They should really get rid of this blowhard Lois Henry at TBC.

There are two sides to every story Ms. Henry.  Mr. Mettler says that he supports self-defense.  If a student at KHSD used self-defense rather than just "take the punches" of an aggressor, there should be NO disciplinary action taken upon him and I believe that is how Mr. Mettler feels.

That is the problem with liberals, like Lois Henry today.  They don't believe in self-defense.  They feel that you should curl up into a ball and take the beating.

"A Coward calls himself cautious..."

Are those the "facts" Lois, or are those the "facts as you wish them to be"?   An eyewitness has come forward who disputes your "facts".   It seems your "victim" has a restraining order is San Diego due to domestic violence against a girlfriend.  That would show a predisposition toward violence, wouldn't it.  Before you post your "facts", perhaps you should get them straight.

Perhaps you should update your profile, because its claim that you don't attack people is a little out of date.

If Mettler would not have gone over to the "No on 8" side then none of this would have happened.  If he thought that the signs were stolen, he should have called the police. 

Should Mettler have gone over the opposing corner? Obviously it was a stupid move. However he has every right to be stupid and retrieve his property (I'm assuming the Pro-Gay Marriage crowd didn't pay for "Yes on 8" signs) no matter what corner they are on. While retrieving his property (again I'm assuming they were his to retrieve) people in that crowd advocated kicking his a$$. Good luck pressing those charges Mr Badewitz.

"rather, he walks away, winning the war by losing the battle."

For some reason this quote made me giggle. I wonder if Louis Henry has sons. 

Perhaps you should update your profile, because its claim that you don't attack people is a little out of date.

Nothing in Lois' column comes within a mile of being an "attack." Opinion pieces are supposed to be provacative.

Where did the information come from re: the restraining order on Mr. Badewitz? Did I miss something? Just curious. 

bnfl ..it was on the news tonight.

How many  blogs do we need on this topic anyway?

Ah, yes.. Thank you, Nancy. I looked it up online. I was busy making dinner, eating and cleaning up, so I missed it. 

I wish I had heard the Inga Barks show Mr. Mettler was on. I had no idea he was a guest yesterday. Does anyone know how to get an archived audio copy or podcast? 

The whole thing looked like a 55 year OLD man was surrounded by a hostile crowd of menacing 20 somethings.  He defended himself well and is lucky he wasn't hurt. 

I can not believe the nerve of some people. Defending themselves. The next person who gets mugged should be sued for not handing his wallet over faster.( oh wait that happens when obama shares the wealth!!!)

Ms. Henry, do you take issue with the altercation because it involves a contentious proposition? Do you expect every trustee to never get into any kind of physical scuffle?

Where were you ten years ago when another trustee of this same Board showed up at a City Council meeting lobbying for an increase in services for his business with bandages on his head after physically assaulting someone? I know where I was .... in chambers watching the whole thing.

And, that someone was a young Hispanic man selling door-to-door. How dare someone darken the doorstep of the prestigious Seven Oaks County Club gated community. Mr. Hampton, rather than calling the police, went to blows with this solicitor. As far as I know, no charges were filed. Hampton's assault is okay with you, I suppose.

So, if you want to complain about this issue regarding Mettler, you might want to call up Lisa Friedman, Michael Greene, Greg Campbell, and Gary ? for the Hampton story because I know they would remember this and could enlighten you. 

Oh, I forgot, this is just an opinion piece. Could you pass this on to the hard news gals?

Just wondering... what is the policy at the high schools for a student defending himself?  Aren't both parties involved in fights suspended? 

I guess turn the other cheek is just a parable.

Just another example when liberal law goes  too far. Lets push someone down surround them then sue when they defend themselves. This is just a small glimpse of what will happen

Get after it, Lois!

What a mess.  Is any of this really worth fighting over?  I'm interested to know if any of the No on 8 crowd are from Bakersfield.  It doesn't make a difference.  Just curious.

 I know alot of the Yes On 8 crowd is here!!!!

Lois, the rest of us outside of Birmingham agree with your assessment. While one side is forgiving the awkward "punch" (if you could call it that) of a grown man, we see a clear case of over reacting and putting yourself into a volatile situation.

KKK Member :"I am going to walk over to this crowd of black folks and tell them a little about my cause, in a peaceful way of course."

Hopefully Bakersfield can lift itself out of the religious mudslinging for one moment to take notice of a community leader that is anything but. Violence is never the answer, as a Christian, he should know that.9I am pretty sure that Jesus fellow said that) It seems before Mettler condemns anymore homosexuals for their sins, he should do some closet cleaning of his own.

The No on 8 said was petty and childish for cursing at Mettler and did nothing to help their cause, but if words are enough to draw such a man of god into fisticuffs, perhaps one should re-evaluate their stance in faith. You cant actively pursue the course of denying people their current rights and then be surprised when they don't welcome you with open arms.

Heh.  Time for Bakersfield to take out the trash.  Bye bye Mettler.

For all the floks who haven't seen the video, self-defense doesn't work when you walk into a crowd, take their stuff and then punch and kick one of them and walk away without a scratch. 

The story so far..........

The No on 8 crowd picked up signs that had been discarded (littered) by the Yes on 8 supporters when those people left the rally.

They No on 8 people used the discarded (littered) signs to create their own message on them. 

When the pugalisitic Mettler returned to the rally to pick up the discarded (littered) signs he got pissed off when he saw that some of the signs had been recycled.

So he got confrontational and hit and kicked a guy who's younger (two years older than a HS senior) and smaller than he is. 

My only question is, are the Yes on 8 crowd going to get ticketed for littering?  Starting with Mettler who rediscarded (relittered) the altered Yes on 8 signs.

Let's get real. This incident is about an adult who lost his temper and was caught on videotape.  Ken Mettler should take responsibility for his conduct and apologize to the young man he kicked and punched, to the students in the Kern High School District, and to the public whose trust he is supposed to hold. Anything short of that  is arrogant and immature.  Lois, your comments are right on the mark.  Keep up the good work.     

TheSpartanofAuburn claims that "Violence is never the answer, as a Christian, he should know that."

Wrong. Violence is sometimes required for lawful self defense. That is why the penal code specifies a difference between unlawful and lawful homicide. Second, why would Jesus tell his followers to "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one."

But wait, you don't believe in the Bible, you just like to hold it over everyone's head when you feel they are not following it to your dictates. That is one thing I tire of from the liberal left. If you are not going to believe in the Bible, then quit trying to bring it up in your defense when you don't like the way someone behaves. If the teachings of the Bible don't apply to you, then don't worry about how someone else sees them. I will quote the camera man from the Mettler video as an example, "Call the cops on this naughty-naughty. Yeah cause this is what the Prince of Peace would do!" How sad that someone would use that kind of language towards someone else in the same sentence they are going to claim they know what the Prince of Peace would do.

So legally, what did Mettler do wrong? He walked across the street? I also find it sad that the general attitude from some people is that the No on 8 Crowd was so capable of violence Mettler should have know it would cause trouble. I am sorry, but anyone should have felt comfortable walking across that street at any time. The fact that Mettler "should have known better" is an indication of the attitude and nature of the No on 8 Crowd! After watching the unedited video I am quite disappointed in the hatred and vile spewed from these protestors mouths. "You started a war!"

And finally, there is no legitimate reason for either side to be using defaced signs from the opposition. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Of course the people who pay for these signs are not going to be happy to see that someone has taken their message that they paid for and defaced it. Plain and simple, money from the Yes on 8 Campaign was used to pay for those Yes on 8 signs. Period. If the Yes on 8 Chairman wants to go get his signs back, no matter who has defaced them, that is his right. The same would be true for the No on 8 signs.

And again, I am advocating that Christians Vote No on 8. However, after watching the unedited video on this and seeing just the complete vile and hateful behavior of these No on 8 protestors when Ken Mettler walked over to retrieve his signs, I have to wonder. Thankfully I will not judge the merit of this case based on the actions of the irresponsible.

Ken Mettler whose back was turned to a violent and angry crowd reacted appropriately when someone accosted him from behind and took him by surprise. He showed a reasonable amount of force to show that he was prepared to defend himself in the recovery of his campaign material. When he realized that the angry and violent crowd was more than he could handle, he retreated without further incident.

I don't agree at all that Ken Mettler nor the Yes on 8 Campaign has the authority to "eliminate the right of same sex couples to marry." You can't eliminate fellow human's rights. A homosexual's secular right to marry and enjoy the same legal and civil protection as the rest of society in no way hampers my walk with Christ, my belief that homosexuality is wrong, nor my children's right to believe as they still choose to believe.

However, Ken Mettler had every right to walk down that street, collect his campaign material, and do so peacefully. When an angry crowd started to threaten his well being by stating "kick his ass" that made the threat credible. When his back was turned and someone reached out and made contact with him, he probably feared for his safety and that makes self-defense lawful.

You might not like that fact because you are clouding this with your own personal agenda towards the Proposition 8 issue. However, this doesn't surprise me as this is typical behavior from the emotionally charged left that tends to ignore what the law says and what common sense would bring a rational adult to conclude, and blames everyone else for what happens.

I am not sure how many times I have to explain to my students that if you point a gun at the cops, they will shoot you. "Well why didn't they shoot them in the leg?" Cops don't shoot people in the leg. Cops don't care that you were a great person who was trying to turn your life around and made a bad mistake of shooting at the police.

When Badewitz grabbed for the signs, he started the situation. Mettler was being calm and collected and retreiving his campaign signs that lawfully were purchased and placed by his campaign. He felt threatened and the video would clearly give a jury the evidence that it was a credible threat. It could just as easily be argued that Badewitz intended to strike Mettler and was only stopped when Mettler cleaned his clock.

And that is what cracks me up. Badewitz claims on You Tube that Mettler hits like a sissy and even the bloggers here critique Mettler's fighting style. Obviously Mettler was not intendingto solve this situation with violence and was merely reacting to a perceived threat. Further, if I got punched in the face and kicked and didn't manage to return any kicks or blows, I would consider that a butt kicking. I am not sure if I would be talking trash afterwards. Actions speak louder than words Badewitz.

Ken Mettler doesn't owe anyone an appology for defending himself and I am impressed he handled that so well. I think this sets a great example for the students of the Kern High School District. You have a right to walk where you want, collect the signs you paid for, and if an angry crowd threatens your welfare, you have a right to defend yourself. Ken Mettler did not introduce violence into this situation. Ken Mettler reacted to the violence thrust upon him with appropriate force. When he realized that the signs were not worth it, he retreated with no further incident despite more protestors getting in his face, cursing at him, and quite possibly trying to provoke him further. He showed great restraint and composure even after he had to legitimately defend himself from someone rushing him from behind.

I just want to get this on the record before the DA makes his decision. I won't be surprised at all if no charges are filed. The standard is proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

In this case, Badowitz may or may not have taken a swing at Mettler, but he clearly tried to grab the signs out of Mettler's hands as Mettler was trying to walk away. I'm guessing that's enough of a mutual combat act to derail any assault charges against Mettler. 

On the issue of whether Mettler should have continued to walk away without hitting and kicking, I will just relay an incident in my own life.

As a reporter for the San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune, I was covering an incident involving a retired police officer in Santa Barbara County. The retired officer hit me, pushed me up against the wall and was going to hit me again. I remember thinking very clearly at that moment as I looked him in the eye and said, "You might not want to do that." He backed off. 

My point is I was representing a newspaper. I knew it wouldn't reflect well on the paper if I got into a punching match, even if I was defending myself.   I also knew that if the officer hit me again, it would be on him, not me. We only wrote a small story on the front page. I call that looking at the big picture.

"  Ken Mettler did not introduce violence into this situation. Ken Mettler reacted to the violence thrust upon him with appropriate force. When he realized that the signs were not worth it, he retreated with no further incident despite more protestors getting in his face, cursing at him, and quite possibly trying to provoke him further. He showed great restraint and composure even after he had to legitimately defend himself from someone rushing him from behind."

No.. he just introduced himself into a potentially volatile situation. He puched when he should not have. He realized that, that's why he retreated.

Watch the tape, again.

--virgil

I doubt the D.A. will do anything myself.

How awkward to say to our children "zero tolerance for drugs and violence" ~ unless your a KHSD board member.

A man is attacked for wealking across the street. He defends himself when someone tries to take his property. He gives an attacker a little sock in the puss. Now HE is in the wrong?

Wow, some of you Libs are really reaching new lows.

I guess you would say then that Matthew Shepard shouldn't have hit on two rednecks. He was just inviting trouble, right?

No, Hypocrits.

"I guess you would say then that Matthew Shepard shouldn't have hit on two rednecks. He was just inviting trouble, right?"

Wtibe,

watch your Karma...

--virgil

 The No on 8 crowd picked up signs that had been discarded (littered) by the Yes on 8 supporters when those people left the rally.

And they were preventing him from picking up his litter (your words).

 watch your Karma...

No.

"I doubt the D.A. will do anything myself."

Hm. Not to Mettler, anyway.

How would that look?  Kern town DA filing charges against high school trustee, "let the dogs do it", mettler - grants are pending...

--virgil

 "watch your Karma...

No."

Just a suggestion....

--virgil

Mettler's knee jerk response and violent attack was just plain stupid and he is fortunate that the victim of his punch and kick did not suffer great bodily harm or possible death at his hands.

If so, he would certainly be in deep legal doodoo.

Prisons are full of people who thought they could personally dispense justice assaulting someon e who ended up severely injured or dead as a result of the attack.

A reasonable person with a theft complaint calls the police.

Mettler plainly did not exercise the good judgment expected of a public leader in charge of establishing behavioral code for children who should be reasonably expected to conduct himself in an exemplary manner.   

So now, the flag bearer of Christian morality and sectarian schools justifies the violence resulting from his uncontrolled anger and poor judgment as self defense?

In the conspicuous absence of remorse or humility from Mettler, shall we conclude that his personal homosexual hating god condones such violent behavior?

This episode reminds me of the Roger Waters and Rick Wright song Us And Them.  Clearly the two sides are miles apart philosophically, blood boiling over the righteousness of their two causes, with little chance of conflict resolution on this issue.

For whatever reason the Yes on 8 people are frightened out of their minds by the thought of homosexuals in their midst. No science, no argument, no plea to all get along like good girls and boys makes any difference to these advocates of Proposition 8 who wish to overturn the California Supreme Court decision protecting equal rights under the law.

Proponents of equal rights, personal freedom and multicultural diversity are equally frightened over what they perceive to be majority bullying by regulation and criminalization of private and confidential matters. There will be no retreat until equality is assured under the law.

It is unsettling to know that an elected official with the responsibility of overseeing public education interests can be such a divisive force while demonstrating so little self control and virtually no critical thinking skills. Until cooler heads lead we will all hear the angry sad refrain of  Us And Them.   

"Us And Them"

Us and Them
And after all we're only ordinary men
Me, and you
God only knows it's not what we would choose to do
Forward he cried from the rear
and the front rank died
And the General sat, as the lines on the map
moved from side to side
Black and Blue
And who knows which is which and who is who
Up and Down
And in the end it's only round and round and round
Haven't you heard it's a battle of words
the poster bearer cried
Listen son, said the man with the gun
There's room for you inside
Down and Out
It can't be helped but there's a lot of it about
With, without
And who'll deny that's what the fighting's all about
Get out of the way, it's a busy day
And I've got things on my mind
For want of the price of tea and a slice
The old man died

Witbee

He was grabbing signs that had been changed to a new meassage and renailed to to posts.  They weren't still lying on the ground as litter. 

 well since elrojo's post seemed to have slipped through you liberals heads, I'll post it again.  Maybe the second time is a charm?

TheSpartanofAuburn claims that "Violence is never the answer, as a Christian, he should know that."

Wrong. Violence is sometimes required for lawful self defense. That is why the penal code specifies a difference between unlawful and lawful homicide. Second, why would Jesus tell his followers to "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one."

But wait, you don't believe in the Bible, you just like to hold it over everyone's head when you feel they are not following it to your dictates. That is one thing I tire of from the liberal left. If you are not going to believe in the Bible, then quit trying to bring it up in your defense when you don't like the way someone behaves. If the teachings of the Bible don't apply to you, then don't worry about how someone else sees them. I will quote the camera man from the Mettler video as an example, "Call the cops on this naughty-naughty. Yeah cause this is what the Prince of Peace would do!" How sad that someone would use that kind of language towards someone else in the same sentence they are going to claim they know what the Prince of Peace would do.

So legally, what did Mettler do wrong? He walked across the street? I also find it sad that the general attitude from some people is that the No on 8 Crowd was so capable of violence Mettler should have know it would cause trouble. I am sorry, but anyone should have felt comfortable walking across that street at any time. The fact that Mettler "should have known better" is an indication of the attitude and nature of the No on 8 Crowd! After watching the unedited video I am quite disappointed in the hatred and vile spewed from these protestors mouths. "You started a war!"

And finally, there is no legitimate reason for either side to be using defaced signs from the opposition. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Of course the people who pay for these signs are not going to be happy to see that someone has taken their message that they paid for and defaced it. Plain and simple, money from the Yes on 8 Campaign was used to pay for those Yes on 8 signs. Period. If the Yes on 8 Chairman wants to go get his signs back, no matter who has defaced them, that is his right. The same would be true for the No on 8 signs.

And again, I am advocating that Christians Vote No on 8. However, after watching the unedited video on this and seeing just the complete vile and hateful behavior of these No on 8 protestors when Ken Mettler walked over to retrieve his signs, I have to wonder. Thankfully I will not judge the merit of this case based on the actions of the irresponsible.

Ken Mettler whose back was turned to a violent and angry crowd reacted appropriately when someone accosted him from behind and took him by surprise. He showed a reasonable amount of force to show that he was prepared to defend himself in the recovery of his campaign material. When he realized that the angry and violent crowd was more than he could handle, he retreated without further incident.

I don't agree at all that Ken Mettler nor the Yes on 8 Campaign has the authority to "eliminate the right of same sex couples to marry." You can't eliminate fellow human's rights. A homosexual's secular right to marry and enjoy the same legal and civil protection as the rest of society in no way hampers my walk with Christ, my belief that homosexuality is wrong, nor my children's right to believe as they still choose to believe.

However, Ken Mettler had every right to walk down that street, collect his campaign material, and do so peacefully. When an angry crowd started to threaten his well being by stating "kick his ass" that made the threat credible. When his back was turned and someone reached out and made contact with him, he probably feared for his safety and that makes self-defense lawful.

You might not like that fact because you are clouding this with your own personal agenda towards the Proposition 8 issue. However, this doesn't surprise me as this is typical behavior from the emotionally charged left that tends to ignore what the law says and what common sense would bring a rational adult to conclude, and blames everyone else for what happens.

I am not sure how many times I have to explain to my students that if you point a gun at the cops, they will shoot you. "Well why didn't they shoot them in the leg?" Cops don't shoot people in the leg. Cops don't care that you were a great person who was trying to turn your life around and made a bad mistake of shooting at the police.

When Badewitz grabbed for the signs, he started the situation. Mettler was being calm and collected and retreiving his campaign signs that lawfully were purchased and placed by his campaign. He felt threatened and the video would clearly give a jury the evidence that it was a credible threat. It could just as easily be argued that Badewitz intended to strike Mettler and was only stopped when Mettler cleaned his clock.

And that is what cracks me up. Badewitz claims on You Tube that Mettler hits like a sissy and even the bloggers here critique Mettler's fighting style. Obviously Mettler was not intendingto solve this situation with violence and was merely reacting to a perceived threat. Further, if I got punched in the face and kicked and didn't manage to return any kicks or blows, I would consider that a butt kicking. I am not sure if I would be talking trash afterwards. Actions speak louder than words Badewitz.

Ken Mettler doesn't owe anyone an appology for defending himself and I am impressed he handled that so well. I think this sets a great example for the students of the Kern High School District. You have a right to walk where you want, collect the signs you paid for, and if an angry crowd threatens your welfare, you have a right to defend yourself. Ken Mettler did not introduce violence into this situation. Ken Mettler reacted to the violence thrust upon him with appropriate force. When he realized that the signs were not worth it, he retreated with no further incident despite more protestors getting in his face, cursing at him, and quite possibly trying to provoke him further. He showed great restraint and composure even after he had to legitimately defend himself from someone rushing him from behind.

A man is attacked for wealking across the street.(Into what he knows is a hostile crowd roiling with emotion) He defends himself when someone tries to take his property.( Signs left discarded by "him" ,grabs them and is surprised at the reaction he gets?) He gives an attacker( Never touch another hand!) a little sock in the puss(Well you got me there,what a wuss!). Now HE is in the wrong? (Yes he is Right after the kick to a person knocked down by said punch)( His first mistake was looking for trouble)

I guess you would say then that Matthew Shepard shouldn't have hit on two rednecks. He was just inviting trouble, right?

Your a teacher? Odin help you when you have to stop kid on kid violence~ which you claim is daily where you teach. I wonder about examples..

Maybe because I am a woman it is a matter of course that a yahoo or two "hits on" me~ guess how many I lured into the country side,beat to near death and then left to die cold, alone, slowly and attached to barbed wire?...Zero,nada,none...

So legally, what did Mettler do wrong?

Battery and petty theft.  This has been another in a series of "simple answers to complex questions."

PolitcalJunkie,

I'll take that as a rojo ditto....

--virgil

Sorry El Red, there was no need for self defense. I don't remember anyone asking for his purse at knife point.

I don't need to believe in the bible to uphold it, all I ask is that its followers follow its rules.

Plain and simple, he was in no danger and flipped out. He hulked out and made a mistake. YET AGAIN, you cant call yourself a Christian, a community leader and be on a school board and punch people over such a silly matter.  He was never swung at, he simply panicked when he was trying to grab signs that did not belong to him.

If you are going to be a Christian who uses his faith to remove rights from another person, YOU MUST BE A PERFECT CHRISTIAN AT ALL TIMES. Its hard to use moral authority from God when you are losing your temper like a spoiled child.If we are telling our children that violence is never the answer, than I am assuming our adults have to follow that to. Then again, maybe he thought the young man was going to charm him with his feminine hair and turn him into one of the gays. *gasp! THE GAYS! They recruit I hear.

No amount of logical response supports violence in this case.

I don't have to believe in your bible, I just ask that you do.

 P.S. Several of the protesters claimed they had purchased one of the Yes on 8 signs and altered it of their own accord. If Mettler tried to remove the sign, that would have been theft, correct? So if we are using the logic that "the perception of threat, equals threat", then I guess the No on 8 protesters should have punched him for stealing their stuff?

Do you see how violence is never the answer? Try to keep in mind, yet again, we are not talking about muggins. Lets keep the point on track here.

I seem to recall some Gandhi dude handling his message with a grace that has been unparalleled in the recent past. Not only did he have real and credible threats against his life, but many people wanted him dead. I don't recall him ever punching anyone.

Then there was this Jesus guy who was also a pacifist. Lead by example, right?

I highly recommend you all watch the unedited You Tube video. If you have not watched it and are commenting on this, stop and watch it. Two specific comments were made from the No on Prop 8 crowd. "Whup his ass" and "Someone is about to get the snap! beat out of them." Those are verbal threats. Now verbal threats are not a reason to defend yourself. However verbal threats show intent. These threats are clealy made for everyone to hear on the video.

Soon after these threats were made, a person ran up behind Mettler and grabbed his signs. If you were Ken Mettler, would you assume they were grabbing your signs or following through on the two threats? Mettler quickly turns and punches and kicks. No one was on the ground, no one was knocked down.

Now whether Mettler went over there to provoke this attack or not is debatable and now is irrelevant. What is relevant is what the video shows. A smiling, non confrontational Ken Mettler collecting his campaigns signs that had been defaced. No one was holding these signs. No one had possession of them. They were on the street corner. After threats were issued and someone came up from behind him and acosted him, he reacted. After his reaction, it is clear that he remains calm and de-escalates the situation by leaving the area.

Further it is clear that a person in a gray sweatshirt pushes Mettler and woman in a black outfit is cussing in his face. If he had gone over there with the intent of committing violence, why didn't he keep swinging? Why didn't he punch the woman cussing in his face? Why didn't he punch the man that pushed him? Why didn't he continue to insist his signs be returned to him?

He kept his cool and left the situation when he realized that these people were out of control and unstable.

If the No on 8 crowd thought they had legal right to those signs, they should have called the cops and reported the theft. They had no right to take those signs from Ken Mettlers possession by force. You liberals might not see it that way, but that is because you are wrong. If you don't think so, let's see what a defense attorney would say about all of this given the unedited video? Let's see what a jury would think about this one?

Next, let's use a little common sense. Do not take other people's signs! Do not rewrite other people's signs. Each specific campaign spends money on those signs to get their message across. Those campaigns also have a right to remove signs that have been vandalized and left in the public view. Again, the signs Mettler was getting were not in anyone's possession. No one produced a receipt for Mettler to look at. Mettler was collecting his signs that his campaign paid for and had been defaced.

What is sad is that Ken Mettler actually was a great example to the students of the Kern High School District how to handle confrontation. First, he exercised his right to peacefully assemble and to walk to the other side of the street to retrieve what he believed and probably was his property (until the No on 8 people produce receipts, I am not buying their claims). Anyone who says a citizen of this state does not have the right to walk down the street and collect his property should hopefully be voting yes on Prop 8 so they can remain consistent and continue to deny people their rights. He felt his welfare was in jeopardy, he defended himself, then he de-escalated the situation by removing himself from the area. I commend Ken Mettler for his behavior on that street corner.

What is sad is that the KHSD practices zero tolerance and had these two been students, both of them would have been expelled for fighting (at least at my school that is what they do). They don't care who started it, they don't care if you were just defending yourself. You fight, you are gone.

You liberals who say violence is never the answer are correct. Badewitz should have never used force and violence to remove those signs from Ken Mettler. He made that choice. Ken Mettler defended himself with appropriate force. He did not use violence to retreive the signs. He used appropriate force to defend his well being. When the threat had stopped, he stopped using force and removed himself from the stiuation.

The ironic thing is I disagree 100% with Ken Mettler's stance on this issue. I believe in individual rights. Ken Mettler had a right to go retrieve his signs. Ken Mettler had a right to defend himself from aggression. He is not who I want to side with on this issue. However, when I watch that video and hear "naughty-naughty" over and over again along with "whup his ass", "someone is going to get the snap! beat out of them", "Call the cops on this naughty-naughty. Is this what the Prince of Peace would do?", and "You just started a war", I am ashamed to say these are the people whose rights I am defending here.

Maybe that is the sign of a true libertarian. I defend the rights of people I despise. I despise Ken Metter pushing our religous views of homosexuality on others and I despise the No on 8 crowd for spewing such venom in response.

TheSpartanofAuburn get over yourself. Ken Mettler is not Ghandi or Jesus. He never will be. He is a man who is fallable just like you. What you seem to be missing the most from your tirades about the Bible is that Jesus called on those without sin to cast the first stone. That is a personal judgement. That is why I am not going to compare any of these people to Jesus because who am I to cast that stone? I am just like them, fallable. So save your snooty judgement, no one cares. You are just like that one squirrel on the video, "Someone arrest this naughty-naughty. Is that what the Prince of Peace would do?" The hypocricy of trying to criticize someone for a standard you do not believe in nor attempt to practice is glaring. Worry about your own actions.

However if Jesus was just a myth and He wasn't perfect, it appears that you must be the new messiah. You sure are good at judging others based on a criteria you are not living up to yourself. Get off your high horse and stick to the subject. Ken Mettler thought he was being attacked and defended himself. I know you have watched the video because you have commented how silly the No on 8 people were acting.

Having watched the video, would you just hold still while a rabid pack of cussing, screaming, and threatening people rushed up behind you? Of course you would. You are the all knowing, most wise TheSpartanofAuburn who types a mean game on the Internet. Talk is cheap and your self-rightous posts are not worth two bits. Hypocrite.

I leave you with your own quote, "No amount of logical response supports violence in this case." That is right, using a logical response means nothing when you use hypocrisy and irrational though to explain something. Don't let the facts get in the way of the issue at hand. Use emotion to explain it all away and when logic is introduced, discount it as logical."

Amazing.

Oh, El. You are ever consistently adorable!

You are so kind spirited in your responses. Can you tell me why it is you never responded to the insurmountable evidence I had shown you as to why Homosexuality was natural? Its been 2 weeks already, surely you had enough time. I am on pins and needles over here!

My love, you are entitled to your opinion, but you have to decide which Bible and which Jesus you and your followers are going to advocate. Its either kind, loving, pacifist Jesus, or angry, punching, screaming Jesus.

You can't take away someone elses rights, while claiming you are trying to protect peoples rights. That, my friend, is what hypocrisy defines. I think you may have be unsure of the meaning of that particular word?

Remember, just because someone makes a better point than you, does not make them a "know it all", it just makes them a better debater. The word self righteous does also does not apply in this situation. Here is a meaning of said word.

confident of one's own righteousness, esp. when smugly moralistic and intolerant of the opinions and behavior of others.

Moral smugness.... as in telling people their God wont allow them to live their lives? As in telling people they are going to hell for being gay? As in telling people they are immoral and unworthy of equal rights?  Intolerant of behavior? As in being intolerant of a persons sexual behavior, by proxy of religion? Intolerant of a persons right to marry whom they choose?

No one said you were not entitled to your opinion about this fight, obviously you are. No one is using their moral authority to condemn you or take away your rights and no one here is intolerant of someones religious behavior. The only thing I have stated my intolerance of was violent behavior, by either side. So.. self righteous.... not so much. Being witty and sarcastic is not an act of self righteousness, its an act of being witty and sarcastic. While we are at it... liberal? Really? Is this 2002? Don't you think its a little hypocritical for you to call me a hypocrite for lumping all Christina's into one category, when you're lumping me into one as well? As I recall.. Christians had a strict code to live by, "liberals" do not.

Awkward...

However, to be fair. If you send me an address, I will forward you a dictionary. My treat!

While your at it, send me a response to the "natural order of homosexuality" "opinion: you brought up. I am dying to hear about it!

-Liberal

So where was this guy on the video from the weekend? Because this newly Ordained Minister is not the guy everyone saw on the video over the weekend. The actions I saw were not the actions of a Mature level headed person portrayed in this new interview with the media.

Maybe its the old philosophy, "I found God, I certainly could not be responsible for any criminal act or be party to one". A complete transformation of demeanor and dress attire should be a Huge Red Flag.............

I am curious as to how this 21 year old is filing charges on his own behalf for a Hate Crime. Is he filing a Civil Rights Violation case in Bakersfield where there is no Federal Criminal Court House? Or is he just using big words for which he has no understanding of what the Hate Crime allegation must contain with elements depicting a crime has happened.

This video resembles the old file footage from the Peaceful demonstrations back in the 60's and early 70's where the demonstrators were breaking the law violating other peoples civil rights and assaulting people for not agreeing with their point of view. People were verbally abusive and severely physically abusive just like the weekend video.

Nothing like a  nice soon-to-be Minister hanging with the F-bomb crowd who gets severely enraged by someone walking along and picking up signs that have been vandalized. Vandalized by someone or group of someones that were against what the vandalized signs were advertising. The same location the Peaceful protesters were hanging out all night until they were accosted by mean ol' Ken Mettler. Give me a break..................

Everyone who has a brain saw the crowd mentality that was en-cited by a few people in this peaceful group of protesters.

If Ken Mettler hit Badewitz then a battery occurred; If Badewitz grabbed the signs from Ken Mettler and touched him however slight then a Battery occurred. The unlawful touching of one person by another when the touching is unwanted is a Battery. End of story.

There have been no allegations until today that a Hate Crime occurred. Why was there no Mention of Gay Bashing by Mr. Mettler towards Badewitz during the weekend reports to Law Enforcement. Mr Badewitz needs to realize his 15 minutes are over and realize that false allegations or false reports are illegal and punishable as a crime all by itself. He better be dead on or he can be sued civilly for damages. Usually in my experience the person doing most of the pushing and pursuing is most at fault.

Sorry but Thar's my experience. I really hope taxpayer funded dollars are not going to pay for this simple crime to pursue because someone is trying to mix the story with their political agenda. Prop 8 needs to be left out of the court room until after it is voted down during the election next week....................

 Sparity You can't take away someone elses rights, while claiming you are trying to protect peoples rights. That, my friend, is what hypocrisy defines. I think you may have be unsure of the meaning of that particular word?

Ditto sugar cakes and 100 times back at cha

Hey Spartan;

Do you see anything wrong with this sentence you wrote?

"Maybe that is the sign of a true libertarian. I defend the rights of people I despise. I despise Ken Metter pushing our religous views of homosexuality on others and I despise the No on 8 crowd for spewing such venom in response".

Who needs to use spell check and learn the proper use of a dictionary?

Again I ask, why is it okay for Trustee Bob Hampton to "fight"? He was involved in a physical altercation as was Mettler. Why are the standards different? If this is all about adults setting the example for the students then Hampton should have been dismissed long ago. 

Ah, nothing like bringing up the past. I already stated I had a good response typed up and it was eaten by this horrible blog. And true to your form, you bring it back up because you pick and choose what you want to debate about all the while patting yourself on your smug little back. I don't want to take from your victory. Congratulations, you win. Heck if my post hadn't been eaten you would have won anyway. So why bother?

"My love, you are entitled to your opinion, but you have to decide which Bible and which Jesus you and your followers are going to advocate. Its either kind, loving, pacifist Jesus, or angry, punching, screaming Jesus." Are you implying that Ken Mettler was angry and screaming? I watched the video and he kept his cool the entire time. However, lets not let that get in the way of your victory. Because you say so Ken Mettler is now the angry, screaming Jesus.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...   

Oh a great debater is who you are! Congratulations again. You win once again with your brilliant oratory. Your ability to completely ignore all of the points I made about how Mettler was defending himself and continue to inflate your ego is astounding. I am especially in awe over your claiming Mettler was the angry, screaming Jesus despite no evidence in the video of such actions. I am so unworthy to stand in your presense.

"You can't take away someone else's rights, while claiming you are trying to protect peoples rights. That, my friend, is what hypocrisy defines. I think you may have be unsure of the meaning of that particular word?" Right again you are! Man, your reading comprehension is superb! You know this whole time I thought I had clearly stated I was against Prop 8. I must have not realized I really have been advocating that I should infringe on the rights of others. You know, I was pretty sure I was arguing that Mettler had a right to defend himself. I am pretty sure I was arguing the protestors had a right to protest. I am pretty sure I stated homosexuals have a right to marry. However, your brilliant debating skills and obviously astute reading comprehension trumps anything I stated for the record. I guess I will just bask in the glow of your brilliance with you.

Actions speak louder than words. Your penchant for ignoring that which troubles you and continuing to act superior to others is a classic liberal stance. Your words are which earn you the label hypocrite. Your words are which earn you the label liberal. If you are not a liberal hypocrite then prove to us you are not. However, I am sure it is hard to type from the hospital while healing from two broken arms from beating yourself on the back.

Whatever you do, don't address any of my justifications for Mettler's self defense argument. Remember, you will accept no amount of logic in addressing the issue. Those are your own words, spoken like a true liberal.

All hail king TheSpartanofAuburn! Supreme orator and debater of TBC Blogs. I am unworthy to stand in his presence!
 

Great post's elrojo.

Spartan you are an ignoramus. Plain and simple.  You ignore facts, and your logic (or lack thereof) is based upon fallacies.