andrew Sullivan has dementia any more than Meghan McCain has dementia. She’s just stupid. Andrew has issues but dementia isn’t one of them. The Atlantic people know so many AIDS dementia victims from back in the day that they would know I think. AIDS used to be a very popular disease you know.
happyfeet (71f55e) — 9/15/2009 @ 2:46 pmMy advice: just shrug your shoulders and move on.
Fritz (ab6ca8) — 9/15/2009 @ 3:39 pmIs there any (legal) way to deblog him surgically? 🙂
JerryT (412e24) — 9/15/2009 @ 3:59 pmTasty. **figuratively**
HeavenSent (01a566) — 9/15/2009 @ 4:31 pmYou know, I think the man is addle-pated. I don’t know whether the dementia might be a result of being homosexual per se or of being homosexual while trying to remain Catholic. But something is seriously amiss, and how he can retain a public voice escapes me. But maybe it’s just the impossible tension of wanting to be both promiscuous and faithful. Many of us heterosexuals suffer a similar dilemma, although at least the telos of love between man and woman is ethical. Homosexuality has no telos at all, just the impulses of aberrant lust.
Noesis Noeseos (30eb53) — 9/15/2009 @ 6:25 pmAnd we’re supposed to care what happens to AS?
AD - RtR/OS! (489f10) — 9/15/2009 @ 11:00 pmOther than the fact that it confirms that we no longer function as a Republic, why is this newsworthy?
Nicely done, Patterico!
By the way, I wrote to you only once about this incident. 😎
To me, this appears to be a clear abuse of prosecutorial discretion, and I am disappointed that the Magistrate Judge did not refuse to dismiss the charge. I do not think the law is so settled that the Magistrate Judge was forced to dismiss and he should have, in my opinion, forced the US attorney to go through the motions of putting on no evidence.
Ira (28a423) — 9/15/2009 @ 11:15 pmlook up sec 237(a)(2)(B) of the INA. If he’s a green card holder, which is likely, he’s not deportable for a conviction for 30 grams or less of marijuana (personal use). If he’s a nonimmigrant, he would be inadmissible 212(a)(2)(B).
gunnage (666cf4) — 9/18/2009 @ 7:42 amThere are BIA ( Board of Immigration Appeals) decisions about this, no contests, pre trial diversions and other deferred adjudications are convictions for immigration proceedings. It is not fair however in New York State he might be given an adjournment for contemplation for dismissal which would not be considered a conviction for immigration. I read part of the judge’s statement,of course he’s getting special treatment. Even though he’s probably not deportable, he doesn’t know that. It will also delay his application for citizenship.
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