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Friday, January 30, 2009

Bullshit Alert: Haggard Speaks

Ted Haggard and his wife give an interview to the CBS Early Show in advance of the HBO documentary, The Trials of Ted Haggard. I don't doubt that the guy has suffered and struggled since being outed in 2006 - but as is plainly obvious from watching this clip, neither he nor his wife is dealing with reality here; it's still a great big act, complete with painted-on smiles, to woo back the adoring crowds, if that's possible. "I am a mess" he says, "I don't fit in any of the boxes" - he's not straight, not bisexual, not gay - just "heterosexual with complications." I'm not making this up, guys. But even so, "I'm fine, we're fine, everything's fine" now.

Right. I guess time will tell about that, won't it? You see what a terrible thing the closet does to people's heads. He's still trapped in that self-loathing, deep-denial mindset that some of us were stuck in at age 16 or so - but grew out of and got past. He's still there. I feel sorry for him on one level; but totally, nauseatingly disgusted on another, because this confused, conflicted, and ultimately homophobic message he's putting out has caused and will cause a lot of anguish to other young gay people's lives.

The documentary by director Alexandra Pelosi premiered last night; check here for the schedule of encore broadcasts on HBO.

Meanwhile you can check out this clip from Mike Signorile's recent radio interview with Mike Jones, the Denver escort who outed Haggard in 2006, talking about the other guys who are now coming forward and saying they had sexual relationships with the preacher. You remember that Haggard originally denied even knowing Mike Jones, or ever having had gay sex.

Now just in the last week we learn about these other two young guys, one of whom the church paid a six-figure sum to keep quiet about the matter. I wonder how many more will come out with further revelations about their ex-preacher. The truth will out eventually, it always does.

3 comments:

larry said...

when he speaks, its like watching a train wreck!

Russ Manley said...

yeah that's a good way of putting it Larry . . . .

Anonymous said...

Great Post!!!

I couldn't get the link in your blog to work to the video, however this is what I think you were referring to

http://www.youtube.com/v/KHnxuEGNfMY (if THAT works)

If I heard correctly, there's actually not TWO but THREE other guys -- the two that came to Jones directly and Haas who reached Jones through the KRDO reporter makes 3 (so far....)?

Three things strike me about this case-

1) Haggard is SUCH a SLOW learner, like you said he's still trapped in the loathing, denial mindset; plus still continuing to convey that negative message to young gay people.

2) Haggard continues to live off what he got from New Life Church ($300K severence) plus whatever he's getting from HBO to promote the documentary. Haas got $180K (I'm not objecting to that, he's suffered plenty) from New Life. But the other kids that we KNOW about probably got NOTHING. Plus this shit would still be going on bigtime if Jones (or someone else) hadn't called a stop to it; Jones gets NO money, loses his job, etc, etc. If Haggard is so damn grateful (I read in the Larry King interview) to Jones for "saving his life" then he ought to PAY Jones at least half of whatever he got from New Life. Also, the money paid out by New Life ultimately comes from the pockets of the members, many of whom are probably nice people who had to work hard for the $50 per head (figuring 10,000 members).

3) Remember the kid that shot up the New Life parking lot about a year ago (killed 2 people then himself)? I recall reading something about how he was turned away from some youth program connected with New Life, and there was a picture of Haggard found on the wall in the kid's room. I wonder if anyone is looking into a possible connection whether he was ever one of Haggard's "special young men".

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