Think Progress

Councilman Cole Shares His Thoughts on Dropthehammer.org

Since we’ve started dropthehammer.org — a site designed to pressure corporations to stop contributing to Tom DeLay’s legal defense trust — we’ve received a lot of email from people around the country expressing their views on our efforts. This one from Councilman Kevin Cole of Pearland, Texas caught our attention:

Hey ass hole [sic]. Tom Delay happens to be my congresman [sic] and I am happy with the job he does for me and my district. Why don’t you get the F@&* out of our district and leave us alone. Better yet, come speak to me personally and I will show you what I think of you.

Kevin Cole
Pealrand [sic], TX
[Cell Phone # Redacted]

Mr. Cole is also a Baptist deacon.



179 Responses to “Councilman Cole Shares His Thoughts on Dropthehammer.org”

  1. Willie Loucks says:

    If Mr Cole would take Carl Rove, Tom DeLay and George Bush back to Texas and suceede from the Union I would be all for it.


  2. The Witch says:

    Think he’ll pay my airfare to go down there and speak to him personally so I can tell him what I think of him too?


  3. apostropher says:

    No wonder Cole admires DeLay. They have some shared characteristics.


  4. larry says:

    I think Mr. Cole the good baptist deacon that he is of course has a right to his opinion, that being said, if Mr. DeLay was on the council with him down there in Pearland..just down the road a piece from Sugarland home of Tom DeLaid, we would not have one single problem with his friend and they can pray there respective assses off down there in TEJAS …but regrettable the rest of the fucking country asshole has to deal with your buddy…as for your threat..not a big old surprise everything in Texas is bigger including those darling buckles you boys wear save two things…your brain and your peckers!


  5. Alex says:

    I sent this to the three major Houston TV stations – maybe they’ll pick it up. Can someone cover other area press outlets?


  6. John says:

    unbelievable, what a jack-ass


  7. Bluestate says:

    I sent that nitwitt an email calling him a wolf in sheeps clothing and I told him how appalled I was that Baptist Deacon had wrote that.


  8. Shoeless Joe Stalin says:

    Asshole is one word. You’d think an asshole would know that.


  9. Olie says:

    I sent an email to the Pearland Journal with a link to this page.


  10. tom rogers says:

    Grammatical errors from that area of the country are to be expected, what with georgie’s Texas(Houston) version of “no child left behind”.


  11. Tom says:

    Check out the people who gave money to Delay’s Defense Fund? Is your Rep on the list?

    If so, Contact Them!


  12. Carpetbagger says:

    It’s obvious the poor guy isn’t the sharpest crayon in the box, but how, exactly, did he manage to misspell the name of his own home town?


  13. Big Al says:

    I have sent Kevin Cole an email telling him that I am shocked shocked that a Baptist Deacon, a member of the Council and a family man, would use such language in an email. Why does the far right feel the need to engage in such vulgar name calling?



  14. Bob says:

    Sent a note to his pastor.

    Pastor Foraker,

    The following e-mail was sent to a political website by a Mr. Kevin Cole. I believe this is the same Mr. Cole that describes himself as a Deacon in your ministry. The language used and the violence implied in this note are appalling coming from someone supposedly in a church leadership position. I can not believe that this is the type of conduct advocated by your ministry. Passion in the service of the Lord is one thing, but this type of public invective over politics seems out of place for a man in a church leadership position.

    I am a past Navy nuke (NPS class 9005, ship driver though – two cruisers) and still in the reserves so I have heard my share of strong language, and shared in it myself. Mr. Cole however could not have been responding in the heat of anger as he had to make an effort to type a response and e-mail it. I am Christian, though not Baptist, but have known Baptist chaplains while in the Navy. I can not believe your ministry is far from theirs, or from what I am familiar with.

    I think Mr. Cole may need a reminder of the special burdens of self control taken up when a man assumes a leadership position, especially one in a ministry. As well, possibly, as a reminder of the lessons of forgiveness and turning the other cheek from the New Testament.

    Sincerely,

    Bob Dillman


  15. Antifa says:

    The Ass Hole Deacon’s church (fbcp.net) is as pearly white people as you can stand. Their motto is, “Bringing Jesus as he is to people as they are.”

    One of their key ministries is to Keenagers. That’s right, Keenagers. It’s apparently a special kind of Yoot that grows up in Pearland.

    Such Flash-y websites full of werds speled rong are a dead giveaway that money was thrown at it, but no one cared, or cares, to visit it.

    Style over substance. Jesus would slap the shit out of these people.


  16. Broke Kid says:

    Councilman Cole Shares His Thoughts on Dropthehammer.org
    ThinkProgress.org started the DropTheHammer.org campaign to get Tom DeLay, who happens to have a few problems with ethical lapses, off the payroll of some really big corporations, ie American Airlines, Bacardi, Nissan, RJ Reynolds and Verizon.

    Well,…


  17. Bob says:

    Uhmm ..not to defend these guys at all .. ever, but the ‘Keenager’s” thing is not a typo. It’s their cutesy name for “seniors” … like for older folks, not 12th graders.

    If we’re going to hit ‘em we gotta be smarter, more informed and better than ‘em.


  18. Terry Hildebrand says:

    You can tell by Mr. Cole’s rhetoric that he is surely a man of God.


  19. common sense says:

    I guess they don’t make baptist deacons like they used to. Is this more of the “loving,tolerant,Christian community.”?


  20. Zookeeper says:

    I’m gonna go git that bar of Ivory and cut me a switch. Come ‘ere boy…


  21. Shoeless Joe Stalin says:

    Perhaps this is why the good Deacon is so hot and bothered. The endtimes (for DeLay, the new GOP, and the nuclear option) are drawing nigh. They expected The Rapture, but got a rupture instead.


  22. Mark says:

    You should send the councilman’s comments to the local paper. Find a reporter who especially has a beef with him and go from there…..


  23. Jon says:

    Sounds like the good deacon may want to join Tom in following Jesus.


  24. Robert says:

    The Men’s Mission of dude’s church is this:

    “Mission Statement:
    Our ministry is dedicated to drawing men closer to God by developing spiritually mature men who demonstrate Christlike character and who serve God in their home, church and community, while supporting and encouraging one another through prayer, forgiveness, acceptance and accountability.”

    I think Cole needs some work on the Christlike character part. But lets help him with the “accountability” by shaming the crap out of him.


  25. apostropher says:

    By the way, Cole’s picture and bio have magically disappeared from the Pearland city government’s website at some point in the last thirty minutes.


  26. Elizabeth McLane says:

    I live in Pearland and work in Sugar Land, e.g., the”land of Tom.” I do want to let everyone know that literate people live in Pearland and many do not like Tom DeLay. We happen to be spiritual as well.


  27. Shoeless Joe Stalin says:

    We know, Elizabeth, but evil thrives when good men and women do nothing.


  28. cmw says:

    I searched on the Pearland website and found this link with his picture.

    http://www.cityofpearland.com/vertical/Sites/{CA80BAF8-A883-4878-AB6D-7FC8DAE7D62E}/uploads/{29d8eaaf-ae69-4da4-9d44-8197872801e6}.pdf

    He’s also identified as the Agent in a rezoning request put to the Pearland board –
    Wonder if there’s a conflict there – being a councilmember as well. Maybe he has more in common with Delay than just a nasty disposition.


  29. kharma says:

    OK…I’m done being a Baptist…oh yeah I was already done being a Baptist when I realized that that idiot Dobson is one.


  30. Mike says:

    By the way, Cole’s picture and bio have magically disappeared from the Pearland city government’s website at some point in the last thirty minutes.

    Comment by apostropher — April 13th, 2005 @ 3:15 pm

    I wonder if it’s just his bio that’s disappeared? It’s amazing how quickly a little scandal can spread in the days of the “internets”!


  31. Thomas says:

    Silly Baptists. You can’t ever really delete something on the internet.

    Here’s Google’s cache of the pic/bio they tried to hide:
    http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ci.pearland.tx.us%2Findex.asp%3FType%3DB_BASIC%26SEC%3D%257BD8EADC8A-3689-4996-AC90-DB15DFFF26E4%257D


  32. Mike says:

    And if anyone is interested… Pearland’s City Council meets next Monday at 7:30PM.

    Anyone going to pay them a visit?


  33. kindness says:

    Please Elizabeth, we aren’t critsizing you. We just can hardly believe that people in responsible positions of a community’s governance and a Decon at a local church act this way to others. I’m a little taken aback that you aren’t somewhat shocked yourself.


  34. Bob says:

    hmmmm .. Already received a response to what I sent to the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Pearland. He is appalled by the e-mail, it is contrary to what they preach and he hopes (thinks) it may be a prank on Mr Cole.

    IMHO, sounds like a well meaning person, just like Elizabeth above. We on the left only hurt our cause with excessive snarkiness.
    But, Elizabeth, I can’t agree more with Shoeless Joe…


  35. norbizness says:

    He sounds like an online gamer! pwned!!11!!1 ROFL


  36. pwm says:

    You have down that Kevin Cole is a councilman, but the link to Pearland does not have him listed. Are you certain he is a councilman? What church does he belong to? I think that the pastor, chairman of the deacons and the entire congregation and the community need to know what he wrote. Maybe an editorial in the Pearland newspaper would be appropriate so that all of Pearland knows just what kind of Christian Kevin Cole is.


  37. jules says:

    I just sent our compassionate minister an email. Title line “WWJA?”… Who Would Jesus call an Asshole?


  38. Jim says:

    I copied the email and sent it to the PD, DA, Mayor and other councilmembers, and legal dept of the town. Any bets on if they remove him?


  39. The Witch says:

    I reply to my earlier post like a true tacky attention whoring witch:

    Think he’ll pay my airfare to go down there and speak to him personally so I can tell him what I think of him too?

    I think he should use some of Tommy’s campaign funds to pay it, too. Since he has no problem with that.


  40. Big Al says:

    If the left was as organized to defeat President Bush as we now are to censure or remove Councilman Cole, then John Kerry would be President of the United States


  41. EvilCornbread says:

    Do we have any evidence that the email is authentic? It’s very easy to spoof email addresses.


  42. cmw says:

    Go to page 26 of this linked pdf and you will find Mr. Cole. He’s a councilmember since 2004

    http://www.cityofpearland.com/vertical/Sites/{CA80BAF8-A883-4878-AB6D-7FC8DAE7D62E}/uploads/{29d8eaaf-ae69-4da4-9d44-8197872801e6}.pdf


  43. zibblegot says:

    Looks like one of those shaved-head self-hatin’ closet queers to me – maybe one of Jeff Gannon’s buddies, perhaps?!


  44. Craig says:

    Yicks. Deacon Cole looks likes a lot like Brother Gannon.

    One is big dick for hire, the other is a big dick liar. And life goes on deep in the heart of Texas….


  45. steven fowler says:

    I did a google search. Seems that Mr. Cole was involved in a Ethics case in Texas………..
    http://www.ethics.state.tx.us/sworncomp/2000/200742.PDF


  46. jwb says:

    How do you know this wasn’t just some crank using some other identity? Did you call the cell #?


  47. Teo says:

    Looks like they took his bio off the linked site. I know I sent him a quick email.


  48. Jim says:

    So… Mr Cole has had a little ethics problem. Hummm….. Tom Delay has an ethics problem. I guess Tom starts ‘em off early.


  49. Alex says:

    Councilman Cole’s page seems to have been removed from the Pearland city site…


  50. cmw says:

    The ethics complaint seems to indicate that Mr. Cole has more than a passing knowledge of PACs and how to use them, like his friend Mr. DeLay


  51. clio says:

    Well, Stalin’s “…no man, no problem,” could be updated to “no website page, no problem.”

    Too bad there’s Google Cache

    I was inclined to think this a prank. The Pearland website cleansing makes me more suspicious.


  52. Jim says:

    Maybe they figure “Out of sight, out of mind”.


  53. Alex says:

    “Community Action Center Online Request Form”

    “The City of Pearland has provided the following form for your convenience in submitting suggestions, questions, information requests and complaints to the City. We at the City of Pearland would like to hear from you. Simply fill out the following form and click the submit button. Please be as detailed as possible. Missing information may cause a delay in the response to your submission.

    “Your request will be processed immediately and we will contact you as soon as possible.”

    http://www.cityofpearland.com/index.asp?Type=DYNAFORM&SEC={AD114467-0E85-420D-BB89-3A1533530624}


  54. cmw says:

    And then there’s the Cole Kevin Agency listed as an insurance agency at http://www.1stpearland.com/Legal/insurance.htm


  55. Nico @ ThinkProgress says:

    FYI – just a note to those who are questioning whether this is actually Kevin Cole, the Pearland Councilman: It is. We received the email from the address listed at Kevin’s site, called his cell phone and have confirmed that it is him.


  56. Buckeye says:

    Bwahahahaha!

    Who’s the asshole now?


  57. Brian Hamilton says:

    I came over here from AmericaBlog.com. You guys are awesome!! Oh, how I love a bit of schadenfreude :)


  58. cmw says:

    This may be far-fetched but Bobby Eberle’s GOPUSA.com website was registered to his address in Pearland according to RawStory
    http://rawstory.com/news/2005/index.php?cat=1
    could there be yet another connection


  59. Cindy says:

    Willie – I am all for that let us see if we can get away from all those folks who are just jealous they are not true, red, white & blue from the Nation of Texas!!!!!!!!!!!!


  60. Clever Moniker says:

    Is this REALLY the same Kevin Cole with ethics charges filed against him in Texas? http://www.ethics.state.tx.us/sworncomp/2000/200741.PDF

    I hope so.

    Schadenfreude…it’s what’s for dinner.

    :-)


  61. cmw says:

    It would seem to be the same since the ethics doc identifies him as james kevin cole, and his email address is cole.jk


  62. james richardson says:

    Why don’t you show up in person and let him show you what he means? Don’t forget to bring a camera!


  63. hannah says:

    Re 62 & 63: The legal document references Lisa Cole, Kevin Cole’s wife, same name as on the Pearland website.


  64. Sam Davis says:

    Mr Cole attends the same church that spawned right wing radical Rick Scarborough, founder of Vision America. His church, if you can call it that, is little more than a fancy precinct station. Someone send me his email address, I live in Pearland and will be sure to find him.



  65. Dominion says:

    *It would seem to be the same since the ethics doc identifies him as james kevin cole, and his email address is cole.jk*

    Considering the barely literate content of the email above jk could be a misspelling of Jr.

    I’m just saying…


  66. Jim says:

    Great job guys. What a shame. What a disgrace on the community. I was trying to search Pearland Journal which is supposedly a local newspaper, and they don’t yet have a story on this loser. Should we try emailing some larger media? How about the morning shows on major stations and maybe request them to do a story on this?


  67. Sandy Claws says:

    Whether this foul-mouthed, semi-literate deacon thinks he’s making Jesus proud is his business but as an American elected official he certainly is embarrassing the rest of us.


  68. kainah says:

    Yes, clever moniker, this would be the same Kevin Cole that had this ethics complaint filed against him: http://www.ethics.state.tx.us/sworncomp/2000/200741.PDF If you read down through the complaint, you will see that the James Kevin Cole of the complaint also has a wife named Lisa. That would seem to pretty much sew it up.

    And, re: Sam Davis’s comment that Cole attends the church that spawned Scarborough of Vision America… Let’s not forget that it was Scarborough who was the primary emcee for the hatefest judicial “activism” conference last weekend with Phyllis Schlafly, the taped comments from DeLay, and the horrid Vieira invoking Stalin’s “no man, no problem.”

    I wonder if Cole was in DC last weekend.


  69. David says:

    Sorry Liz, but everyonr in Texas seems to be sharing the same brain stem. I believe its called the Republic of Texas. Maybe you folks would like to try to go it alone for a while instead of screwing up the country for the rest of us.


  70. mistermark says:

    “Maybe you folks would like to try to go it alone for a while instead of screwing up the country for the rest of us.”

    If the deal means we can leave and keep Molly Ivins and Ann Richards here while you keep Dubya and DeLay in Washington, deal!


  71. Shirley Kittrell says:

    Mr.Cole and his steadfast ignorance….is the
    reason this country is in such a mess now.
    There is no place in the US congress…for a
    crooked Hammer!!!!


  72. mondo says:

    Here is Coles email address….

    cole.jk@sbcglobal.net


  73. whatnext says:

    I think he’s gay. His picture is really gay. And my gaydar is not often wrong. Sent the council and KC a note filled with as much hate as I could muster, trying to emulate the hate that comes from people like him. May he feel the pain of hate and discrimination that he would so inflict on others.


  74. greg says:

    Well I tracked down the Democratic party for Pearland (which happens to be North Brazoria County (http://www.democratsofbrazoriacounty.org/north.html) and sent them an email alerting them about Mr. Cole.

    The democrats down there should be encouraged to contact the local media themselves since they will have more luck locally than any of us. You can find contact emails on their website.


  75. theyeti says:

    So are you going to take him up on his offer? PLEASE DO! :-)


  76. Nobody's Baby says:

    Looks like more of those Red-State Moral Values – in action.


  77. cmw says:

    Re comment by Sam Davis re Vision American amd Rick Scarborough
    The following is quote from Rick Scarborough website – one could gather from Mr. Cole and Mr. Scarborough that becoming pro-active means cursing and threatening dissidents
    I guess Christ has taken a back seat to hooliganism

    “In 1998, he founded Vision America, an organization whose mission is to “inform and mobilize Pastors and their congregations to become salt and light, becoming pro-active in restoring Judeo-Christian values in America.â€? The advisory board of Vision America includes notable Christian leaders such as D. James Kennedy, Don Wildmon, Jerry Falwell, Adrian Rogers and Lutheran Minister, Dr. Laurence White, who serves as the National Co-Chairman along with Dr. Scarborough.
    http://www.stopactivistjudges.org/rickscarborough.asp


  78. cmw says:

    Rick Scarborough’s org held a conference on activist judges just last week – see link below
    At 1:15 pm Congressman Lamar Smith spoke in place of Tom DeLay because Mr. DeLay “…was called to Rome as part of the US delegation attending the Pope’s funeral…”
    More hyperbole and spin. US congressmen were not called to Rome. But even if they were – Mr DeLay is a died in wool Protestant, what would he be doing being called to Rome. But then there is an ecumenical wind about the entire experience at the website “Confronting the Judicial War on Faith”
    But Mr. DeLay expressed his “…heartfelt regret at not being with the Judeo-Christian Council for Constitutional Restoration for this historic conference,” and pledged to work with the Council to restore One Nation Under God.”
    Now which God that is – the God of Moses, Jesus, Mohammed, has not been decided yet — however, sufficient military expenditures on all sides should bring that question to a conclusion – the ends justify the means so to speak for these so very religious folk

    http://www.stopactivistjudges.org/schedule.asp


  79. rm says:

    Seems to me like the good preacher communicated a threat. That being said, isn’t it a crime to communicate a threat. In my state, communicating a threat is considered battery. If the good preacher is ready to assault someone, are his parishoners ready to pay his bond? What a GREAT guy!


  80. Bill says:

    Here’s what the Associate Pastor does at Pearland First Baptist Church. Perhaps they should think about giving his area a different title.

    Ray Cox – Cell Groups
    Pastor Ray Cox has been an active Southern Baptist Pastor for almost 40 years. . . . As the Associate Pastor of First Baptist Church of Pearland, his major responsibility is leading Small Group Ministry.


  81. Paul says:

    I wonder if there’s a Wingnut Tree on which wingnuts grow?

    I already know there’s a Wingnut Bush…hey, he’s in the White House.

    I think the scientific name for this parasitic weed is Wingnutus Bushitus. (uhoh, bumpersticker alert). Anyway, what we really need is a good weed-eater, but I’ve heard Jeff Gannon already has that job…ahem, lip-locked down.

    Wingnutus Bushitus used to be a parasitic plant only found in West Texas, but then it spread. Offshoots now have put down roots in Florida and Washington D.C. and Crawford TX.

    Wherever a Wingnutus Bushitus plants itself, you can bet it will suck dry the natural resources of that area and leave it a dry, barren wasteland.

    Oh, and by the way, watch out for the thorns on the Wingnutus Bushitus. They’ll draw blood everytime, if one isn’t careful.


  82. Spanner says:

    I love how he threatens you guys if you were to come down to his town. He’s just another Rethuglican pussy. My 5yo nephew after a case of Coca Cola is more threatening….


  83. JD Rhoades says:

    Brilliant stuff…of course, it won’t be long before the whining begins about how poor old Deacon Cole is “having his privacy invaded” and being “harassed” for “speaking his mind”. The Ninnycon Cult of Victimhood will induct its newest member soon, methinks.


  84. Mike M. says:

    Wonder if we can get Hannity and Colmes or Rush ,or even Joe (Mr. Credibility) Scarborough to run with this sometime soon? Yeah. FAT CHANCE!


  85. The Small Town Hick says:

    Let’s not sink to this guy’s level,OK?
    We know who he is, and what he’s done.
    We do a Gannon on him.
    We move on.


  86. cindy says:

    Do you people really have nothing else to do? If you were intelligent enough to do your homework like us Texans, you will find out that anyone can post here and there are no checks and balances on this site. To vent is one thing to know who and what your venting about is another. And for those of you who would love to see Texas as a nation, we would like that as well, its just that all the other states would then want to follow suit and they don’t have the resources as we do to do so. Just in case you get an urge to check us out Texas.com is a great site to visit. I have included the reply I sent to the Reverend that decided it is now HIS responsibility to judge others, I am sure that GOD is glad to be rid of that one! Dear Reverand,

    With all due respect you being in the public eye must know what kind of people
    there are out there. The Kevin Cole who is associated with us (an by the way
    he is not employee of Gromax, we are a small company with three employee’s
    Paul, Bob, and Cindy) did not post that message. It is ashamed that people are
    so quick to judge those that they know nothing about.

    Luke 6:37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you
    will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

    Kevin is a respected citizen in Pearland, he is a good Father, Husband, and
    Christian. Just because someone decided to post something on the web under his
    name because they are not brave enough to speak under their own name does not
    make it gospel. It will take more than several people that have no idea who he
    is and what kind of person he is to convince me that he is the author of this
    writing. Frankly all you people are a waste of my time and email space!


  87. Halbert says:

    > Just because someone decided to post something on the web under his
    > name because they are not brave enough to speak under their own name
    > does not make it gospel.

    See post # 56 above.


  88. frank servittio says:

    Someday when /if sensible people run our government again. The damage done to our Military, Treasury, & culture by tEXANS alone will be so much more than we imagine.
    Lay, Abramoff, Wright, Delay & of course bUSH.
    Please succeed Texas.. Go away.


  89. Bre says:

    Yup, it’s just Texans who have done all the damage. Maybe we should “succeed.” George isn’t even a native Texan – he was born in New Haven, CT. He could have gone to one of our fine universities, but he went to Yale instead because his daddy got him in. He’s a rich boy poseur. He’s not an effing cowboy. There are plently of Liberal Democrats in Texas – why don’t you support them instead of spitefully lumping them together with the millions of other people in this state?


  90. kindness says:

    I think someone should e-mail Bill O’Liely over at Phaux News. I think he could make this a National Issue, hell let’s get him to make this and International Issue (Intergalactic would be over the top).


  91. greg says:

    I received this reply from Pastor Foraker.

    …..
    Greg,
    Of course I do not believe this is appropriate language or attitude. Be
    assured I’m looking into this with due diligence.

    Please don’t forget, computers can be used to abuse and hurt, so give me an
    opportunity to at least look into this matter and find the truth.
    Thanks,
    Pastor Sonny Foraker


  92. Helen Kelley says:

    For all of you who are making rude comments about Texas. I thought I would let you know. George Bush is not a Texan . He comes from the northeast. As for the others mentioned Id= donot know where they craled out from. In Texas if everything is bigger, then it stands to reason we would have a few giantic assholes too. But like the rattlesnake here not everyone loves them. As for Texas succeding from the union.The rest of the usa would lose out more than us. Dont blame George Bush on Texas, I did not vote for his old dad either.


  93. Kitt says:

    “As for Texas succeding from the union. The rest of the usa would lose out more than us.”

    First, I think you meant seceding, but cute turn of a word succeding(sic) and secondly – don’t be too sure. More grandiose Texan thinking I suppose.

    It’s known that Duby doesn’t ‘come from’ Texas; he is the one who claims Texan citizenship.

    As for the likes of Mr. Cole – proof of the harm of over-exposure to testerone and Dodge diesel trucks. (Aw – sometimes I crack myself up.)


  94. stew says:

    Just got a response from Mr. Cole who disavows the remarks . So now what?
    Will the “Hammer” do dure diligence to Authenticate the qoutes atrributed to Mr Cole?
    How would this be done and either proved or disproved?


  95. sybilinga says:

    Cindy (post #89) makes a perfectly valid point when she states that the posting in question isn’t necessarily from Kevin Cole and could easily have been (and most likely was) faked. In fact, I myself find it unlikely that Cole, who has a very prominent position in the community, would be stupid enough to post such inflammatory comments that could be traced back to him with little effort. On the other hand,I don’t know the man personally, and people do lots of stupid things all the time…Nah, I still think it’s unlikely.

    Regrettably though, it appears that Cindy is a classic example of the pot calling the kettle black. After quoting Luke (as though a bit of biblical text self-servingly inserted into her comments automatically gives the ring of Truth to anything she may thereafter choose to say), Cindy then invalidates said quotation by proceeding to ignore it altogether.

    Here’s the quote:

    Luke 6:37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

    And Cindy in her own words:

    “Do you people really have nothing else to do? If you were intelligent enough to do your homework like us Texans…Frankly all you people are a waste of my time and email space!”

    That sounds rather judgmental and condemnational to me, and I failed to notice any hint of forgiveness in her posting. I did get a definite sense of holier-than-thou, alas.

    All in all, a fair example of how someone can be right in an entirely wrong way. It has often been observed how difficult it is to see the flaws of others in oneself. Cindy, I believe your hypocracy is showing.


  96. Arliss says:

    Cindy,
    You are a shining example of the type of moron we are forced to deal with on a daily basis.
    Why don’t you crack open a book for once and do some real lernin!


  97. Mark Tesauro says:

    Just sent this in to Pearland’s most world renowned councilman:

    Greetings Councilman Cole,

    My dear sir. If you are indeed responsible for the subliterate diatribe below I wish to personally let you know that I am laughing… yes laughing at you over here in Dresden, Germany. Please know also that I am quite exasperated at the same time.

    As an American expatriate I find myself frequently trying to explain that Americans are not stupid and ignorant – as is more widely thought outside our borders than you might ever imagine. People like you only make this all the more challenging.

    Alles Gut!

    Mark R. Tesauro, Ph.D.
    11 Radeberger Strasse
    01099 Dresden
    Germany


  98. Nico says:

    #90 see post #56 its very easy to make things appear as though they are from someone else! #98 you are wrong I really meant what I said however not in a judgemental way it is true if people were to research instead of jumping on whatever bandwagon is popular at the moment then innocnent people like Kevin and his family would not have to be subject to such critical garbage. I do know Kevin in person and you are correct he is not stupid enough to publish such junk under his name. Lookie thar #99 I ain’t as dumb as you imply!!!!!!


  99. Denise says:

    Someone previously posted that they had contacted our dear friend Mr. Cole by cell phone and confirmed that it was him. Did you confirm that it was his cell phone number, or did you confirm that he was the individual that sent the email?

    This has been a blast to read! Thanks!

    Not all Texans are so bad. There are people like Cole in all states. We even have a few here in Washington state, and I know there’s quite a number in Oregon. Equal opportunity idiocy is what the U.S. seems to be all about right now.


  100. cadejo4 says:

    Cole says he did send an e-mail, but categorically denies sending this one. Could someone just post the e-mail’s source code so we can all make up our minds? The burden of proof is on the Center for American Progress here and Post #56 is insufficient evidence in light of Cole’s denial.


  101. Cindy says:

    Denise your right this has been fun!!! #103 You are also right Kevin did send an email – he printed it and brought it by the office today along with a fill in the blank something or other he participated in on line. His email is similar to the one all the hoopla is about just without the creative language. The original email does not include a cell number as it would be over the minutes of the plan in just a day of calls. Kevin has received numerous emails already and he does respond to most as long as their is no creative language, he was just here and has told me that he is just going to ride this out and let it die so I am not sure how much longer he will be responding to emails – however I will be happy to answer any questions that may be of interest as time permits


  102. joe says:

    What Councilman and foul-mouthed Baptist deacon Kevin Cole doesn’t realize is that while Tom DeLay may be his congressman he is the House Majority Leader for everyone in the United States of America. By virtue of his national role his actions affect every citizen in America. By trying to deny the right of free speech of those of us Americans who object to an alleged (and perhaps one day convicted) serial criminal holding a position in our national government that affects every person in our nation as a result of the legislative power, Deacon/Councilor Cole is espousing a very un-American attitude of suppression of First Amendment rights of those who disagree with him politically. While this constitutes patently un-American behavior it is not uncommon. In fact, his attitude is shared by most of the Bush Administration who prevent anyone who might disagree with the Administration from attending tax-payer funded speaking engagements featuring the President or other members of his administration.


  103. Joemad says:

    I miss talking about Terri Schiavo, can’t we just talk about that instead?


  104. Spazzz says:

    What in the hell was this idiot thinking? He is truly the horses ass.


  105. Its more fun... says:

    I’d rather read Jiddu Krishnamurti or the Tao Te Ching


  106. Joemad says:

    Obviously Spazzzzzz doesn’t understand irony.


  107. Spazzz says:

    Somebody needs to figure out how to PROVE this guy sent this email so that is not swept under the rug. Because if he did send it, the people around him doing damage control need to KNOW that he sent it for sure so that they just can’t easily dismiss this.


  108. Spazzz says:

    Hey joemad, i was commenting on the good deacon, not you.


  109. rethug expose' says:

    This Cole dude is a wanker, he wrote the e-mail, he is busted, rethugs are sick twisted people. Sad state of affairs really. I saw scream this to the media, get it on the news expose these jack asses


  110. Joemad says:

    Very sorry Spazzz, didn’t mean to jump on you.


  111. cadejo4 says:

    Spazz, the proof is elementary. Think Progress simply has to publish the source code of the e-mail they say Cole sent. There’s no harm to anyone in doing that. I think all of us who’ve written letters on their behalf deserve to see the code.


  112. PF Joyce says:

    What district are American Airlines, Bacardi, Nissan, RJ Reynolds and Verizon? Just asking cause I thought an Asshole like Cole would somehow know.


  113. Virgil V. Williams says:

    This has been a hoot to read! Thanks everybody! Got here via a link from Buzzflash, by the way.

    I wonder if Randi Rhodes on Air America would be interested…. hmmmmm…. Some national air time would be good.


  114. Helen Kelley says:

    Sorry, but its not my spelling in question,but my typing.


  115. cadejo4 says:

    You might familiarize yourself with the apostrophe key.


  116. Halbert says:

    If this character is innocent, then why did the city yank his bio so quick? Is the place run by knee-jerk PC liberals that don’t think their officials should be offering free ass-whoopings? Or did he resign?


  117. xblues says:

    Exactly what I would expect a christian would do. I do not think being from Texas is the problem. It is the theocon crap that is the problem.


  118. Cindy says:

    Halbert – Kevin is sill around, the City of Pearland “yanked” his bio so quickly because of all the traffic and did not want a bogus stunt to reflect on the City itself. We are trying to get the proof that is needed to show that he indeed did not send the email. I have seen the original email sent and it is similar but without the creative artwork. I think more solid proof will surface soon.


  119. Sam Davis says:

    Interestingly enough, the Paul referenced in Cindy in #99 is Paul Grohman. He was appointed City Manager by a city council of which Kevin Cole was a member. They made sure his contract was for over $100,000 a year for 3 years. When he was fired for various malfeasances (Ethics, carrying a gun to work, sexual and other forms of harrassment, conflict of interest) the city had to pay his entire contract. During the time when Kevin Cole was first elected to the City Council, First Baptist Church controlled the City Council, School Board and Police Department. One of Mr Grohman’s prize accomplishments was to extend a road right in front of property that his church owned. This increased the value of the land so the church could then sell part of it to a grocery to help finance a multi-million dollar building comples. Grohman’s wife worked for the realty firm that handled the real estate trnasaction.


  120. Halbert says:

    > the City of Pearland “yanked� his bio so
    > quickly because of all the traffic and
    > did not want a bogus stunt to reflect on
    > the City itself.

    Oh, now that’s believable. Them internets
    is one scary places! The page (cached at
    Google, linked above) looks to be about 72K. Even on my cheesy $10 a month plan, I
    could sustain nearly 2 billion hits on a
    page that size before I had to pay for more
    bandwidth.

    Hiding the page only makes people spend
    more time poking around the site looking
    for evidence. And hiding it only makes
    Pearland look guilty as well as complicit.

    I have a hard time seeing why anyone would
    bother inventing things to make you guys
    look bad when you do such a bang-up job by
    yourselves.


  121. Annie says:

    Sadly, I am also in Tom Delay’s district. Many of us will be working very hard to rid ourselves of Mr. Delay next year. I will try to speak to Mr. Cole, personally.


  122. Spazzz says:

    Notice how the Rethuglicans always resort to threats and bullying when confronted with views other than their own. I feel like the U.S.A. has been turned into one big highschool. It’s like living in “Heathers” or the “Breakfast Club” 24/7 with no escape.


  123. parcequilfaut says:

    If you can authenticate the code, I’d give it to the media.

    I, for one, do not want Texas to go away, not least because of the Holy Trinity of Texas Authors: Molly Ivins, Jim Hightower, and Richard Kinky “Big Dick” Friedman.

    Not to mention Ann Richards and the late Barbara Jordan….

    Tennessee says Texas can stay…after all, Frist is off merrily giving our state a bad rap too.


  124. newjesustimes says:

    #121 Cindy -
    “We are trying to get the proof that is needed to show that he indeed did not send the email. I have seen the original email sent and it is similar but without the creative artwork. I think more solid proof will surface soon.”

    While it is quite possible to prove that someone sent an Email, I don’t believe it possible to prove that someone did NOT send an Email. You might prove that Mr. Cole sent a similar, but more toned-down Email. But that does not, by any stretch, prove that Mr. Cole did not send the posted offensive Email.

    I’m curious why the headers of the actual Email haven’t been posted. That would at least prove the ISP of the Email source. If it’s from an AOL ip address, and Mr. Cole is an AOL customer, that would lend some credibility to the claim that he actually did send it. If it’s from a Russian ISP well that doesn’t necessarily absolve your boy, but it would lend some credibility to your claim that this was a frame up.

    BTW – do y’all know about the fake voting rights groups set up by Repubs to address voting rights in the nation? (If they’re NOT cheating elections, why do they need to set up devious, supposedly non-partisan front groups to address election reform?) See rawstory.com for the details – our duty as citizens in a free, supposedly democratic society is to get informed, & stay informed.

    -njt


  125. Michael Barry says:

    Quickvote:

    Other than Tom Delay, the republican’s are generally wholesome?

    Yes:

    No:


  126. Elad Promise says:

    Is this language part of the huge movement called “Dominionism” or “Reconstructionism” that seeks to replace Christianity? (see http://www.theocracywatch.org ) After all, “ass” is quite a common word in the old scripts that were designed to control humanty.

    Isn’t it time to put the example of Christ back into Christianity?


  127. Barbara Domenico says:

    This is great. Thanks. I hate the disgusting diatribe but find it in my heart to believe that a Rethublican actually sent this mail. Otherwise why is it being so carefully guarded (as to where it did originate)?

    As for myself, I have known very few Republicans in my life whom I actually respected as good persons, and that was before I knew of their political orientation.


  128. Thomas McCay says:

    I felt moved to write the deacan a short note. I find it quite strange that this variety of Christianity has thrown Jesus right out of their money worshiping temples.

    The note to the deacon reads,

    Dang, Kevin,

    You done exposed yor squishy parts, all over the place. If you acted more like that Jesus guy you go on about, you wouldn’t make such a fool of yourself. Would you?

    Check out Second Corinthians. There is a message there for you. A message you have already rejected, of course.

    But then, Jesus ain’t that popular with folks like you. You pretend to worship the sign, refusing to take the direction it points to. Too bad

    One gets the strong impression that the Chamber of Commerce is your true house of worship.

    Thomas McCay


  129. Jimm says:

    The Bugman is also my US rep, due to his redistircting hijinks. Soon, he’ll be my FORMER representative. Hopefully he’ll be inmate number XXXXXX at a federal maximum security facility.


  130. sybilinga says:

    Concerning posting #100, which evidently is from Cindy although it is signed Nico, again I state that it is not her message I object to but the manner in which it was presented.

    Once more, in Cindy’s own words:

    “Frankly all you people are a waste of my time and email space!â€?

    This is indeed judgementalism and condemnation of the rankest order and only serves to encourage further divisiveness in this discussion. Cindy, I applaud your desire to defend Mr. Cole, but I abhor condescending comments like the one above.

    Should it turn out that Mr. Cole is responsible for the posting in question, Cindy has at the very least reminded us all that everyone deserves the right to their “day in court”. The concepts of fair play and open-mindedness desperately need to be kept alive among the citizenry of our country, as it is now obvious that our government at all levels and in both parties have abandoned them. And if we find that Mr. Cole is innocent in all this, I would suggest that Cindy might have some justification were she to indulge in a little bit of “I told you so”. Here’s hoping she wouldn’t.


  131. Onceler says:

    i always come back to one basic point with these so called self-appointed religious leaders. They are blasphemous in the extreme, mistaking their own opinions for that of the God they claim to worship and who’s love and salvation for mankind they claim to want to spread. I know it almost goes without saying by now, but I do like to say it. God could personally appear to these idiots holding the 10 Commandments and yell “Don’t kill! Don’t lie!!” and they would “show him what they really think of him”. These people are supposed to spend their lives dedicated to reading and understanding scripture, but they don’t do either. When are good Christians going to call out their uninfomred “leaders” who 90% of them don’t even agree with anyways and say “hold on a minute there, jesus-boy, you know not whereof you speak”? Dissent is best coming from within the community where whatever issue is at stake, and I BEG good Christians everywhere who actually do study the teachings of Jesus and the prophets before him to repudiate these stone-age losers who act directly contrary to the will of the God they claim to worship.


  132. STEPHEN BEECH says:

    I just spoke to the pastor and I was very pleasent and he is aware of the situation and he says the Kevin has denied writting the e-mail. I told him that a cell phone number was included with the original e-mail and he should see if it matches mr. Coles.


  133. Cindy says:

    Sybilinga – I do apologize, you would be right it does sound judgemental when I am participating in the talks as well, it has turned out to be fun and interesting. But yes my email address has been quite busy so that is a pain each morning. Also just to clue you in referring to post #100 – I was trying to encourage #90 to see post #56 and who wrote it then come back to #100 and see that even though it was written by me I can make it say whatever I choose. I dont think there is really any “proof” that will end this in a right or wrong situation -


  134. michael cassidy says:

    How stupid do you have to be to spell the name your home town wrong?Well then again, that’s why they are republicans.Because they are stupid.Also, how stupid are you when you vote for people who are selling you out to corporate america?You fucking idiot, you are voting for people who are screwing you. All my life i grew up in the city, now i live in the buckle of the bible belt. I always thought the stereotypes of rednecks being dumbass hillbilly’s were just ignorant generalizations, until i moved to the middle of nowhere and met these people myself. The stereotypes are true. These toothless rednecks are sooo stupid. I swear we would have such a good wholesome society if they would all leave and start their own imperialistic, aristocratic dictatorship. My professor and I were laughing at Dubya’s word “misunderestimate”, and one of the idiots(rednecks) says, “whats wrong with that word”. No BS.


  135. steve says:

    re: post #135

    Cindy, while I understand the point you were trying to make, it wasn’t made very well. It is much easier to forge a message board post than it is to forge an email from a specific email address. It can still be done, but it’s trickier.

    That said, it should be possible to determine the actual origins of this email by the sourcecode. I for one will be interested in the results of this investigation.


  136. Larry says:

  137. Joseph F Dunphy MBA says:

    There does not seem to be a lot of policy content in the original post. Arguably, the Indian casinos who saw $34 million worth of casino money “go missing” in the tender mercies of DeLay-linked lobbists might not be inclined to see as much of a silver lining in DeLay’s stewardship as the good reverend does. A church as forgiving of grand larceny as this should be extremely well populated. It’s a shame we don’t know the exact congregation.
    With a congregation full of major-league thieves, it would be interesting to follow the Las Vegas odds on whether there is any money left by the time they’re done passing the collection plate. My guess is there would be, because word would spread so quickly, that there would always be newcomers that from force of habit would put some money in the basket, until they figured out what the other sharpers were doing.
    Of course, that means that the ushers would have to continually seat the newcomers up front, so they couldn’t see what was happening to the cash as it made its way through the pews behind them. Why not? This is such a forgiving church.


  138. Leslie says:

    Why is there all this clamouring for the IP address? Mr. Cole does not deny he sent the email. So you don’t need the IP address to prove it. He just claims that it’s been altered to include “colorful” language.

    Let me just say that it is completely implausible that CAP would fabricate an email just to embarass a random counselmember in Texas. Clearly, the only reason this email caught CAP’s attention (and the only reason they even investigated to find out he was a counselman) was because of the nasty language.

    Mr. Cole is grasping at straws.


  139. Shirley Ohlson says:

    Howdy from Texas!!
    Just thought I’d like for you to know that there are a few intelligent Texans. And, most of us are Democrats. Believe me,the nazicons nauseate us as much as they do the rest of you good people. We need the support of people who think as we do, so please don’t write off the whole state. It’s already an uphill battle against a stiff wind(and boy,does it stink) , so hang in there with us.


  140. Mark McDonough says:

    Greetings Dear Friends.

    In response to Pearland City Councilman Kevin Cole’s comments.

    I know Mr. Kevin Cole personally as I also live in Pearland, Texas where I was an opponent of his in a previous city council election.

    As you can imagine, as an opponent, I didn’t always agree with Mr. Cole on what I believe to be are some very important issues however, I can assure those of you whom are reading comments said to be written by Mr. Cole that he has never engaged in name calling or threats either verbally or in written form. With that said, I find it very difficult to believe the comments posted on this site are ligitimate.

    Remember folks, this is the arena of politics.

    I support everyone’s right to lobby for a cause and commend those of you whom have the “guts” to speak out. Please allow me to remind each of you to be weary of what you read, be slow to respond and undrerstand that the ends don’t “ever” justify the means.

    Press On…


  141. Pearlander says:

    The article below from The May 5th Pearland Journal presents Cole’s version of the story. Note that the article makes no mention of any attempt to contact dropthehammer.org–the sort of thing a journalist would be expected to do.
    Following the article is Editor, Tom Jacobs’ response to a letter to the editor sent on this topic. His clear bias against Democrats is unfortuately, a recurring theme in his comments. All that being said, nothing posted on this blog has yet given definitive proof that Kevin Cole’s version of the story isn’t true. If this proof exists (as I tend to believe it does), I strongly urge dropthehammer.org to stop being coy and present it. If you sit on such evidence you are giving a right-wing publication in the heart of Tom DeLay’s district another excuse to portray Progressives as shrill, conspiracy theorists. If Kevin Cole’s story turns out to be true, then admit that someone played an inexcusable prank and hold them accountable. If you can’t determine which version is true, tell us why.

    ARTICLE:
    Cole defends DeLay, finds self in blogger crosshairs

    City Councilman Kevin Cole has found himself in the middle of an internet word fight after he posted a pro Tom DeLay message on the website
    http://www.dropthehammer.org, whose purpose it to get corporate sponsors to stop backing the embattled House Majority Leader.
    In his web posting Cole said he offered his support for DeLay, but the version posted on the blog—short for web logs—was laced with spelling
    errors and profanities, urging a halt to bashing of Tom DeLay, and at one point urging the blogger to “come speak to me personally and I will show you what I think of you.”
    When asked about the message, Cole said he did post on the website, but added that the profanities and misspellings were not a part of his
    original sending. He said that those portions were added before the message was widely circulated to other blogger sites, such as http://www.burntorangereport.com,
    where other posters ended up bashing Cole, one saying he was “barely literate and just a little too big a fan of the most corrupt politician in
    America today.”
    It was also clamed that Cole had included his cell phone number in his original post, but all the reposts of his alleged message had the phone
    number redacted. See the Letters to the Editor pages inside this week’s Journal for one local comment on Cole’s alleged letter, as well as a copy of the message being circulated on the web purporting to be from Cole.
    Cole said he didn’t respond to the various bloggers claims because he feared
    having his words turned around on him, as he said happened on his initial comments to the anti-DeLay website.
    “There was an initial firestorm there for about four days,� Cole said concerning the phone calls and emails that came pouring in to him after
    the message hit the blog sites around mid-April. “But I didn’t want to get pulled into the he said she said aspects of it.â€?
    As for the original message, Cole said the way the website was organized a copy of the original message was not saved on his computer unlike he had initially hoped so he could easily clear his name. Now he relies on his reputation to be his shelter from the swirling storm of hate mail and late-night phone calls.
    “People who know me know that I don’t go around threatening people,� he said.
    In defense of their claims, bloggers also pointed out the fact that most of Cole’s information from the city’s website had been erased, thus pointing to his guilt. But that measure, Cole said, was done at his request in order to protect this family’s names, address and personal information from the bloggers, who are gaining notoriety for their skill in using the Internet
    together various tidbits of personal information
    As for his current perspective of Internet blogs, which many have dubbed the “new journalism,� Cole still has his doubts, especially now.
    “The problem is there is no accountability. People can say whatever they want,â€? he said. “But I think there are some good things and some bad
    things about (blog sites), but (the experience) has given me a new perspective of it.�

    Editor Tom Jacobs responded to the letter to the editor mentioned in the article as follows:

    As detailed in a front page story in the Pearland Journal, Councilman Cole claims that a simple message he left at the anti-DeLay website has been altered to reflect poorly on him.
    The Editor has known Councilman Cole for a about six months and believes that while Cole is not afraid to speak his mind and can display a bulldog temperament, he is a stand-up guy who is wise enough not to stoop to using such language in a public forum.
    Then again, The Editor assumes that any fans of dropthehammer.org are primarily Democrats. In that case, in The Editor’s humble opinion, use of
    such language would be perfectly understandable.


  142. Horst Hemke says:

    musicsongs

    Think Progress »…


  143. Venicia Mentzed says:

    lloyd

    Think Progress »…


  144. Wittenbecher Silke says:

    mindset

    Think Progress »…


  145. Ufe Nasselstein says:

    messengers

    Think Progress »…





  146. Rummel says:

    hot-hardcore-sex

    Think Progress »…



  147. Piette Snyman says:

    Meridia

    Think Progress »…


  148. Benjamin List says:

    pneumonia

    Think Progress »…


  149. Essa Kim says:

    fungal-medicines

    Think Progress »…


  150. Essa Kim says:

    fungal-medicines

    Think Progress »…


  151. Johnsan Hakam says:

    bacterial-infections

    Think Progress »…


  152. Chantal Coppex says:

    pay porn

    Think Progress »…




  153. Balmer Olafsen says:

    Eliminate Cellulite

    Think Progress »…



  154. Antireca says:

    karen mcdougal nude pics

    Think Progress »…







  155. Lee Rodito says:

    Company Awareness Campaign. Limited
    Quantities – All Cell Phone Devices.
    http://www.handsfree4free.com



  156. capital one says:

    capital one

    In your free time, take a look at some relevant pages on auto loans auto loans capital one


  157. Buy retin says:

    Buy retin

    Woow! Not bad!


  158. Buy acyclovir says:

    Buy acyclovir

    Great! I like it!






  159. nicotine says:

    destroyinggreetednod


  160. Crad says:

    Hi!
    [url=7afeba19b32b96b564048cd2f4a4402f
    ][/url]



Jump to Top

About Think Progress | Contact Us | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy (off-site) | RSS | Donate
© 2005-2009 Center for American Progress Action Fund
View Most Popular

Advertisement

What We're About

Featured

image
Subscribe to the Progress Report



imageTopic Cloud


Visit Our Affiliated Sites

image image
Reports


Got a hot tip?
Have a hot news tip? We'd love to hear from you. Use the form below to send us the latest.

Name:
Email:
Tip:
(required)


imageArchives


imageBlog Roll