Bill O’Reilly followed up on his Girls Scouts “controversy” with an interview last night with a spokeswoman for Girl Scouts of the USA. The discussion began with spokeswoman Kelly Parisi explaining the innocuous tweet that caused pro-lifers to stage a “buycott” of Girl Scout cookies. But before long, O’Reilly was reprimanding the organization about the “homosexual overtones” of their former spokesperson.
O’Reilly didn’t name the spokesperson but, as our Priscilla noted, his name is Joshua Ackley. He plays in what the conservative Daily Mail called a “homo-punk” rock band, The Dead Betties. O’Reilly said:
Let’s get on to a spokesperson who I don’t think works for you now but certainly did, was a member of a controversial punk band with homosexual overtones. …When I saw that you guys hired, paid a guy in a punk band with homosexual overtones, I’m going, "Is that a good choice for the Girl Scouts?"
Parisi said GSUSA does “extensive background and criminal checks” before hiring somebody, that Girl Scouts is “non-partisan and non-political” and doesn’t “bring our politics or our personal opinions into the organization.”
That wasn’t good enough for O’Reilly.
You then have to understand the flak when conservative Americans see a spokesperson for the Girl Scouts who is a member or was a member of a punk rock band with homosexual overtones. They’re going, "What the deuce is going on?" Surely you understand that.
Yes, Parisi could understand “some people’s concern.” However, she added, the organization is about leadership for girls, not politics or partisanship.
But O’Reilly had to get the last word. “I want the Girl Scouts to be acceptable to all Americans. So I hope you do that.”
It’s worth pointing out that O’Reilly said his own order for cookies is already in.
By the way, if you’d like to make a statement in protest of the right-wing attempts to make Girl Scouts their political pawn, you can find out how to buy cookies in your area here.
Full disclosure: I was once employed by Girl Scouts of the USA.
UPDATE: This post originally described The Dead Betties as defunct, as per the Daily Mail article linked above. But a reader has pointed out that they have gotten back together and are currently performing.
Anything to distract from the Gov. Christie and Gov. Walker scandals, right Bill!
In case you missed it, Walker denied any knowledge of his staff having a separate communications set-up in his office while he served as County Controller back in Milwaukee. The same illegal set-up that sent 4 or 6 of his PERSONAL staff to jail after they were convicted. The e-mails released this week show that he had clear involvement and working knowledge of the cover-up. The cover-up being that they were doing Campaign work while on the job getting paid to work, not Campaign. That’s a crime. How did he avoid jail over his criminal actions? Why weren’t the e-mails released BEFORE the election so all of Wisconsin could see just what they were getting, a criminal.
Please let Wisconsin AG J.B. VanHollen know that this is a CRIME punishable by not only impeachment, but jail.
I guess it’s nice to have friends in high places when you’re a criminal like Walker.
That article also said the group was defunct, which appears not to be the case. So I will update the article with a correction.
Josh’s band is not defunct but currently performing in NYC and just recorded a new album: http://thedeadbetties.tumblr.com/
and I don’t care if he’s homosexual, I care that he makes videos about killing women and masturbating in public – not Girl Scout-y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRVh-iCPw6M / http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXjiqMVJRWY
Oh. I forgot. That’s SOP for the right-wing. Groups should be allowed to discriminate against LGBTs without any government harassment or interference; groups that don’t discriminate against LGBTs must be harassed by and must face interference from “concerned citizens.”
KP: “THANK you.”
One of the sweetest venomous “thank yous” I have ever witnessed.
Same crap inspired by a Thesaurus deserving a whack or two if anyone is interested in visiting MM!
I love how O’Loofah wants everyone included and to feel comfortable in the GSA, especially the conservative Americans. Always gotta look out for them Billy. Wonder how the membership is for the conservative groups that formed their own Boy Scouts because they are letting homosexual boys be official Scouts, as long as they don’t flaunt it.
