Transcript of Holcomb Interview

Someone must comment and tell me how to insert a cut.

Here's the transcript of the interview with Sheriff Holcomb posted on AMERICAblog. It's free for use and for revisions; I didn't proofread it because I proofread all day and 8 hours is plenty for me.

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H = Holcomb; M = Michael

H: Hello?
M :Ah, yes, is this Sherrif Holcomb?
H: Uh, yes it is.
M: Hi, Sherrif. This is Michaelangelo Signoreli. I'm with the Michaelangelo Signoreli show. We are a national satellite radio show out of New York City.
H: Uh-huh.
M: And you're on the air right now. We were given your number from the sheriff's office. We wanted to talk to you about some of the attention and publicity that has come from the letter that you put on your Web site.
[Unintelligible]
Tell us ...
H: [Unintelligible] What questions do you have?
M: What is it that you believe empowers you as a law enforcement official to call homosexuality an abomination and how then can gay people who might be in your district there, in your county, feel that you're actually going to protect them against being attacked or ridiculed or have hate against them?
H: Ok, obviously you're a liberal talk show host, so I'll just keep that in mind while answering your question. I'm a Christian, and that might be foreign to a lot of folks, but I'm a Christian, and people-- and I have the right to say what I want to, whether it's-- The President of the United States made his views known on homosexuality. He's a man-and-wife person. Senators [unintelligible] to any product from the liberal element, and this is been posted on my Web site for 10 years. And this... someone from California apparently just found it and made an issue out of it.
M: So do you feel that because the President of the United States has made statements like this, that it empowers you, then, to enforce the law according to those same principles as he does?
H: Well, the Constitution of the United States, Michael-- Michael, is that right?
M: That's right.
H: No, Michael, I enforce the law equally across the board. I've had 4 adult homosexuals at work during my administration. I protect everybody, regardless, but I have my opinion. It's based on the Bible, which the liberal elements don't believe, a lot of [unintelligible] sentiment--
M: But if that's your personal opinion, why do you then make it public in your public role as the sheriff on the Marshall County Sheriff's Office Web site? Aren't you then saying that it should be public policy to view homosexuality according to the Bible?
H: No. Yeah, I think it should be, because I'm a Christian. I'm not a Buddhist or an atheist. Certainly, I was. I've campaigned on family values, which is foreign to all these folks. You know, let me tell you. Your listening audience, if the homosexual element has their way in this chapter[?], all the [unintelligible] that the liberal element does about overpopulation, the state of the Amazon forest, not drilling for oil in Alaska, don't have to worry about that, because if everybody turned homosexual, my friend, there will be no more children. That's-- I would fear that, then the only thing that would inhabit the earth would be the free creatures now that roams the Amazon forest or the ice lands[?] of Alaska.
M: Ah. Now. Do you believe, then, the Bible should be the law of the land, that that should be instilling our laws in this country?
H: America was-- Read your Constitution and the voice of our founding fathers. This country is based on Judeo-Christian principles. Our laws--
M: There's no mention of God in the Constitution of the United States.
H: Have you ever read any of the documents that our Founding Fathers put out? You can already--
M: Oh, I certainly do. I know that Thomas Jefferson very much believed in the separation of church and state and that he felt those principles should be the law of the land, and he believed that people would become less attached to religion as time went on. He was wrong about that, but he's certainly one of the great founding fathers of our country.
H: And he thought what? Religion would diminish? Is that what you're saying?
M: He did believe that. Of course, he was wrong about that.
H: Well, I'm going to tell you something. I'll tell you something. It is diminishing because obviously you and the people that like you would have religion diminish. I have as much right to be a Christian as you do to be whatever you are.
M: Well, you have every right to be a Christian, but everybody in this country has a right to be protected and a right to have every--
H: Has anybody-- has anybody called and said that I don't protect anybody, or...?
M: Well, do you believe that gay men and lesbians should be protected against being fired in their jobs? Do you believe there should be anti-discrimination laws?
H: Oh, yes! I don't-- I'm-- I've had four homosexuals work for me in my administration. Knowing. I hired them knowing. That doesn't mean that I'm for it. I'm against [unintelligible]
M: Ah, So you believe they should be protected with anti-discrimination laws and with other laws that protect them and their families?
H: Sure. But no special rights. I don't give anybody any special rights.
M: Okay. So what do you mean by--
H: --If a straight person or a homosexual breaks the law in Marshall County, Alabama, they're going to-- they're going to go to jail.
M: But do you think there should be a law? Cause there's not one in Alabama. There are in six states.
H: Giving them special rights?
M: No. Not a special right. A law that says it is illegal to fire someone based on their sexual orientation.
H: There is a Federal law against that, my friend.
M: No, there isn't. There's no Federal law protecting people who are gay.
H: You let somebody fire somebody because they're homosexual, whatever, they'll go to EEOC, my friend, and the company or the organization will be sued.
M: You know, I gotta tell you, though, that that's not true. You can do that if someone is African American, but you cannot do that if someone is gay or lesbian, or based on sexual orientation.
H: Yes. Sex discrimination. That's what you're calling that. What you're talking about, Michael, here, and you audience (I hope Hillary Clinton's listening), is a most despicable, most despicable act. I don't have to go into it, because apparently most of your audience understands this and are for it, and they know what homosexuals do. Nothing could be more despicable. If there was no God, if there was no Bible-- Even animals don't do this despicable act. If a dog, a male dog, tried this with another male dog, he would probably lose a vital organ.
M: Don't you believe that-- First of all, there are male dogs who do that with one another. There are gay dogs. There are -- Homosexuality exists throughout the animal kingdom.
H: You guys never got dogs in New York we got down here, cause our Southern dogs don't -- male dogs don't do that to one another.
M: Well, you know, people like yourself used to believe that people actually didn't do this. Until people started coming out of the closet.
H: Oh no. I know they did. There's been people, in my opinion, pervert-ish ideas that these people do, almost as bad as-- I can't think of anything much more distressing than that, but it's been around. It's just that the pres-- the country degenerates--
M: But don't you believe that--
[crosstalk]
H: Are you going to [unintelligible] or are you going to overtalk me?
M: Uh, no, I have more questions, but go ahead.
H: All right, well I was in the middle of a sentence there, but go ahead with your question.
M: I want to know, do you believe that your Web site, where you call homosexuality an abomination, and you attack homosexuality, that that could instill and inspire people to protest[?] and violence against gay people? You know, the Bible-- the Bible is interpreted by many to say that there should be a death sentence for homosexuality. Why don't you believe that fully? Why don't-- Why do you only believe part of the Bible but not the rest of it?
H: Well, I believe it all. I believe it all. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible, of course, but people with your liberal bent say it was an earthquake. You don't believe what the Old Testament says.
M: No, but the Old Testament says that you should put homosexuals to death. It says that you shouldn't eat shellfish. I would hope you're staying away from clams.
H: (laughter) I certainly will to[?] your clams. I'll do that.
M: And I wonder what you think, then, of--
H: --You're not letting me finish. There's some good folks in New York. I'm not putting everybody in their position[?], because there are good folks in New York. Good folks.
M: Hillary Clinton.
H: There's good folks in California. So I'm not putting all these folks down. They're good folks. I'm a Christian. The basis of this is I'm a Christian. Now, go ahead and ask your question, and I'll let you-- I'll let you talk, and I'll answer.
M: Well, for instance, the Bible also says that slavery is a good thing. The Bible does not-- What about interracial marriage? Do you believe that the races should not be mixing?
H: I have no problem whatsoever with that. One of my -- You liberals don't like Clarence Thomas, who's married to a white woman.
M: I think that's perfectly okay.
H: Are you-- Are you going to let me talk, or do you want to end this conversation?
M: Go right ahead.
H: All right. Clarence Thomas is married to a white woman. You liberals cannot stand him, call him your Uncle Tom, because he's a conservative black. That's racism on your part but you go around the bush to get to it.
M: Well, I don't have any-- I have no issue with his being married to a white woman.
H: Don't like him, though, do you.
M: I have no issue with him being an African American. I don't like him because he's a conservative, yeah. And that would be true no matter what color he was.
H: You always fall back on that, but---
M: Well, and the President engaged in affirmative action because he picked someone because they were black, not because their record showed that they had enormous experience.
H: No, no, he didn't pick Clarence Thomas because of affirmative action, my friend.
M: And I have no problem with affirmative action, but they say they are against it.
H: I'm sorry?
M: I have no problem with affirmative action, but they say they are against it, and then they picked him because he was black.
H: They did not pick him because he's black. You liberals. This is where you get off. You're racist, but you want to throw the racism onto conservatives on [unintelligible] the President.
M: How come there are no black men on the police force in the Sheriff's office there?
[crosstalk]
H: I have tried to recruit them. And I'll tell you what you do. You are-- You-- Send me a good black man from ew York and if he checks out and he's got a clean record I would love to have him.
M: Hm. Do you believe--
H: I don't care if he's homosexual. If he'll enforce the law equally across the board, that's fine.
M: Do you believe that-- You said that you believe, and we disagreed, about the founding fathers and the basis of religion in this country. Do you believe that this country should be theocratic, that religious leaders should be leading the country?
H: Christian-- Yes, Christians should lead this country, which was founded on Judeo-Christian -- If this is Egypt, Muslims or whatever should lead this -- that country. I wouldn't expect -- I don't think a Christian would be the King of Saudi Arabia! If I was over there and there was a Ten Commandments-- if I was a Muslim and there were a Ten Commandments in Muslim law, then that's where I live.
M: So then--
H: When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I'm not going to participate in the direct segregation that you liberals are trying to do to this country. I'm going to be a part of it. And I'll fight it to the death, certainly.
M: But isn't that what the Taliban was? They were a theocracy.
H: I'm sorry?
M: The Taliban in Afghanistan. They were a theocracy.
H: Are you saying they were Christian?
M: They were a Muslim theocracy. You believe in theocracy only if it's a Christian theocracy.
H: This-- You know what? When you don't have anything to base a conversation on, Michael, and obviously you don't believe the Bible. You keep quoting the Old Testament. There's also-- We're living now under the new laws, the New Testament. The Old Testament they sacrifice animals and so forth. Under the New Testament, Jesus Christ and the Apostles condemn anyone that was a criminal[?].
M: Oh really? Because I have had biblical scholars on the show who say Jesus was gay. And--
H: Well-- [crosstalk]
M: --he had a gay relationship. You know, there's a new book that says Abraham Lincoln was gay.
H: You know, that's really pathetic. Really pathetic.
M: Abraham Lincoln, too.
H: Abraham Lincoln was a homosexual?
M: Yes. It's amazing how we're finding out how many people are gay.
H: You're rewriting. What you're doing is rewriting history, and writing it to suit your liberal cause, my friend.
M: No. I believe you are trying to rewrite history and you're trying to make the Bible the law of the land, and you are welcome to believe the New Testament, the Old Testament, but we have a Constitution of the United States in this country. It does not say anything about God. It says that you are to have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and that means that freedom--
H: That's right.
M: --And it means freedom from religion too. And I think--
H: --That's right. That's right.
M: Yeah. So I--
H: That's what I said I'm doing: exercising my freedom of speech.
M: Well--
H: Now, I don't-- You know, we can go on with this, but you don't have any patience[?]. You think Jesus Christ was a homosexual.
M: I don't think that. I said there are theologians who believe that. I don't know.
H: Yeah, but obviously you're quoting them, and obviously you must agree to some point that him and Abraham Lincoln was homosexual. You're going to have the whole-- our whole-- You're rewriting history to suit your liberal cause. Now I'll tell you, I think we're going to need to end this conversation. Thank you for the opportunity to tell your liberal friends how I feel about this. M: Well, you are welcome.
H: And I know-- are you going to let me finish?
M: Yes.
H: And I know that your liberal friends and yourself think I'm just a redneck sheriff. I'm going to tell you something. We enforce the law straight across the board. I believe we do not discriminate against homosexuals. If they break the law, they go to jail. For straight and--
M: Well, I-- I am really thankful, first of all, for your coming on and speaking with us, number one, and talking about this. And I think you do certainly have the-- I respect you for coming on and talking about your convictions. But I have to tell you, you call homosexuality an abomination on your Web site, on the Sheriff Department's Web site, and then think that gay people out there will believe they'd be protected under you, is completely delusional. You know--
H: Let me ask you--
M: I've gotta tell gay people they cannot expect they're going to be protected under your sheriff department if you're calling them an abomination.
H: Well, check my record, my friend. My record shows that I have protected everybody. Everybody has equal protection under the law.
M: All right. And--
H: --What you would like, what you and these folks would like, is special [unintelligible], isn't it?
M: No, I would like you to not--
H: --And you're not going to get it in my--
M: --I would like you to not put your religious beliefs into public policy, calling homosexuality an abomination, and I would also like you to do what your great President Bush did in appointing Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, and put a couple of black officers on your police force there. What do you think? It's Alabama in 2005. You have no black police officers there.
H: Send them to me, Michael.
M: Oh, yeah. I think there's plenty of them down there in Alabama.
H: All right, we're recruiting some here in Alabama.
M: Thanks for giving us this interview today, sir. It--
H: Can I say one more thing?
M: Yes.
H: Okay. Do you want to describe what homosexuals do to each other?
M: Are you asking me a question?
H: Yeah. Why don't we just, you know, if it's not such a terrible thing, a despicable thing, just in common language, let's put up here[?] what these gays do to each other.
M: Well, you know what they do, sir? They fuck, just like straight people fuck. That's what they do. Okay? You know, straight people--
H: --All I'm saying is [unintelligible]
M: You know, you put your dick in your wife's vagina and a lot of you Christian conservatives also put your dicks in other women's cunts when you're not -- you know, when you're married, and are hypocritical. So gay people, yeah, they fuck just like you fuck. That's what they do. And for many of them it's an act of love--
[crosstalk]
M: And for others of them, just like many of you heterosexuals, it's an act of sheer pleasure, because we live in a free society.
H: Well, tell Congressman Rangel and Senator Hillary Clinton-- You give them my regards.
M: I certainly will, sir. Thank you for joining us today.
H: Okay. Goodbye.
M: Bye, now.