Inventing tales of a union "beating" (at a town hall meeting this week in St. Louis)

[Omaha Steve]

http://mediamatters.org/blog/200908080004

August 08, 2009 10:11 am ET by Eric Boehlert

The conservative blogosphere is absolutely atwitter with news that an activist was attacked by union thugs at a town hall meeting this week in St. Louis. It's the best the right-wing can do to deflect blame for unleashing mini-mobs on town hall forums: They did it!

The tale was first told in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Kenneth Gladney, 38, a conservative activist from St. Louis, said he was attacked by some of those arrested as he handed out yellow flags with "Don't tread on me" printed on them. He spoke to the Post-Dispatch from the emergency room at St. John's Mercy Medical Center, where he said he was awaiting treatment for injuries to his knee, back, elbow, shoulder and face. Gladney, who is black, said one of his attackers, also a black man, used a racial slur against him before the attack.

The newspaper had no witnesses, just Gladney's account. Then Gladney's attorney got involved and from conservatives' perspective, the tale got better and better:

He went to the ground. Subsequently, two other SEIU representatives or members, however you want to say it, jumped on top of him, yelled racial epithets at him...kicked him, punched him...He sustained some injuries to his back, some bruising.

And even better:

The SEIU member used a racial slur against Kenneth, then punched him in the face. Kenneth fell to the ground. Another SEIU member yelled racial epithets at Kenneth as he kicked him in the head and back. Kenneth was also brutally attacked by one other male SEIU member and an unidentified woman. The three men were clearly SEIU members, as they were wearing T-shirts with the SEIU logo.

Gladney was clearly beaten at length (it was "brutal"), and at least from this description, was lucky to survive with his life, right?

Mary Katharine Ham wrote up an especially excited write-up at The Weekly Standard about the vicious union thugs and how Gladney was severely beaten. The only mistake Ham made was including a YouTube clip of the incident; a clip that pretty much undercuts the entire tale of run-away union violence.

Video and FULL story at link.

[glitch]

1. Did they carve a reverse B on his face?

Otherwise I don't believe a word of it.

[dmosh42]

2. Think he shit in his drawers? n/t

[47of74]

3. I have the following for sale for those who believe Gladney

[Stephanie]

4. You left out the best part:

Go watch the YouTube video. (Or, the "shocking video," as Power Line hypes it.) The first thing you notice when the camera starts rolling is a union member already sprawled out on the ground with somebody standing over him. No explanation of how he got there (pushed, shoved, punched?) and Ham couldn't care less. Then yes, Gladney is pulled to the ground by somebody wearing a union shirt. (At the :06 mark.) But instead of Gladney being beaten and punched, as his attorney describes, and instead of union "thugs" standing over him and threatening him, Gladney bounces right back on his feet in approximately two seconds and the scuffle ends.

That was the savage "beating" the conservative blogosphere can't stop talking about?

The only real mystery from the incident is why Tea Party member Gladney, who's seen up-close after the brief encounter walking around and talking to people and who appears to be injury-free, then decided to go to the hospital to treat injuries to his "knee, back, elbow, shoulder and face." All that from a two-second fall to the pavement?

Also unclear is why he contacted a newspaper reporter, or why his attorney wrote up lavish accounts and sent them to conservative bloggers, or why Gladney and his attorney appeared on Fox News.

[Cha]

5. NICE! Fucking media and fucking whores against

the truth!

I saw a comment below that called palin the "qotus".."she puts the twit in twitter".

[billyoc]

6. Having served up my share of Union beatings, that looks "Rock of Love Bus" vicious.

:rofl:

[Barack_America]

7. I posted the video on DU yesterday...

I believe Kenneth Gladney is the man I refer to a "brown shirt" because, well, that's what he was wearing.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x349830

[Barack_America]

8. Here's a picture of the jackoff in a wheelchair.

Kenneth Gladney, the man allegedly assaulted by SEIU members, showed up to the protest in a wheelchair. Several protestors claimed that Gladney was targeted because he was black. Bill Hennessy also claimed that the attack was in response to an order from the White House.

These people are fucking pathetic.

From Twitter:

amirkurtovic Picture of Ken Gladney (in whhelchair), the man allegedly attacked by SEIU members at Tea Party protest in St. Louis >> http://bit.ly/rdtW5
5 minutes ago from web

[eppur_se_muova]

9. Truth will out. Thanks for posting this, OS. nt

[GaYellowDawg]

10. Hmm.

Kenneth Gladney, 38, a conservative activist from St. Louis, said he was attacked by some of those arrested as he handed out yellow flags with "Don't tread on me" printed on them.

Sounds like he got treaded on. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[BlooInBloo]

11. I wonder if they get their tactics from abortion clinic terrorism experience.

[The Doctor.]

12. Oh, and Gladney's a cop, and the SIEU member a Reverend...

More info in this thread;

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6253679&mesg_id=6253679

Isn't this stuff interesting.

[Emit]

13. Apparently, from the Faux Noos interview, he's now unemployed and was hired by the Tea Party

to hand out flags, according to the report from St. Louis newspaper.

[Name removed]

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