The Killing of Officer Brenton Triggers an Angry Exchange Between the State's Biggest Gun Advocate and His Foe
Good thing we're only talking about guns here because things are getting really nasty between Alan Gottlieb, chair of the Bellevue-based Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and Ralph Fascitelli, president of Washington CeaseFire. 
Gottlieb knows how to fire an insult
Yesterday, Gottlieb launched his rhetorical firepower on Fascitelli for telling Seattle Weekly that he would cite the murder of Officer Timothy Brenton as he pressed for a state ban on assault weapons. The nationally known gun advocate said the remarks amounted to using the "cowardly crime to advance a political agenda" and "signaled a despicable new low in behavior."
"Fascitelli is essentially dancing in Officer Brenton's blood, and he ought to be ashamed," Gottlieb continued.
Fascitelli fought back by calling Gottlieb "scum" and a "far-right extremist" who made a living by "driving up the hysteria of the gun group." He also noted that Gottlieb is a felon; he pleaded guilty to filing false income-tax returns in 1984.
But Fascitelli says Gottlieb's hands aren't exactly clean when it comes to exploiting tragic murders for political points. He recalls Gottlieb's remarks to this paper after the 2001 slaying of federal prosecutor and onetime CeaseFire president Tom Wales. Gottlieb suggested that the still unsolved murder was committed by a fellow gun control advocate. "They needed a martyr, and they got one," he said.
Fascitelli, who counted Wales as his best friend, says the idea was offensive. "I have no love for that guy."
2 comment(s)
Kevin Schmadeka says:
Ralph shouldn't blame Alan for the finger being pointed at Ceasefire for the Wales murder, it was me who started that whole trend. See my lengthy and informative rundown on the case in the comment section here. Ceasefire has much to explain.
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2008/07/whodunnit_nobody.php
So Ralph, since you brought it up, I'm calling you out. I'm going to ask you a question I've asked your subordinate Jon Scholes, among many others, on many occasionas and never gotten an answer to, and I expect you to answer right here on this page.
Do you want to see the descriptive information about the killer and his vehicle released to the public, and do you want to hear the tape of Wales's 911 call?
Incidentally, the vehicle description I was given by Mike Carter is on the page I linked to. Would you say that a black late '90s Kia Sorento roughly matches that description?
I eagerly await your answer.
Posted On: Wednesday, Nov. 4 2009 @ 5:19PM
Kevin Schmadeka says:
Ralph? You there? Still waiting to hear back, especially since I sent you the link to this page directly. Nina, maybe you can get him on the line. Hope everything is okay.
While I'm on the subject of the description that has never been reported, and the vanishing 911 tape, here's a question for you media folks, right wing, left wing, and every wing in between.
What exactly prevents you from reporting on those subjects?
That's a question you all need to think about. And please don't give me "integrita of the investigation," that line just makes my temples pound.
Posted On: Friday, Nov. 6 2009 @ 8:26PM