Pastor Tremblay responds to lies, accusations

ACTIVISTS USE DISTORTIONS, CHARACTER ASSASINATIONS, & OUTRIGHT LIES FOR SENSATIONALISM; TO MANIPULATE THE MEDIA AND THE MINDS OF PEOPLE OF RURAL PA.

Can you believe it? An activist group comes to the small town of Coudersport, Pa. to show the documentary, “Out in The Silence” – “detailing the struggle to survive of a gay teen”. at the local Library. According to the Blog by the activist group the result is a backlash of anger and the threat of a large protest.

The blog is at www.outinthesilence.blogspot.com; Dated Monday July 26, 2010. The title of the Blog is, “Clergy Threaten Public Library — Promise “Large Protests” over Gay Documentary ” Let me give you some highlights.

“We’ve received phone calls all morning from clergy “screaming at us”, reported a library staff member. “They’re threatening large protests and we don’t know what to do.” “

“But a week before the event, the librarian tried to postpone, citing concerns by the Board of Directors about “possible protests and community concerns.” “

“But on the morning of Monday July 26, the library suddenly changed its mind yet again. They wrote Wilson canceling the event, stating that the library “cannot be involved” due to the large number of calls they had received from conservative ministers in the area. “

A local area news Blog began to buzz with activity and anonymous comments are made on both sides of the issue. Suggestions are made that there have been “death threats”. The character of local Pastors is called into question. Wow! Certainly this is proof that small town America is bigoted; proof that the activist claims are correct; proof of discrimination; proof of victimization.

THE PROBLEM IS – NONE OF IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED!

Coudersport, you have been played! You have been lied to. You have been victimized by a group who uses tactics of sensationalism in order to manipulate your feelings and to convince you they are victims. The true victims are the local people whose characters have been assassinated, the local Churches who have been vilified, and most importantly – THE TRUTH is a victim.

The true story is that a few local Pastors met on Monday evening the week of the movie’s showing to discuss how to respond in Christian love. While these Pastors – only about 5 of those in the community – disagreed strongly with the avowed objective of the activists (same-sex marriage); these few Pastor decided that they would keep any response low-keyed. First, they would watch the film privately. Second, they would address the issue in Christian love at a future date. Third, they would pray about the event and the issue in their local churches. Being one of the Pastors at that meeting I can attest to these facts.

There was no call for “large protests”.

Only one local Pastor (myself) asked church people to call the Library in Christian love and ask that the movie be shown elsewhere rather than a “tax-payer” supported venue. But nothing more was requested. We found out later that only 10 phone calls had been received by the library; 5 for and 5 against continuing the event. There was NO DEATH THREATS. Local Pastors DID NOT CALL IN ALL MORNING as the activist reported. They did not “scream” at the Library staff. In fact, local Pastors were largely silent on the matter.

One account is true and reported on the activist’s blog, ”Wilson and Hamer have alerted the media, the state Human Relations Commission, and local law enforcement about the flap and threatened protests.”

On Wednesday, I received a call from the local Police asking about this supposed protest. My response to the officer was immediate laughter as I told him that no protest had been planned and that his officers had nothing to worry about. The officer is the one that informed me that only 10 telephone calls had been made to the Library; 5 for and 5 against and there were no death threats made.

Coudersport and Potter County! Whatever your feeling are about the issue of “same-sex marriage”, how do like being lied to? How do like being treated as “gullible hicks” by shady characters, who distort the truth, assassinate the characters of local people, churches, and Pastors? How do you like your police department given false information? How do you like your media manipulated to create sensationalism for the purpose of a political agenda?

Diane Bramley of the American Family Association of Pa. was made the villain on the documentary simply because she would not participate in it. But that did not stop Wilson and Hammer from using every technique at their disposal to make her the enemy. Wilson and Hammer can create villains wherever one is needed by the careful use of sound bites, video clips and innuendo. If that’s not good enough they will create false stories.

Diane Bramley writes, ”This past fall Hamer and Wilson began showing their completed “documentary” on some Public Television stations and in colleges and universities across Pennsylvania, as well as in some locations outside PA. A closer look at their website shows that Pennsylvania is being used as a guinea pig to try out their ‘Community Engagement Campaign.”

I spoke to Diane over the phone and was informed that these tactics were similar to those used by Wilson and Hammer in Oil City. Diane was accused in the documentary of calling for a boycott of the Theater owned by a Lesbian couple. That was another false claim made by Wilson and Hammer. Diane never called for a boycott. But in similar manner, Wilson and Hammer called local media, the Human Rights Commission and Local Police because of threatened protests. Of course such protests never materialized.

Coudersport, you have just experienced Wilson and Hammer’s ‘Community Engagement Campaign’. How did it taste?

BE CAREFUL SMETHPORT AND EMPORIUM, THESE MANIPULATORS ARE COMING YOUR WAY NEXT.
Pastor Peter Tremblay

Coudersport Free Methodist Church
7/29/2010