Comments on UPDATE: White House Contradicts Local Pastor Ken Hutcherson on His Claim that He Is a U.S. "Special Envoy"; Hutcherson, in Response, Says He Will Provide Video Proof

You will find that it was really god that gave him the title.

bush = god or didn't you get the addendum to Revelations the GOP put out

I am glad to hear that we have such an awesome rouge diplomat speaking on our behalf to the rest of the world

We need more rouge diplomats!

figures. nice work, eli.

He is such an egomaniacal jerk!

maybe Hutch is the first in a new wave of Anarcho/neocolonial/reactionary foreign policy.

@3 sp: rogue
hmm my typo makes for an interesting meaning change

Why does the Stranger keep persecuting Ambassador Reverend Hutcherson, Special Envoy for Adoptions, Family Values, Religious Freedom, and Medical Relief? Is it because you are jealous that his letterhead has so many more words than yours?

Now, if only Mr. Sanders would apply this sort of investigative work when he writes about AIDS...

Okay I get why he would want Adoptions (keep kids from the homos), Family Values (keep homos away from society), and Religious freedom (keeping conservatives in power over the homos) but why Medical Relief? to keep the homos from getting HIV meds? i don't get that one

I think "medical relief" is the evangelical term for a handjob.

is it possible that hutch has experienced all of these travels and conversations...in his mind alone? sure would solve the funding problem. do we have any proof he's actually gone to latvia?

so...

Who's Jay Hein? Does he work in the White House? Does he sell watches out of a van in the alley behind the white house?

Why does Hutch think he's an envoy?

Is there a fraud case to be made here? I don't have time to research it...but what if Hutch is falsely representing himself as an agent of the U.S. Government?

That's a story...

unbelievable in this day and age that these people get away with this elitist behavior
come on, we're American$ the meek shall inherit the earth..

Of course, I made Hutch the Special Envoy for Adoptions, Family Values, Religious Freedom, and Medical Relief. I also gave him the double super secret password to the treehouse and the ownership title to the Brooklyn Bridge.

I'm with Timothy. Let's press charges against the sadistic ol' bastard.

Or at least get the tax exempt status of his church revoked.

From Salon.com this past January:

As Obama and Brownback took AIDS tests for the cameras, the new director of George W. Bush's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives watched from the back of the room. Jay Hein said that Democrats "need to form new partnerships" with the religious community "because that is where the most stubborn problems are being solved."

Do pagan, wiccan, and satanic churches have the same access to titles and funs if they are doing good work in the community or over seas?

*sniff sniff* What IS that smell? Where is that coming from? Why... it's.... HEY, IT'S BULLSHIT!

Now where did I put my "shocked" face...

Something tells me good old Jay down at The White House told Rev. Ken whatever he needed to just to get him off the phone.

Maybe our legislators will call up our US Attorney and try to strong arm him into pressing charges. Oh wait, Rick White can't practice law in Washington.

Mercy sakes alive, looks like we've got ourselves an Envoy!

I'm sorry, am I the only one with "Convoy" running thru their head? I cain't help it. I'm tetched.

@21

see that's what I'm thinking. This sounds like what is known in NCAA recruiting as an "unofficial verbal commitment"

Thanks Ruby, now I have Convoy going through my head too. Not that I mind, I happen to love that song AND that movie (don't bother trying to watch it on dvd, it's like watching a recording someone made on a handheld camera in the theater).

And ALSO thanks to you I have Kenny Rogers telling Ruby not to take her love to town going through my head.

ENJOY!

Is Hutcherson from a church that sends out a special team of "You're all going to Hell!" christians with huge signs of hell fire and condemnation to cultural events like Folklife?

God must be a real prick.

Perhaps a violation of 18 USC 912:

Whoever falsely assumes or pretends to be an officer or employee acting under the authority of the United States or any department, agency or officer thereof, and acts as such, or in such pretended character demands or obtains any money, paper, document, or thing of value, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

@20 There was actually a great deal of concern about this among the Christianists. Hare Krishnas have excellent programs for feeding the homeless, along with other social programs. When they applied and received money, the Christianists went nuts, since they expected that no one but them would receive money from the boondoggle.

As for the question of whether presenting yourself as a diplomat is illegal, Ross Perot was nearly charged with violating this law when he went off on his own to negotiate the release of MIA/POWs in Vietnam. I have a feeling that when the facts come out, Hutch won't be making any more trips to Latvia, or anywhere outside the US. The State Department will likely confiscate his passport.

Hutch has lied before about things people said or didn't say to him. He's pretty damn sure God wants the homos kept out of society, but God apparently casts a blind eye on liars...

You know, first things first...

Remember, Red Bushies never Lie. Except 99.9 percent of the time ...

Just went over to the Antioch Bible Church. These guys may have a website but they sure don't want to receive email. The only email addy I could find was for "support."

And I really wanted to send a zinger off to Hutcherson, telling him this straight woman was pissed he was hanging with the Holohoaxers.

You're right Fluffy, it IS hard to find an email for any staff person at Ken's church.

Why not just call their toll free number instead. I bet if you call after hours, you will get a voicemail system that has lots of storage space for messages of dissent.

And they even pay for your call! What a deal! And it's such a cute number, too. That Hutch, always makin' a statement! It was probably him in that nice photo with Paris Hilton we saw on the Slog earlier today. Yum!

Ken's Toll Free number:
1-877-BLKnWHT (877-255-6948)

Jeez, can I name myself Ambassador for Peace and Understanding and go stop the bu$hwar? I'm ready.

Little known fact:

Bushes nickname for Mr. Hein is "Heiney"
Look it up, it is the truth

So, isn't it odd that a gay basher like Hutcherson needs another man's Heiny to stick up for him to cover his own ass?

God sets them up for me, I just knock 'em down

I would really appreciate the karmic justice if Hutch WERE caught in an outright lie, but on the other hand, I've yet to believe in the veracity of any statement coming from the White House, so I'm a bit torn on this one.

Still, wouldn't it be swell if, just for once, someone in the White House WAS telling the truth?

Which is less believable, that the Pastor invented a credential or the Bush White House certified an official evangelist to Latvia and then denied it? Kind of a tossup.

Christian pastor promises to provide evidence of his claims? Don't hold your breath.

Do you remember from the "Play Misty For Me" where Clint Eastwood's one night stand said as she returned with groceries in the morning after having made a copy of his key..."You said you loved me". To which he replied, "I never said I loved you". To which she quickly responds..."well, not in so many words, but...". This is what Hutch does..."well, not in so many words".

Hmm... I agree with whoever said that Hein just agreed with Ken to get him off the phone. Also, those in the White House are a bunch of liars. I don't care about Ken being prosecuted (he's the small fish), I hope that the White House goes down in flames. (That is figurative flames, not literal flames. The dog is innocent and probably the cook, housekeeper and a few others).

Check this stuff out ...

http://www.newgeneration.lv/eng/news/

http://newgeneration.lv/eng/news/?doc=2198
--------
BTW: here's the site's registration info:
descr: Evangelisko Kristiesu Baznicas Jauna Paaudze Rigas Draudze
admin-c: 28476-LUMII
tech-c: 29889-LUMII
nserver: ns.newgeneration.lv
nserver: ns2.newgeneration.lv
changed: dns-reg@nic.lv 20050608
source: LUMII

person:
address: none
phone: +371 26485851
e-mail: Fleck@Rullz.lv
nic-hdl: 29889-LUMII
source: LUMII

person:
address: none
phone: +371 25922021
e-mail: hizman@ng.lv
-----
ng.lv goes to:
descr: Evangelisko Kristiesu Baznicas Jauna Paaudze Rigas Draudze
admin-c: 28476-LUMII
tech-c: 29889-LUMII
nserver: ns.ng.lv
nserver: ns2.ng.lv
changed: dns-reg@nic.lv 20050613
source: LUMII

person:
address: none
phone: +371 26485851
e-mail: Fleck@Rullz.lv
nic-hdl: 29889-LUMII
source: LUMII

person:
address: none
phone: +371 25922021
e-mail: hizman@ng.lv
nic-hdl: 28476-LUMII
source: LUMII

Heiney is real enough.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/fbci/dir-hein.html

Latest press releases from the US Embassy in Riga not showing Hutch's "official trip"

The U.S. Ambassador announces the visit of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to Latvia
2007/02/28 Team from Lansing School of Nursing Will Visit Latvia to Continue Ongoing Nursing Exchange Activities
2007/02/23 The U.S. ambassador closes Black History Month with film screening
2007/02/22 The U.S. ambassador will open the stage reading “A Raisin in the Sun” at Daile Theater
2007/02/21 The U.S. Embassy Hosts Students for Shadow Day
2007/02/13 The U.S. ambassador greets the U.S. luge teams in Sigulda
2007/02/02 Black History Month events in Latvia to address “Multiculturalism”
2007/01/29 Georgian Delegation to Learn about Latvia’s NATO Integration Experience
2007/01/23 U.S. Ambassador to Latvia will meet Latvian soldiers who have served in Iraq

Guess Sam Alito trumps our glorious "Envoy" or maybe he's there on a clandestine mission.

Nothing in the Embassy photogallery either... although I'm glad lower level officials are getting their pics taken at National Parks. I'm sure Hutch is certain his visit is MORE important than that.

2007/03/12 Embassy's Political Economic Officer Joseph Babb visited the Gauja National park, March 12, 2007

2007/02/13 Ambassador Catherine Todd Bailey greets USA Luge Team

2007/02/05 Black History Month: Opening of the African American Authors' Exhibit "Singing the World", National Library of Latvia, February 5, 2007

2007/02/01 Black History Month: Outreach to Vainode Secondary school, February 01, 2007

2007/01/23 U.S. Ambassador to Latvia meets Latvian soldiers who have served in Iraq

2006/12/21 U.S. Charge d'Affaires Phillip Antweiler will donate approximately $313,000 worth of equipment to the Latvian State Border Guard, National Customs Board and Radiation Safety Centre, December 21, 2006

Comic Book/Prayer War(rior) Trivia: Dr. Doom is from Latvia. Excelsior!

I'll be happy to write or call the State Department and let them know that semi-literate, sadistic hate-monger is impersonating a US diplomat.

What's the address?

I wish I was a low-level dignitary. Sounds like a cakewalk.

The US has a law on the books that states if you impersonate a foreign diplomat (and intend to defraud) it is punishable by 10 years in prison and/or a fine. The statute reads below:

TITLE 18 - CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I - CRIMES
CHAPTER 43 - FALSE PERSONATION

-HEAD-
Sec. 915. Foreign diplomats, consuls or officers

-STATUTE-
Whoever, with intent to defraud within the United States, falsely
assumes or pretends to be a diplomatic, consular or other official
of a foreign government duly accredited as such to the United
States and acts as such, or in such pretended character, demands or
obtains or attempts to obtain any money, paper, document, or other
thing of value, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not
more than ten years, or both.

I wonder if Latvia has a similar provision.

Oh, and I can't wait to see who the real liar is in this story.

Then there is this:

-CITE-
18 USC Sec. 953 01/03/05

-EXPCITE-
TITLE 18 - CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I - CRIMES
CHAPTER 45 - FOREIGN RELATIONS

-HEAD-
Sec. 953. Private correspondence with foreign governments

-STATUTE-
Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who,
without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly
commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any
foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to
influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of
any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or
controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of
the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned
not more than three years, or both.

@43 Dr. Doom is from Latveria, not Latvia.

I'm not a Lia er I mean Lawyer either, however it seems to me a President can appoint anybody as an "Envoy". It has been done in the past. Mr. Habib was dispatched to the ME by President Reagan in 1982 in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

Even if he was not an "Envoy" this further shows the damage that can be done when State and Church are not separate.

Peace.

Posted by Gitai | March 19, 2007 08:14 PM

I guess I'm guilty then. I've written President Chavez, President Putin, PM Blair, the Junta members in Myanmar and other various Heads of State and to Ambassadors.
I never pretended to be a Gvt. Agent though. Quite the opposite :)

Most of the letters were in relation to my work with Amnesty International. Others were not and focused on stopping the American Iraq War from starting and then trying to stop it's further continuance, asking for Bush et al to be arrested for International Crimes and alerting them of the dangers of the Bush Regime.

Peace.

Ken's as full of himself as he is full of crap.

"Wouldn't it be great if you could only get AIDS from giving money to television preachers?" ~Elayne Boosler

I'm sorry - but have I a wandered onto another planet? These people are clearly nutters. I simply can't imagine why anyone even types their names, let alone anything about their beliefs. I think I shall go talk to my horse - she makes more sense than any of these clunks.

I don't think he'll end up in any serious trouble, which is a shame since lil' Kenny is such a delusional media whore that he'll consider anything short of imprisonment some sort of vindication. However, I think he just nuked what little influence he might have had with the White House, and that's really funny.

It sounds like you need to call Hein's office. I'm missing that part of your investigative journalism. Did your phone blow up after the last call from Hutch? (Which is entirely understandable.)

journalistic masturbation

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

from people who do not even know the location of newly minted homophobic mini state, an anachronism in modern euro, Latvia

of course Hutch, as a noted right wing Black Rev., has access to the ultra right wing theocratic Bush White House

surprise, surprise - just what did you think was happening the last six years

I have always preferred Estonia, anyway, very hot men, full of homo sex and good euro beer

I am 75% sure that if Hutch was traveling in an official capacity he would have needed to travel on either a diplomatic or an official passport. The Latvian government would be upset if he enter on a tourist passport and that would be a misrepresentation of why he was entering the country.

Second, and this I am 95% sure of, if he was on official US government business, he would need a country clearance. This would have been issued by the US embassy in Latvia. You could call the embassy and ask if they issued such a clearance. Again the embassy and ambassador would be pissed if their was someone under official us government authority operating outside of the ambassadors knowledge.

It would have been cooler if he'd gone to *Latveria*. Then he could have stopped all of this unpleasantness with Doctor Doom.

Wouldn't an official appointment be articulated in a written document?

I myself have gotten brain waves from the White House that I have standing as Deputy Supreme Potentate for Culinary Condiments but I am still waiting for the letter of appointment.

Where is Homophobia and who are the Homophobians? Why not appoint an ambassador instead of a special envoy? Is there a crisis in Homophobia? If so, why send Ken Hutcherson, and not Condileeza Rice? Ken Hutcherson has no experience in foreign policy.

Oh, well. So many questions, so little time.

His "title" is like the one you get when your airline captain gives out the plastic junior pilot's wings.

@61: Your comment just made me spit milk as I'm eating my cereal. That could be the funniest line today.

Eli, you should FOIA the office of faith-based initiatives for any docs that mention Hutcherson.

This is TOO delicious! Pastor Hutch came up with a title straight out of "Petticoat Junction"'s Hooterville hierarchy and a dossier that would make Jim Phelps GREEN with envy! "Your mission, Ken, should you decide to accept it, is to get into Latvia, stop the gays, and restore family values. As always, should any of your I.M. Force be caught or killed, the White House will disavow any knowledge of your actions."

Rubyred,to goddamned funny{"i cain't help it,i'm tetched"}i can't stop laughing.

if we want to discredit hutch once and for all, we need to track down the "men" he's buggered. they're out there. i'll look in new york and riga.

I'd like to point something out ... "Defending Faith, Family and Freedom" is the motto of the Whitehouse's up-with-jesus department.

Seems kinda spooky, really. The first letters of Faith, Family and Freedom all begin with the letter F. The sixth letter of the alphabet. "Defending 666".

Not really a surprise, I guess.

Hey, if "rouge" is good enough the Drag Queen, Guiliani, it's gotta be good enough for the Jesus Freak!

What happened to my comment and so many of others?

Oh, I see, one must enter a comment to see all the comments. Or one just see the 1st 30 or so. Weird.

To Trey (and a few others here)...I'm not a religous person but I do know the difference between evangelicals and fundamentalists i.e the good pastor here. The faith-based office in DC as anyone here should know, is a front for the fundamentalist movement in this country, because for some unknown reason, the beltway actually think they are this huge voting demographic and they certainly don't want to piss them off lest they be tarred and feathered and crucified. I wonder who actually perpetrated that myth anyway. BTW, wasn't it largely the evangelicals who just orchestrated a huge anti-war protest in DC, with even a few getting themselves arrested? My guess there was not one fundamentalist out of the thousands there protesting. Puzzling, considering, you know the "Thou shalt not kill" thing and the "turn your cheek" and "love thy neighbor" and all. Anyway, I was there, where were you?

To Trey (and a few others here)...I'm not a religous person but I do know the difference between evangelicals and fundamentalists i.e the good pastor here. The faith-based office in DC as anyone here should know, is a front for the fundamentalist movement in this country, because for some unknown reason, the beltway actually think they are this huge voting demographic and they certainly don't want to piss them off lest they be tarred and feathered and crucified. I wonder who actually perpetrated that myth anyway. BTW, wasn't it largely the evangelicals who just orchestrated a huge anti-war protest in DC, with even a few getting themselves arrested? My guess there was not one fundamentalist out of the thousands there protesting. Puzzling, considering, you know the "Thou shalt not kill" thing and the "turn your cheek" and "love thy neighbor" and all. Anyway, I was there, where were you?

To Trey (and a few others here)...I'm not a religous person but I do know the difference between evangelicals and fundamentalists i.e the good pastor here. The faith-based office in DC as anyone here should know, is a front for the fundamentalist movement in this country, because for some unknown reason, the beltway actually think they are this huge voting demographic and they certainly don't want to piss them off lest they be tarred and feathered and crucified. I wonder who actually perpetrated that myth anyway. BTW, wasn't it largely the evangelicals who just orchestrated a huge anti-war protest in DC, with even a few getting themselves arrested? My guess there was not one fundamentalist out of the thousands there protesting. Puzzling, considering, you know the "Thou shalt not kill" thing and the "turn your cheek" and "love thy neighbor" and all. Anyway, I was there, where were you?

To Trey (and a few others here)...I'm not a religous person but I do know the difference between evangelicals and fundamentalists i.e the good pastor here. The faith-based office in DC as anyone here should know, is a front for the fundamentalist movement in this country, because for some unknown reason, the beltway actually think they are this huge voting demographic and they certainly don't want to piss them off lest they be tarred and feathered and crucified. I wonder who actually perpetrated that myth anyway. BTW, wasn't it largely the evangelicals who just orchestrated a huge anti-war protest in DC, with even a few getting themselves arrested? My guess there was not one fundamentalist out of the thousands there protesting. Puzzling, considering, you know the "Thou shalt not kill" thing and the "turn your cheek" and "love thy neighbor" and all. Anyway, I was there, where were you?

@32 - that's a strange toll-free number. Balkan wheat? I don't get it.

This guy is obviously a seriously repressed gay person. This type of bile is usually the result of some serious self loathing.

P.S. Nice catch Vooodooo84, I thought the same thing when I saw it and then saw your correction. Hah!