The Ray Buckley Comment By GraniteGrok.com: Absolutely Shameful

by: Rep. Jim Splaine

Sat Nov 14, 2009 at 13:37:49 PM EST

As James Pindell has reported in NHPoliticalReport.com, the co-founder/co-host of GraniteGrok.com, who will go nameless at least by me, called Ray Buckley a "faggot" at the wrap-up of their two-hour radio talk show.  Apparently the radio part of the show was finished at that point, but they keep their Internet LiveCam camera connection up for a few minutes to catch their background chatter.  

Readers can see first-hand more of the banter by checking the GraniteGrok.com WEBSITE.  NHPoliticalReport.com has a direct link within their story.  You'll want to curser through the first two hours and ten minutes of the radio show unless you want to listen to diatribe from Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ovide Lamontagne and State Senator Jeb Bradley.  The show, by the way, airs on Newstalk 1490 WEMJ in Gilford -- a call sign you might want to set your radio dial to avoid.

I know a little bit about the show, and the two co-hosts.  I was invited to join Republican State Representative Bill O'Brien on the show last January to discuss a bill he and I had teamed up on as co-sponsors, a right-to-know law expansion, which in amended form is coming out with a favorable recommendation from the House Judiciary Committee for action this coming January.   Both radio co-hosts were pleasant to talk with, and they put up with some of my more liberal jargon and I put up with their rather conservative talk-play.  

I do remember during my one-hour drive back home from the Lakes Region to Portsmouth after the program on that cold but sunny winter afternoon thinking that I was glad that was over.

The co-host's comments directed at Ray Buckley brings shame on both co-hosts -- one for saying it, and the other for not immediately shutting his partner up.  Those kind of words, especially with an indirect threat as he wishes Ray "Happy Birthday Ray and many more -- not...," insults hundreds of thousands of New Hampshire men and women.  

Everyone has the right to his or her opinion, and my opinion is that this co-host is one who shouldn't be listened to.  At the least he should apologize for his attack.  It might even be in order for him to take some time off, forced to or otherwise. Seeing him rant at the end of Internet part of the program shows he might have some anger-control problems.  Kind of sad to see that in any human being.  Of course, I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on television or radio, so it's only my opinion.      

Ray Buckley has put up with a lot since he let others know he is gay.  All of us who are openly gay are at times on the receiving end of such disgusting comments.  Some of us receive hate mail or calls for what we do on our fight for equality.  But in this case, Ray and the many others who have worked hard this year and in years past to achieve marriage equality in New Hampshire have a louder voice than this GraniteGrok co-host character.  The majority of people in New Hampshire are on the side of equality and love, not hate and discrimination.  

My Mom used to say, "He who has the last laugh laughs best." I think she might have said about this instance, "He who is stupid shows he's stupid the more he talks." My Dad would have simply said, "That co-host loser is a piece of work."

And my Mom and Dad would certainly join me in wishing Ray Buckley a happy birthday, and many more years of fighting against hatred.  We disagree on some things and a few approaches, but you do many good things.