I’ve seen the name Pamela Geller pop up on my Facebook and Twitter feeds. One side of the isle, mostly the jingoists, have been jerking themselves off to her because of her strong anti-Islam stance. The other side, because there are only every two sides to an issue in this country, see her as a bigoted bitch. Not surprisingly the former side has been trotting this woman around as a hero of free speech. But I think love of free speech isn’t a big motivator for her. In fact I’m not even sure if she really hates Muslims as much as she says she does. Why else would an individual be such a vicious person if not for heroism or exaggerated fear? Money. Lots of fucking money:
It was Geller’s second victory over the MTA, which in 2012 lost a battle to prevent ads in the subways that included the words, “Support Israel, defeat Jihad.”
The group was described in 2013 tax documents as a nonprofit “dedicated to freedom of speech, freedom of conscience and individual rights under the law.” It listed contributions and grants that year of more than $958,000, compared with $157,855 the year before. Geller, its president, is paid about $200,000 a year, according to the group’s filings.
For $200,000 per year I could probably be convinced to say some pretty terrible shit (just kidding, my price is a bit higher). Geller’s organization, which carries the Orwellian name American Freedom Defense Initiative, seems to be raking in some decent cash. This also isn’t very surprising considering the number of people in this country who has Muslims. But it does make one wonder if the organization is full of true believers or just people who recognized that there are suckers who will throw their money at anybody who confirms their bigoted biases.
One of these days I might have to start an organization that panders to people’s unwarranted fears. Maybe I can help fund the construction of a bunch of mosques or something else that will send these jingoists into a tizzy.