I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]
An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.
Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.
Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.
Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell is at it again.
Shirvell, who posted a piece on RightMichigan.com two weeks ago in which he described Sean Kosofsky, a leading gay activist in the state, as belonging to a “culture of death,” told a gay conservative blogger that he lives a “disordered” life. The objects of Shirvell’s bile this time were Joe Sylvester, editor of Michigan Conservative Dossier, and Tyler Whitney, a gay Republican who is running for local office in the township of Bath.
Shirvell works in the appellate division of Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox’s office, representing the state in court. He also served as Cox’s campaign manager in his successful 2006 re-election bid.
In a Facebook exchange, Sylvester suggested to Shirvell that it was possible to oppose Kosofsky’s support for abortion rights without opposing his support for gay rights.
“You’d probably still ‘do’ him, right Joe? You people are all the same. Anyway, you’re finished within GOP circles within this state. And you don’t even have the family connections that keeps your “buddy” Tyler from sinking into total oblivion (although he will eventually).”
Whitney declined to be interviewed for this story.
In a reference to a Michigan Messenger article on Sylvester’s discussing his sexuality, Shirvell added, “P.S. Yeah, I saw your stupid interview w/ Heywood. Wow – you need help, Joe! Good luck with living a disorderd life.”
Sylvester told Michigan Messenger he found the exchange inappropriate.
“I had never heard of Mr Shirvell before I got that nasty message from him,” Sylvester said in an e-mail interview with Michigan Messenger. “He seems to go out of his way to contact gay conservatives to insult and condemn them.”
Shirvell told Michigan Messenger when he was reached at his Lansing office:
“First off, I don’t appreciate you calling me at work, I have no comment. I don’t talk with the media about what I … I am a private citizen, I am not susceptible. … I have no further comment. I don’t know what you are up (to) or what your agenda is. So please never ever call me again at work.” He promptly hung up the phone.
A spokesman for Cox’s office declined to comment. A woman named Judy who works for Cox spokesman Matt Frendeway said the attorney general would not comment because Michigan Messenger is “just a blog.”
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