John Dolan at NSFWCorp interviews Ian “David Koch” Murphy about his recent incarceration:
Ian Murphy, notorious reporter and artist for The Buffalo Beast, just got out of the Erie County jail after being sentenced to 15 days for “disturbing a religious service,” the prosecutor’s dubious term for disorderly conduct/obscenity at an anti-gay demonstration.
His real crime was to piss off a cop.
A lot of journalists like to play the rebel, but Murphy has always meant it, played for keeps. He got famous for his magnificent prank call to Wisconsin governor Scott Walker. Posing as David Koch, Murphy offered fascistic ideas for corralling Wisconsin’s opposition….
We wanted to be the first to interview Murphy on his time in the belly of Buffalo’s other beast, Erie County Holding Center…
Can I ask you about the incident that landed you there?This was July 24 2011. It was the first day same-sex marriage was legal in New York State and the National Organization for Marriage, basically this fucking hate group, organized protests throughout the state, I think four or five of them: NY, Rochester, Syracuse, NY City proper. So I went along to cover the one in Buffalo and brought along a friend. We brought some props.
We were basically going to go and make fun of these fundys… All this ridiculous Old Testament bullshit. And I brought along a dildo, which I managed to cram a cord into the end of and pretended it was a microphone. I brought it out of the bag once to pose for a photo, just some guy I knew who was on the scene. He and other people were there sort of counter-demonstrating. This guy was wearing a Viking helmet, and making fun of the whole Marcus Bachman “Gays R Barbarians” that was going on at the time. So he took a photo of me, I put the [dildo] back. I’d say a little bit later, off to the side of this big gathering, which was maybe 200 people that are chanting and praying and singing, we decided to take out the dildo ‘phone….
Is it illegal to carry a dildo around?
According to the jury of my peers, it is.
The thing I was eventually charged with was Statute 240.20-3: disorderly conduct, abusive or obscene language or gesture in public place. And I was charged with this 74 days after the incident…Because some genius figured out that you can’t charge me with harassment for videotaping cops. So the existence of the photo of me posing with the camera and dildo like this was basically the bedrock of their case. They blew it up to this 3-foot by 2-foot poster, and it stared at the jury the entire three days of the trial…
Was the judge against you or did that matter at all?
Oh the judge hated me, totally. Every decision was against me, basically. It was her job to protect the city from my impending lawsuit, so if she threw out the case, it was basically her admitting that I was arrested for no fucking reason. So in total, I was charged with five things: disruption of servants at a religious service; disorderly conduct; fighting or violent tumultuous or threatening behavior (they claimed I smacked a Bible out of someone’s hand — completely fictional); disorderly conduct, unreasonable noise; disorderly conduct, abusive or obscene language; and disturbance of a lawful assembly without lawful authority….
You have 48 hours to read the whole thing, and believe me, it’s worth it.
Apart from ‘watching what we think, watching what we say‘, what’s on the agenda for the evening?
Villago Delenda Est
Not too much different from the judiciary in a certain central European country in the 30’s and 40’s.
Until it was put down with force.
Suzanne
Tonight’s plans include whole wheat spaghetti with tomatoes, Parmesan, and basil, taking the puppeh for a run because we are having unseasonably lovely weather (overcast and 96 degrees, FUCK YES), and more studying.
I need a dildophone. Sounds tremendous.
ruemara
I just realized my new position is turning my brain into pudding. And not good pudding, which I suppose exists, but something yucky, like banana or pistachio. I can’t find any way to innovate something or provide excellent service above and beyond. It’s very annoying.
Plus side: wrote 4 more pages of story since my writing schedule is now more locked in.
PsiFighter37
Working out and taking it easy. Still can’t fathom why the Yankees decided to play A-Roid after the suspension…but given the roster that Cashman and Levine handed Girardi, it ain’t like he’s got any better options. What a total shitshow.
NotMax
Obviously Mr. Murphy needs more pit bulls if he’s serious about seeding a crowdburst*
*Yes, term was made up just this minute.
Litlebritdifrnt
Don’t know if anyone has mentioned this but Sully had to have Dusty put to sleep today.
http://dish.andrewsullivan.com/2013/08/05/over-5/
Riley's Enabler
Any BJers keep fancy rats?
Sprout’s 2-year old black-and-white rattie has grown an alarming mass under her right arm over the past 2 days. Tomorrow I am off to the new vet (old vet doesn’t do “exotics” and why the hell is a rat considered an exotic, ffs?) with the lumpy rattie and a heavy heart. Sprout is away at summer camp and I’d hate for the cage to be one rattie light on his return. They really are dear things. Anyone out there have rattie experience?
Yatsuno
@PsiFighter37: I was just reading about that. Talk about your major Charlie Foxtrots. It wouldn’t shock me if the usage started when he was a Mariner. It would be like his final fuck you to us.
tybee
wow. i also read the “fuck the troops” article. he nails it.
Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Mumphrey, et al.)
Please tell me that guy is going to sue the city, the police department and the woman who arrested him. I need to know that this guy is going to sue them all to hell and back.
Baud
@Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (Mumphrey, et al.):
He was found guilty. No chance of succeeding in a lawsuit.
MikeJ
The good news is that all of this happened at a counter-demonstration, after the side of goodness had already won.
Elizabelle
@Litlebritdifrnt:
Ah. Down a beagle. That’s sad.
Thursday
Articles like this make me absolutely furious. As someone who actually believes in the rule of law, not just when it’s convenient, cases of abuse of power by the police make me madder than just about any other kind of story.
Spaghetti Lee
Is it illegal to carry a dildo around?
This has been less than successful for me as a pickup line.
max
@Riley’s Enabler: Any BJers keep fancy rats?
I don’t but I talked to the rat person.
Sprout’s 2-year old black-and-white rattie has grown an alarming mass under her right arm over the past 2 days. Tomorrow I am off to the new vet (old vet doesn’t do “exotics” and why the hell is a rat considered an exotic, ffs?) with the lumpy rattie and a heavy heart. Sprout is away at summer camp and I’d hate for the cage to be one rattie light on his return. They really are dear things. Anyone out there have rattie experience?
Probably a tumor… except that given the speed of growth, it might be an abcess. If it is an abscess, count yourself lucky, because they can just vent it (and maybe sned you home with liquid antibiotics). If it’s a tumor, well, location matters, because if it’s near any major veins or organs, they can’t do a removal because the rats are too small. In which instance they may attempt prednisone to shrink the tumor.
Given the 3-5 year lifespan of a rat, you may be out of luck. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it’s an abscess though.
max
[‘Not much help, sorry.’]
Southern Beale
Some loon shot up a small-town Board Of Supervisors meeting in Pennsylvania. Two dead. No known reason — nothing controversial was on the docket.
Yeah, I fell SO much safer that people are arming themselves to the teeth at the same time the right-wing is seeing threats to the Republic behind every bush and park bench.
Fuck.
cathyx
@Spaghetti Lee: Maybe if you were actually carrying it, it would work.
Redshirt
Did Arod play? Because if so, then the Yankees are on the hook for the rest of his salary this year. He’s got 98 million left on his contract.
Riley's enabler
@max:
thank you…all words are helpful. It’s been a very fast appearance. No signs of distress or pain, and she is running in her Wodent Wheel as I type.
wonkie
My pet rats grew tumors. My dad took them to the vet and the tumors were removed. Then the tumors came back. We only put my rats through surgery once.
Rats are wonderful pets, affectionate, curious, entertaining. I had my rats when I was a child, but I still remember them vividly.
I hope you get many more years to love your rat.
Mike G
@Thursday:
This. Abuse of power is revolting.
I wonder if there’s more of this happening since the creepy authoritarianism was unleashed after 9/11, or if I’m just hearing about it more.
ShadeTail
Over this past weekend, there was the first ever GaymerX convention in San Francisco, a video game convention for the LGBTQ community.
Just thought I’d let folks know.
https://www.gaymerconnect.com/info/about
sparrow
@tybee: Yeah. I feel duly chastised. I’ve not been in the position of praising troops per se, just not… saying… anything. Hmm.
Yatsuno
@Redshirt: Ayup. Last I looked he got on base. But they really can’t bench him at this point without making even more of a ruckus than they have.
Roger Moore
@Southern Beale:
Just because it wasn’t controversial to anyone else doesn’t mean the shooter didn’t have a crazy grievance over it. And a shooter might have shown up to any meeting, not just one where his personal grievance was being talked about. Or it could be something personal, like a (possibly imagined) love triangle.
Roger Moore
@Redshirt:
I don’t think that’s correct. He has a guaranteed contract, which means he gets paid whether he plays or not, and whether he’s on the roster or not. The Yankees may have insurance that pays part of his salary when he’s on the DL, but that stopped the moment they put him on the roster, again, whether he plays or not. The only thing that bails the Yankees out from paying him is if he voluntarily retires or if he’s suspended for PED use. There may be options that vest if he plays this year, but those are for future seasons.
stoned stats
Thanks for unlocking that, AL. I need to find some scratch to subscribe. Or just the motivation.
Mnemosyne (iPad Mini)
Just checking in to report that we all survived my dad’s memorial with no bloodshed. I think my mom ended up enjoying it more than she thought. Tomorrow is lunch with the moms and then ? Still need to get a family meeting on the docket, but time is short.
Suzanne
@Spaghetti Lee: LMAO. I think I would actually respond to that one. I enjoy the freakishly direct, no BS approach.
Of course, I once bragged to a dude in a nightclub that I could name all fifty state capitals. Flirting is not my deal.
@Mnemosyne (iPad Mini): Good, thanks for checking in. You and your family have been in my thoughts.
sparky
Thanks for giving us access to that, Anne, that was pretty amusing.
dance around in your bones
Remember that guy who was interviewed by the BBC during the Boston Marathon bombing? And he had a giant pink dildo on his fridge during the interview?
I found that inadvertent (?) intrusion of the dildo far more hysterical. Though a dildo microphone is kinda funny when you consider those who might speak into it and those who might….well, do other things.
metalgirl
I don’t know when it will show up somewhere, but the NC Triangle area had a meetup in Durham tonight that was wonderfully fun! Thanks to Summer for organizing and Dusty, Kathy, Gary, John, and Corry for attending! It was a pleasure to meet all of you :) There are pictures that will show up somehow (not sure how they can be posted by a poster) :)
We’re having another next month in Cary featuring a local special guest :) Contact elizabeth at borntobeworn dot com if you’re interested.
The prophet Nostradumbass
This NSFWCorp website, who are they? I have seen a few links to them over the last few months, but have no idea who they are. Their website is also quite unhelpful.
Ted & Hellen
Hey somebody tell commenter Raven that he must read Ian Murphy’s “Fuck the Troops” article.
He’ll love it.
Yatsuno
@Suzanne: Something like this?
Fort Geek
@Roger Moore: NBC’s got some detail: 3 dead, 3 wounded, shooter in custody. Apparently he’d been kicked off his own property after 18 years of fighting with authorities over its condition.
Anne Laurie
@The prophet Nostradumbass: Well, I followed The Exiled Online writers (Mark Ames, John Dolan/The War Nerd, Eileen Jones, Yasha Levine) over to NSFWCorp.com when it was a free website. I liked it enough, and learned enough from the writers, that I started paying for a subscription as soon as Paul Carr announced the new model. I’m finding it excellent value for money, especially now that they’ve got the daily blog (Scribbles) flinging half-bricks at deserving targets like Buzzfeed’s business model, Anthony Weiner’s communications director, and Frank Bruni.
Be warned, though — while Mark Ames hates Edward Snowden even more than some of the BJ commentariat, some of the opinions expressed about the Obama administration are other than centrist. Also, their editorial art in general is so lousy that adding Ted Rall is an upgrade.
The prophet Nostradumass
@Anne Laurie: Thanks for some background. I certainly remember looking at the Exiled site in the past (Matt Taibbi was associated with it at some point, right?).
The prophet Nostradumass
I can not imagine why that last comment went into moderation.
The prophet Nostradumbass
If this fucking site wouldn’t keep forgetting people’s information, it would be nice. Delete the last comment of mine before this one if you like.
Anne Laurie
@The prophet Nostradumass: Yeah, thinking back, it was looking for Matt Taibbi that probably took me to The Exiled in the first place.
(And as you probably figured out, your comment got moderated because FYWP thought ‘Nostradumass’ was a new potentially untrustworthy commentor, not just a regular tired of typing.)