Then I will feel especially good about NOT going to see any Sonics games ever. I will, however, be pissed if I end up paying for another fucking stadium for a sucky ass team of whiners. I'm just sayin.

Sure, these guys can give their money to whatever hate group they want to. It's their right, and way to go Josh for shining a light on it. (Don't all those wacko "Christians" like "walking in the Light?")

But one thing is certain: There is no way in Hell that one PENNY of our tax dollars should be used to build these fuckers another sports arena so that they can continue to transfer funds from that enterprise to their favorite hate groups.

Are you listening Senator Margarita Prentice??

Let's make some noise about this, folks!

Sickening, and not a bit surprising.

My wedding dress is fading with all this waiting around.

In some ways, this is good news for King County taxpayers. Two weeks from now, the P-I or Times will pick up on this, and notoriously gay friendly King County will be even more disgusted with these greedy bastards, along the lines of, "Why should we pay for a stadium so you can spend your money taking away peoples' rights?" Then they can move to Oklahoma where this won't matter at all.

HL: But one thing is certain: There is no way in Hell that one PENNY of our tax dollars should be used to build these fuckers another sports arena so that they can continue to transfer funds from that enterprise to their favorite hate groups.

Hey, if I were the Sonics' new OKC ownership group and I thought there was any progress being made toward a Renton arena deal, I would leak this information myself. Heck, if I were Clay Bennett and I thought an arena deal was imminent, I'd try to dig up some dirt on Margarita Prentiss.

...and Clay Bennett gave money to Pat Buchanan, Tom Coburn, Bush I, Bush II, Bill Frist and others.

Howard Schultz ran the Sonics into the ground, but at least his politics were somewhat reflective of the community's.

DOUG.: Howard Schultz ran the Sonics into the ground, but at least his politics were somewhat reflective of the community's.

Clay Bennett & gang's politics are reflective of the community. Only that community is Oklahoma City.

Out of curiosity, has anyone done research as to whom the bankrollers of the Seahawks and the Mariners have given money?

can we get this out of this city now please ugh.

Wow. Did these guys know they were buying the Storm? Oh wait. They're probably the type of guys that say, "Gays are disgusting and wrong, and it's against the Bible. No way they should be allowed to marry.", but then say, "Dude, look! Two chicks kissing! Awesome!"

@matthew fisher wilder: I am sure that the other teams are SO supportive of gay marriage and environmental issues! I mean the Mariners and their huge float in the Gay Pride Parade every year; The Seahawks all going out to The Cuff to meet their gay fans after home games! Really, pro sports are a perfect reflection of community values! Honestly, they are!! Just ask their owners! Otherwise why would we allow anyone in the our legislature to give them our tax dollars?? (Part of this has been me being a smart-ass, can you guess which part?)

Matthew:

Both Paul Allen and Howard Lincoln have primarily contributed to Dem. candidates.

http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=WA&last=lincoln&first=howard

http://www.newsmeat.com/billionaire_political_donations/Paul_Allen.php

Andrew, if the Seahawks went to The Cuff, they'd probably say, "Geez, this isn't nearly as homoerotic as any given day in our locker room."

But if they went to The Eagle, they'd get mauled.

Fine, We'll take the team.

Professional sports franchises are basically money-laundering tax havens, anyways; they're set up to show enormous "losses" while making even larger capital gains all the while. Now it appears we have them being used as covers for PAC money as well. Very interesting timing on the donations. There's a reason they wanted to funnel the money through the club.

Fine, We'll take the team.

Thank you, Andrew and Tal! @11,12

Sad how quickly you can jump on a person's political contributions and yet have so little understanding of the Arena bill...you'd think people who were so quick to speak out against hate would actually take some time to do some research themselves...*sigh*

I'm just happy to see people coming together on this issue. Before I read this I thought I was the only person who felt angry about this situation. It's not that I live under a rock, it's that I'm from Kent and don't hear much about anything that doesn't do with crystal meth or teen pregnancy.
I'm glad to see people are uniting, I hope this has a good ending...money usually wins out, and if the sonics and storm give out free t-shirts in appreciation of their "fans", I'm afraid this news might be buried before any steam is allowed to pick up.

I dislike these anti-gay groups as much as the next lefty, but the truth of the matter is, they are going to get their money no matter what. Building the arena will not make these men any more wealthy--most NBA teams are a comparitively poor investment, and I'd just as soon keep my Storm here.

Just so you know, not all of us that live in Oklahoma approve of McClendon's and Ward's political views (as evidenced by their PAC spending), and not all of us are crazy about the backwards Bible Belt mentality that is pervasive here. Many of us would like to change that, but McClendon, Ward, and, yes Clayton Bennett, use their money and their influence to bully and silence (Bennett is married into the Gaylord family, which owns The Oklahoman, which is a sick joke of a newspaper and also exercises what I feel to be monopoly power over not just OKC media but Oklahoma media in general). I'm a basketball fan but I'm not all that excited about having a team here if my financial support of such team would be benefiting owners like this and I would be indirectly funding causes that I am opposed to. The only thing I ask of you is please don't judge all of us by a few.

--fidgety!
Norman, Oklahoma
27 February 2007/3:54 a.m.

Matt Drudge says that our lifestyle choices should be a very private affair and not public knowledge. If there are many lesbians in the WNBA, I don't think we should know about it any more than we know about the so-called sexual orientation of leaders like Bush and Cheney. Obviously their jobs don't have anything to do with sexual activity and that is why we can only guess about their orientation. Log Cabin says it is none of our business what people do in the shadows or a pitch black bedroom (ie Mary Cheney).

Matt Drudge says that our lifestyle choices should be a very private affair and not public knowledge. If there are many lesbians in the WNBA, I don't think we should know about it any more than we know about the so-called sexual orientation of leaders like Bush and Cheney. Obviously their jobs don't have anything to do with sexual activity and that is why we can only guess about their orientation. Log Cabin says it is none of our business what people do in the shadows or a pitch black bedroom (ie Mary Cheney).

Matt Drudge says that our lifestyle choices should be a very private affair and not public knowledge. If there are many lesbians in the WNBA, I don't think we should know about it any more than we know about the so-called sexual orientation of leaders like Bush and Cheney. Obviously their jobs don't have anything to do with sexual activity and that is why we can only guess about their orientation. Log Cabin says it is none of our business what people do in the shadows or a pitch black bedroom (ie Mary Cheney).

Matt Drudge says that our lifestyle choices should be a very private affair and not public knowledge. If there are many lesbians in the WNBA, I don't think we should know about it any more than we know about the so-called sexual orientation of leaders like Bush and Cheney. Obviously their jobs don't have anything to do with sexual activity and that is why we can only guess about their orientation. Log Cabin says it is none of our business what people do in the shadows or a pitch black bedroom (ie Mary Cheney).

Ron, You seem to be missing a point, even though you tried to convey it FOUR TIMES.

Wow - as a Seattle Storm six year season ticket holder I am tempted to ask for a refund. I know I won't get it but maybe it will send a message. Firing up the email now...

Damn.

I didn't want them to build a stadium in Renton because South-bound traffic is a pain every night anyway. Imagine game night at the Sonics' new Renton stadium....*sigh*

Now I have another excuse to not want them in Renton :-)

This has to stop. Are there any plans for backlash/protest/egg-throwing?

Earlier this week I was walking home after watching a great sunset at the Sculpture Park. Nice walk listening to my ipod. Making my way back into Queen Anne, I walked up 1st Ave in front of Key Arena. What a pain...I found myself dodging an army of pimped-up SUVs whose drivers all seemed to be engaged in a loud bass music competition. Typical thugy Sonics fans.

The neighboorhood is not much better the day after a Sonics game with all the garbage and broken windows that abound.

Now you tell me that these guys fund the very groups that try to insure that as a gay man, I will remain a second class citizen. With this news, I gotta say...can't get them to Renton or OKC fast enough for me and my neighbors.

The hypocrisy in Seattle amazes me sometimes. Are we not about peoples right to live and believe as they choose? People of alternative lifestyle want to be able to live, work, support the political groups they believe in without being persecuted or chastised in the media for it.

I don't agree with the two members of the Sonic's minority ownership and their political views but I find it odd that so many people around here have chosen to make such a public issue of this topic. I didn't see anywhere that the two minority owners of the Sonics said they hated gay people. They simply chose to donate money to an organization that has a different viewpoint on marriage than we do. That is their right and they shouldn't be persecuted for their belief regardless of whether or not it differs from our own beliefs.

The media in Seattle embarrasses me and should be embarrassed by their two faced nature. As should many of you. We like to talk about how everyone has a right to live and believe as they wish, choose their own lifestyle and not be persecuted for it, but that apparently only applies to the way WE want to live and the things that WE want to believe in. Apparently if someone else believes differently it all of a sudden becomes Ok to persecute them in the media because their belief differs from our own?

The City of Seattle and its media have definately taken a step backwards today.

You know Frozenropers, what has actually been said in Seattle and the media is that while WE support the first amendment, we also find it hard to support a team who will be taking the profits and supporting legislation that supports bigotry and hate.

Do these ignorant simpletons from Oklahoma have the right to be hateful, mean spirited individuals? Absolutely, there is no legislation against stupidity, however, I don't want to spend my tax dollars or my disposable income to help perpetrate such hateful beliefs.

There is a difference between telling people they cannot have those thoughts or voicing your concerns about those thoughts.

We quit going to Starbucks because he sold the team. Now we have 2 bigots financing discrimination against 60+% of the fan base and teams rosters! I'm calling for a refund on Monday. And I love Women' basketball and the family atmosphere and competitive play but geez...even my 11 straight boy says this ain't right!

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