Despicable!! Ass. att gen. of Michigan attacking college student!

**hudkina** · October-02-10, 11:55 PM

If they can find other reasons to fire the guy, I'm all for it, but I can't condone firing him because he exercised his right to free speech. If you allow him to get fired for this, what's going to stop other people getting fired or in trouble with the law for other forms of "free speech". This guy is a moron and maybe he isn't fit to work for the Office of the Attorney General, but I think the bigger crime would be censoring our right to free speech.

**Meddle** · October-03-10, 12:03 AM

If you allow him to get fired for this, what's going to stop other people getting fired or in trouble with the law for other forms of "free speech".

No one. And they shouldn't as shown in the links I included above. Behave yourself or be unemployed.

If I were the Attorney General of any state or the head of any government agency where impartiality and fairness was a key factor in the office mission, I'd have fired this Goof two seconds after hearing about this kind of behavior. And I'd have probably had him arrested also for the harassment angle.

**DetroiterOnTheWestCoast** · October-04-10, 03:17 PM

If I were still in Michigan, I 'd be standing in front of his house with a sign declaring him a self-hating CLOSET CASE! And a video cam. Just exercising my first amendment rights.

**Danny** · October-06-10, 07:30 AM

That's what happens when homosexuals rule the world. I've seen the results from the blog.

ferntruth · November-02-10, 05:38 PM

Originally Posted by Danny

That's what happens when homosexuals rule the world. I've seen the results from the blog.

Proof that we Gays don't rule the world? You're still breathing aren't you, Danny?
Now away with you homophobe, before someone outs YOU.

**hudkina** · October-03-10, 01:30 AM

The guy can have an opinion and be impartial. It's no different from a lawyer defending a guy who molested and murdered a little girl. He doesn't have to agree with who he is defending...

What we should worry about is the whole notion behind "Behave yourself or be unemployed", especially when it comes to our behavior outside of work.

**pffft** · October-03-10, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by hudkina

The guy can have an opinion and be impartial. It's no different from a lawyer defending a guy who molested and murdered a little girl. He doesn't have to agree with who he is defending...

What we should worry about is the whole notion behind "Behave yourself or be unemployed", especially when it comes to our behavior outside of work.

Stalking and threatening a college student goes far beyond having "an opinion"...

**hudkina** · October-03-10, 09:11 PM

Writing a blog isn't considered stalking, and even picketing outside his home isn't technically illegal as long as he was on public land and didn't have a restraining order.

Also, this case has nothing to do with the guy's ability to perform at his job. It's his job to be able to defend ideas and people who he may disagree with. If for some reason he can't do that, then he should be dismissed, but otherwise he shouldn't necessarily be fired for exercising his free speech, no matter how poor his judgement may have been.

**pffft** · October-03-10, 11:11 PM

Following a college students' friends to a party in order to track down the student, heckling him at meetings -- these are all indications of poor judgment, and judgment is exactly what we as taxpayers of the state of Michigan are paying him for.

**John** · October-04-10, 12:04 AM

I receieved this e-mail yesterday:
----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear supporters:

Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell has gained national attention by blogging and gay-bashing student body president of the University of Michigan, Chris Armstrong. And while it was announced today that Shirvell has taken a personal leave of absence amidst this controversy, we're not satisfied.

Shirvell has said he is "raising awareness" of what Armstrong stands for, referring to him as a "radical homosexual activist" and "Satan's representative."

Equality Michigan Action Network calls on our supporters to now raise awareness and send a message to the Attorney General of the State of Michigan, Mike Cox.

Especially in this time when our young people are taking their own lives at an alarming rate, often as a result of bullying, we need to send our message of fairness and equality to the Attorney General's office.
Freedom of speech is one thing … But hate speech and bullying cross the line. No attorney supported by our tax dollars should be allowed to operate in this manner!

Email Attorney General Mike Cox and tell him Andrew Shirvell must to go!

Please copy and paste the text below in an email addressed to miag@michigan.gov and info@equalitymi.org:
YOUR NAME
YOUR ADDRESS
YOUR EMAIL

Dear Attorney General Cox:
As a supporter of equal rights for all in the state of Michigan, I insist that you fire Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell immediately. His recent actions against U-M student assembly president Chris Armstrong have proven his bias towards the LGBT community and we feel this disables him from fairly representing this population in a court of law. Additionally, it appears that Shirvell violated a PPO and this is beyond proper conduct for an assistant attorney general. It is illegal. I look forward to your swift action regarding this crucial matter.

**Gistok** · October-04-10, 02:16 AM

Originally Posted by hudkina

The guy can have an opinion and be impartial. It's no different from a lawyer defending a guy who molested and murdered a little girl. He doesn't have to agree with who he is defending...

What we should worry about is the whole notion behind "Behave yourself or be unemployed", especially when it comes to our behavior outside of work.

What part of... HE'S A BIGOT and BIGOTRY SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED as State or Federal Prosecutors..... don't you understand Hudkina???

Sure there's slimeball private lawyers... and that's not against the law... but when you're DEFENDING the law.... that's another matter...

**Al Publican** · October-04-10, 01:07 AM

I thought I heard mention of this by Shirvell on CNN in passing. If so, Westboro is the zealot outfit that demonstrates at funerals for military personnel.
Imagine coming in on a Monday at work and asking Shirvell how his weekend went.

**Whitehouse** · October-04-10, 08:33 AM

Originally Posted by Al Publican

I thought I heard mention of this by Shirvell on CNN in passing. If so, Westboro is the zealot outfit that demonstrates at funerals for military personnel.
Imagine coming in on a Monday at work and asking Shirvell how his weekend went.

Ding dong!!

Looks a lot like him.Did he just pass the demo and made an impromptu sign at the scene?

Also a classic at meetings of the WBC: signs that punks the church! Two on the right.

[[... but now that he has time off, where is he?? I would be the scoop of the century if he was caught with a gay lover.

)

Edit:
On second thought...
All the signs are punking him! It was a one-person demo from the start.

**Meddle** · October-04-10, 02:21 AM

There's another column on Sunday's DetNews site that I haven't read on this tool.

**pffft** · October-04-10, 07:59 AM

Here you go... the Sunday Detroit News column about it...with mention of Westboro.

http://detnews.com/article/20101003/OPINION03/10030302/

**Melocoton** · October-04-10, 08:08 AM

That article basically says he's as loony as the Westboro Church people, not affiliated with them.

Originally Posted by pffft

Here you go... the Sunday Detroit News column about it...with mention of Westboro.

http://detnews.com/article/20101003/OPINION03/10030302/

Again, though, there's no free speech issue here, unless you think the first amendment was written to protect people's right to never face any consequences for their stupidity.

**John** · October-04-10, 08:04 AM

The News has run different editorials on Sunday and again today:

Neal Rubin: Commentary: Anti-gay blogger is out of control

Laura Berman: Free speech or harassment?

**Jimaz** · October-04-10, 12:06 PM

Originally Posted by John

The News has run different editorials on Sunday and again today:

Neal Rubin: Commentary: Anti-gay blogger is out of control

Laura Berman: Free speech or harassment?

^ Links repaired ^

**jcole** · October-04-10, 08:04 AM

The operative word here is essentially. I don't think Rubin is saying he IS a member of Westboro, just that he acts like one.

Andrew Shirvell, 30, embarked on a hasty leave of absence last week after his harassment of Chris Armstrong became national news. He managed to sneak largely under the radar, though, when he essentially aligned himself with the loons from Westboro Baptist Church a few months earlier.

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20101003/...#ixzz11OXUcBui

**ragnarok1981** · October-04-10, 11:31 AM

Andrew Shirvell is what you get when you have people go to a school like Ave Maria. Injecting religion into a law school is just a recipe for disaster. As for why Cox won't get rid of him, well if you look at past stories there was mention of Shirvell being one of the leaders of his reelection campaign in the last election, so they obviously have a closer relationship than just coworkers. [[and no not implying sexual relationship)

**mikeinmotown** · October-04-10, 02:41 PM

Originally Posted by ragnarok1981

Andrew Shirvell is what you get when you have people go to a school like Ave Maria. Injecting religion into a law school is just a recipe for disaster. As for why Cox won't get rid of him, well if you look at past stories there was mention of Shirvell being one of the leaders of his reelection campaign in the last election, so they obviously have a closer relationship than just coworkers. [[and no not implying sexual relationship)

I think Miky and Andrew are banging. If you ever met Cox in public you would see how of a girly man he is, small feet and hands. Remember Cox was banging his employee a few years ago and his wife stayed with him. How honorable.

**mikeinmotown** · October-04-10, 02:37 PM

This guy is a totally gay and hates himself for it. He thinks that by attacking gay people he will make himself straight. Come on his name is Andrew. How gay is that. One of these days he will be arrested for having sex with a man in a public bathroom. Remember the racist Storm Thurman. He hated blacks then it turned out he was banging his black maid and produced a child. Racist bastards. Both of them.

**Jiveturkey** · November-10-10, 02:02 PM

Originally Posted by mikeinmotown

This guy is a totally gay and hates himself for it. He thinks that by attacking gay people he will make himself straight. Come on his name is Andrew. How gay is that. One of these days he will be arrested for having sex with a man in a public bathroom. Remember the racist Storm Thurman. He hated blacks then it turned out he was banging his black maid and produced a child. Racist bastards. Both of them.

I totally agree with you on this one!

**Hypestyles** · October-04-10, 03:08 PM

this is highly insensitive, especially in light of the Rutgers student suicide recently..

**Kevgoblue** · October-04-10, 03:19 PM

Originally Posted by Hypestyles

this is highly insensitive, especially in light of the Rutgers student suicide recently..

Well if the guy had any level of sensitivity about him [[i.e. wasn't a F#*in' D bag ) he wouldn't be out on some hypothetical witchhunt to begin with.
God, I hope he gets fired. How does he profess to be able to do his job without some type of obvious bias? Time for the state to rescind his job offer.