REV. KEN HUTCHERSON RESPONDS TO MICROSOFT

Phoning into the John Carlson Show (KVI m-f, 3-6p) Friday anti-gay evangelical political activist Rev. Ken Hutcherson described Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer’s credibility as a “fart in the wind.”

Ballmer, in an email today to employees, said Microsoft will formally support gay rights legislation in Washington state from now on. This was a turnabout after the software giant took a neutral position position after pressure from Hutcherson

“Obviously, the Washington state legislative session has concluded for this year, but if legislation similar to HB 1515 is introduced in future sessions, we will support it,'’ Ballmer wrote.

“He thumbed his nose at me,” said Hutcherson.”I had already won--anybody can make a decision after the pressure’s off.

“The Superbowl--the Legislature--is over and I won the game.”

Microsoft’s withdrawal of support was in the face of a Hutcherson threat of an evangelical national boycott. Though Microsoft denied that Hutcherson’ pressure had anything to do with it, (“He called me a liar,” says Hutcherson) it was widely seen as the deciding blow to a gay rights bill before the Washington State legislature last week. It lost by one vote.

“They flip-flopped, they changed their mind.” he said. "Whatever he says from now on will be like a fart in the wind.”

Carlson said he had never heard a preacher put it quite like that. Hutcherson laughed.

“Steve [Ballmer] isn’t very smart, telling me what his quarterback is going to do next year. Now I’ve got a whole year to get ready for them.”

Carlson tried to get the former pro-footballer to say how he would retaliate--or whether he’d make good on his previous threats.

But Hutcherson wouldn’t take the bait. He denied it was a threat. “it was a promise,” he said threateningly.

Hutcherson is a controversial, self-promoting political activist and founding preacher of a suburban megachurch in Kirkland, Washingotn. Click here for for a little history of him and his work. Then click here for some defining quotes.

Comments

[Scott]

This gasbag so-called "preacher" proves by his responses that this is all about him. He is an egotistical idiot who wants to bring in dollars to his right wing church. He probably really doesn't care a bit one way or the other but like all hateriots, feels like this is a good issue to stir up the knuckledraggers.

Hutch is nothing but a punk.

[bunyip]

So what, exactly, was this malignant narcissist proposing his hate-besotted dimbots do -- jump to perhaps even more gay-friendly Apple? Learn Linux? Or just bust out the trusty abacus?

I always wondered what eventually became of blowhard schoolyard bullies. I guess now we know.

Oh, and here's a lil' classic old Hutchie-poo might want to take note of:
http://web.archive.org/web/20040202035152/www.apa.org/releases/homophob.html

[GottaGo]

The vitriol against Hutcherson might be deserved, but he, and the other Christian 'Righteous/Wrongteous' types, are misunderstood by the doo-doo-good liberals.

You've got to understand that these people are SINCERE in their belief that they are God's right hand on earth and that what they think God wants, they will do, God damning anyone who gets in the way! (Sounds real Christian, when put like that, doesn't it?) They just don't get that Jesus was a pacifist who accepted the lowly into his heart and would never, EVER dream of rejecting gays and lesbians, or virtually any other person whose life was lead in peace and harmony.

(What we call "God" is simply THE amorphous force of the universe, having done nothing to contribute to our human condition except that IT - not He or She! - imbued us all with the ability to choose our own horrible, strange or blissful lives.)

Society and everything accomplished in it is a HUMAN creation, and as such is simply flawed. Greatly flawed. Irreversably flawed. Hey, it's not even supposed to be great. This world is a hell!

People, Rev Hutcherson is flawed because he truly believes a lie told by a fool and perpetuated by every stooge from Constintine to George Dubbya Bush. The only response to such a one is to patently ignore its posturing, blathering, and hateful bullyings. That'll get him where it hurts most.

[todd]

This preacher is a loudmouthed dummy. Thanks to Microsoft for seeing the light after its stumble. Truth be told the Microsoft flip-flop had nothing to go with the failure of the gay rights bill. The state senate GOP caucus had already decided to lock up together well before there was any publicity about the Microsoft switch. There were GOP senators who wanted to vote for the bill. But leadership agreed to support the views of the majority. The GOP majority had a single constituent group it was trying to please - christian fundamentalists. The really stupid part of this is that the proposal to add "sexual orientation" to the state's civil rights laws is a modest proposal with widespread mainstream appeal statewide. It would have been easy for GOP senators to say that the bill had nothing to do with interfering with fundy beliefs, because it didn't. They really screwed up in this. It'll pass soon, probably with a few less Republicans in the state senate.

[ralph kunkel]

These evangelical folks have besmirched and continue to destroy the message of christ in their search to elevate their own agendas. They will go the way of all demigogues