20060618 KDDC Mary Cheney Robert Smith and DC Metro Trains

Mary Cheney Robert Smith and DC Metro Trains

June 18^th, 2006 by Kevin Dayhoff

What in the world does Mary Cheney, former Washington Area Transit Authority board member Robert J. Smith, the planet Romulax, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and running trains have to do with one another?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Let’s edge into this to bizarre story slowly and ever so carefully. Playing the song, "Sinking," by "The Cure," while you read this, is optional.

First off; “Dick Cheney's daughter (Mary Cheney) was a campaign aide for her father during the 2000 and 2004 elections. The fact that she is a lesbian put a distinctive spin on the experience. She has a new memoir: Now It's My Turn.” (Fresh Air from WHYY, June 13, 2006)

On Sunday, June 11, Robert J. Smith referred to homosexuality as ‘‘social deviancy” during a political round-table discussion on a Montgomery County Channel 21 cable show.

I’m not making this up…

Mr. Smith, an architect from Gaithersburg is a regular panelist for 12 years on the Access Montgomery cable show, “21 This Week.” The show’s producer, Rodney Bryant, identified him as the “Republican activist” representative on the program.

Mr. Smith, (no relation to Ann Coulter, the scream Howard Dean, the Dixie Chicks or the Robert Smith that is in “The Cure,”) is also a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority board member. (“The Cure” is a band “made up of 5 aliens from the planet Romulax.”)

Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich appointed Mr. Smith to the board in 2003.

The Maryland and Virginia governor and the Washington D.C. mayor each get to appoint two voting members to the Metro board. They are paid $21,000 a year.

According to a published article in the Baltimore Sun, Mr. Smith hid behind his religion as an excuse for his inappropriate outburst: “…Smith said that he stood by his beliefs, which he said stemmed from his Roman Catholic faith, and insisted that he would not resign unless ordered by the governor…”

Ay caramba, hasn’t there been enough intolerance and injustice committed in the name of religion…

Oh, Robert Smith of “The Cure,” was also raised Catholic… I wonder if he shares Robert J. Smith’s views?

Anyway, last Thursday, June 15^th, 2006, Governor Ehrlich fired him. File this under stupid career moves for Mr. Smith, who has in the past, been an “unsuccessful Republican candidate for the General Assembly from Montgomery County,” according to published accounts.

The governor is to be applauded for swiftly taking action. Hopefully, this moment of dyspepsia will have the shelf-life of a carton of milk.

Mr. Smith’s rights to free speech have not been trampled. The governor merely afforded Mr. Smith the chance to spew his venom as a private citizen, free from the encumbrances of public office.

According to an account by the Washington Post, on the Sunday, June 11 show, Mr. Smith worked hard to be obnoxious with his intolerant views.

“… Smith interrupted another speaker who was talking about federalism and Vice President Cheney's daughter. The speaker said Cheney's daughter, who is a lesbian, would not want the government interfering in her life, according to a recording of that portion of the show… ‘That's fine, that's fine,’ Smith interrupted. ‘But that doesn't mean that government should proffer a special place of entitlement within the laws of the United States for persons of sexual deviancy.’”

Only the Good Lord knows why people need to bring up the vice-president’s daughter. She holds no public office, elected or appointed and she does not make public policy.

And can someone puh-leeze explain to me why I should care that Mary Cheney is gay?

When vice presidential candidate North Caroline Senator John Edwards raised the issue of the vice president’s daughter in the 2004 presidential election debates, many rolled their eyes. The rule of classier political practitioners is leave the family out of it.

But apparently Mary Cheney doesn’t need anyone to chivalrously come to her defense. She can do that quite well on her own. According to May 10, 2006 article in “Canada.com,” Ms. Cheney refers to the “former Vice presidential candidate John Edwards a "total slimeball" for mentioning her sexuality during the vice presidential debates.”

As reported on the blog, “Raw Story,” “According to Canada.com's account of Mary Cheney's book: ‘Sitting in the studio audience when Edwards mentioned her sexual orientation, Cheney said she looked at the vice-presidential candidate and mouthed the words 'Go (*) Yourself' a phrase her father had earlier employed against Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy.’”

Considering the recent racist remarks about MD Lt. Governor Michael Steele and the subsequent profound silence of the Democratic leadership, it’s good to see this governor, stand up for the right thing and state that Mr. Smith’s comments are unacceptable in his administration.

As far as Mary Cheney; it would appear that she can defend herself, perfectly fine.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org

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For a profile of Mary Cheney by Hank Stuever, Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 19, 2004; Page C01: “What Everybody Doesn't Know About Mary Cheney,” go here.

The entire post from the Raw Story is pasted below:

After Cheney's daughter calls Edwards 'slimeball,' Edwards spokeswoman says Cheneys are 'wonderful role models'

RAW STORY

Published: Wednesday May 10, 2006

After Vice President Cheney's daughter dubbed former Vice presidential candidate John Edwards a "total slimeball" for mentioning her sexuality during the vice presidential debates, Edwards' spokeswoman responded to RAW STORY, calling the Cheneys "wonderful role models."

"Senator Edwards continues to believe, as he said in the vice presidential debate when the issue was raised, that the Cheneys have been wonderful role models for the millions of parents around the country who love their children unconditionally," Kim Rubey, Edwards' spokeswoman for his One America political action committee said.

The scathing comments by Mary Cheney, Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter, were published in a Canada.com article and caught by Washington blogger John Aravosis.

According to Canada.com's account of Mary Cheney's book: "Sitting in the studio audience when Edwards mentioned her sexual orientation, Cheney said she looked at the vice-presidential candidate and mouthed the words 'Go F* Yourself' a phrase her father had earlier employed against Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy."

READ THE FULL CANADA.COM ARTICLE HERE, and ARAVOSIS' COMMENTS HERE.