Did Saxby Chambliss aide leave threatening slur?

U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss confirmed Tuesday that he investigating whether one of his staffers left a threatening slur on an Internet discussion of the right of gays and lesbians to serve openly in the U.S. military.

“We have seen the allegations and are moving quickly to understand the facts. This office has not and will not tolerate any activity of the sort alleged,” Chambliss spokeswoman Bronwyn Lance Chester said. “Once we have ascertained whether these claims are true, we will take the appropriate steps.”

The comment was posted on Joe.My.God., a blog dedicated to gay and lesbian issues.

“All [gays] must die,” wrote the commenter, identifying himself as “Jimmy,” shortly after a Democratic bid to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” faltered in the U.S. Senate.

Blog author Joseph Jervis of New York City used the Internet Protocol address attached to the comment to trace the slur to “the neighborhood” of Chambliss’ office in Atlanta. Readers quickly helped.

“Among the fields in which gay people are over-represented is the IT field,” said Jervis, who is also the East Coast editor for Pride magazine.

Chambliss’ office is located along I-75, near the Cobb Galleria. The office of U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson is in the same area, but on the opposite side of the interstate.

A spokeswoman for Isakson, who is up for re-election, said his staff quickly ascertained that the message did not originate with them.

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73 comments Add your comment

khc

September 21st, 2010
6:58 pm

red hill, how long have you been a rightwing nutjob?

Truth Hurts

September 21st, 2010
7:03 pm

I have a drem. I have a dream of a Heterosexual Pride Day featuring a Heterosexual Pride Parade down Peachtree Street. We can carry banners and signs as heterosexual couples walk hand-in-hand in the Parade. I may not get there with you, but we as heterosexuals will have that parade!

Amen.

Scott

September 21st, 2010
7:04 pm

I love how some of you conservative nut-jobs hide behind this book of fables called the Bible and proclaim it as “truth” or “fact.” Guess what, people: There is no god. There never was a god. There never will be a god. This “god” creature was created by man to either 1) answer questions that at the time couldn’t be explained any other way, or 2) control the masses, usually through fear.

Get your head out of the sand and start thinking for yourself instead of believing what some preacher tells you to believe.

Truth Hurts

September 21st, 2010
7:07 pm

Scott:

I’m going to pray for you.

Jay

September 21st, 2010
7:08 pm

I think I am too, Dave.

Randy

September 21st, 2010
7:09 pm

It sad that people have so much hate in America it to much stuff going on to hate Gays in the military. Gay military staff are on the line fighting everyday in Afghanistan and I think we owe them to be open gay in the military. I have friends are gay in the military they are treated so badly. If Isakinson need not to be voted out of the office because if he voted against the bill let show him that dont take our votes for granted. Deal need not to be elected for governor because he is against gays in the military. I am going to vote against the republicans to show them I am voter who say NO to the republican party.

Truth Hurts

September 21st, 2010
7:13 pm

Randy:

Are you “for real”?

Pillsbury

September 21st, 2010
7:20 pm

Red Hill, I would imagine that stating that all gays must die is most certainly a threat. I woulld also respectfully add that an employee of a Georiga politician making hateful comments about a group of Americans would be of great interest to all Georgians. By the way, I live in Augusta.

Randy

September 21st, 2010
7:20 pm

Yes I am foreal we are going to vote the Republicans out the office because they are the party of NO. Isakinson dont represent Georgia he only care what the republican tell him to vote on, now it my time to vote NO in November. We dont need Nathan Deal to be governor because he will be going to jail for corruption. So I am going to vote NO republican.I wish Karen Handel could be a write in candidate because I value Handel because she put everything on the table she dont hide behind no closet doors. Deal need not to be elected governor.

khc

September 21st, 2010
7:26 pm

hey truth, how long you been one too?

[...] Atlanta Journal-Constitution has made inquiries of the Senators’ staff: A spokeswoman for Isakson said his staff quickly [...]

Jay

September 21st, 2010
7:30 pm

Die? Gays and lesbians who have served our country HAVE died to protect lowlifes like “Jimmy”.

Jim W.

September 21st, 2010
7:30 pm

The comment “Frequent Voter

September 21st, 2010
5:58 pm
This is EXACTLY why I cannot vote Republican. Just when you think they might be making some sense on fiscal issues, they go back to their idiotic ways.
————————————————————————————————————————–
Your comment is not logical. The person making the slur was not the Senator but possibly a member of his staff.

Randy

September 21st, 2010
7:33 pm

Hate attack appears to come from Sen. Chambliss’ office
Timothy Kincaid
September 21st, 2010
Today around noon someone going by “Jimmy” left the following message on Joe Jervis’ blogsite, JoeMyGod, on a thread discussing the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell:

Joe released the IP address of the computer from which the comment was made, and it was identified as belonging to the US Senate and was located in Atlanta, GA. The Senate offices of Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss, both Republicans, are located in the same building and the longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates for the IP address direct to that building.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has made inquiries of the Senators’ staff:

A spokeswoman for Isakson said his staff quickly ascertained that the message did not originate there.

Which leaves one other possibility

“We have seen the allegations and are moving quickly to understand the facts. This office has not and will not tolerate any activity of the sort alleged,” Chambliss spokeswoman Bronwyn Lance Chester said. “Once we have ascertained whether these claims are true, we will take the appropriate steps.”

It will be interesting to discover exactly what Sen. Chambliss considers to be appropriate. And it makes one wonder exactly what sort of political atmosphere exists in his office which would allow a staff member to assume that such behavior was acceptable.

Dave

September 21st, 2010
7:35 pm

No problem Jay, I went over to your place and got the context for your comments.

[...] Joe.My.God: Someone sent Joe a hate-filled comment. And that someone works in a Republican Senator’s office. [...]

[...] Political Insider’s Jim Galloway reports Chambliss’ office is now investigating the message on Joe.My.God., a blog dedicated to gay and lesbian issues. The office targeted is located off I-75, near the Cobb Galleria. Blog author Joseph Jervis of New York City used the Internet Protocol address attached to the comment to trace the slur to “the neighborhood” of Chambliss’ office in metro Atlanta. [...]

[...] (R-GA) and Sen. Johnny Isakson’s (R-GA) staff. When it was shortly thereafter confirmed by Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Jim Galloway that the comment was, in fact, sent from Chambliss’ office, Chambliss’ spokesperson [...]

[...] I believe the correct one would be a recursive acronym that when chanted becomes a mantra entrancing its victim, making the aide stupider and more morally and ethically malleable. [...]

[...] here to read [...]

[...] en que se encuentran las oficinas de los senadores mencionados. Acto seguido, el analista político Jim Galloway consiguió ponerse en contacto con Chabliss para intentar confirmar su origen desde sus oficinas, y [...]

[...] Jim Galloway at The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports, [...]

[...] yesterday afternoon, Jim Galloway at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution picked up on the story and “confirmed” with Chambliss’s office that it is investigating the matter: U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss [...]