Warning: Veteran Gay Baiter on the Loose in the I.E.

Unreported so far in our local news-sources is the gay baiting history of Matt Schumsky, our newly named San Bernardino County Republican Executive Director. Indeed, nothing has been reported as to his past other than the credit attributed to him for the growth of the San Diego party.

Mr. Schumsky does have a history, and it is very typical of what a lot of our far right political wrecking crew devotees have. Rise up within the local GOP, farm oneself out to consult on projects and campaigns loved by the various fanatics in the party, and run as a stealth candidate for election to various non-partisan local boards. Boards such as the water board or school board. In Schumsky's case, he ran for his local school board by simultaneously portraying himself as a non-partisan ally of good classroom teaching in one media venue, and arguing in another that nobody can and should be truly non-partisan in a non-partisan office.

Indeed, Executive Director Matt Schumsky choose to run for election to the Alpine School District Board in nothern San Diego County in order push an anti-gay policy item. Schumsky ran to defeat and replace one of several incumbants who stood up for fairness in public school textbooks. Several years ago, these incumbants refused to join other board members in voting to condemn the state legislature for bringing to the governor's desk a bill that would mandate screening of state textbooks for unjustifiable statements about gay people. Their vote became the major campaign issue, and Schumsky led the charge. Fortunately for the children of the Alpine School District, our new Executive Director lost.

Unfortunately for the children of our state, our governor, in one of his periods of sucking up to the right, vetoed the bill.

We will soon see if Executive Director Schumsky will wish to inject anti-gay politics into the local GOP toolbox of divisive issues. So far, it hasn't been a prominent tool. Seeing that San Bernardino County represents the eastern end of Congressman's Dreier's district, it hasn't been a surprise. But if the Ken and John take-over of the County continues, Schumsky may not be able to help himself from returning to his old, gay-baiting ways.