The decision to trigger the nuclear option isn’t the only travesty that happened this week. You may recall that right-wing talk show host and filmmaker John Ziegler has been on a mission to prove that Jerry Sandusky was framed. But he’s going about it in a way that is so outrageous it merits a repost from yesterday. It didn’t get much notice due to last night’s missile strike.
Specifically, Ziegler is stalking and harassing Sandusky’s victims. He has posted victims’ names, addresses, and phone numbers on the Web and on social media, and has also trolled their relatives and girlfriends. Unfortunately, due to a loophole in Pennsylvania’s rape shield law, they would have to give up their anonymity before pressing charges—and none of them are nearly emotionally healed enough to do so without assurances that they will be protected.
Well, in response to my article on this at Liberal America, Ziegler tried to defend himself in a column for Mediaite, for whom he has blogged since the summer of 2016.
So I have never remotely “stalked” anyone, nor have I never “outed” anyone whose name was not already made very public by their choice. I have also never come close to revealing anyone’s contact information — that allegation is simply bizarre. Like almost everything else in this insane tale, there is what some in the media tells you about what happened, and then there is the truth.
But there’s one problem. Or rather, at least 10 problems. That’s how many instances Tree Climbers president and fellow Kossack Roxine tracked down where Ziegler tweeted pictures of Sandusky victims, their relatives or girlfriends, tweeted pictures of their houses, or trolled victims and relatives.
Some of those tweets are among some of the most chilling things I’ve ever seen on Twitter—and that’s counting some of the stuff from the alt-right. Ironic, since Ziegler is a never-Trumper.
To give you just one example of how creeptacular these tweets are, he posted a picture of the home of a man who he has long claimed to be the boy Sandusky was fondling in the shower—and even identified him.
He also saw fit to publicly name Victim 6’s sister and slut-shame her.
There’s more where that came from—click over to my piece at Liberal America for more.
But even without those tweets, Ziegler himself reveals just how low his standards are. Take, for instance, how he tried to contact the person he believed to be the boy in the shower.
In an effort to find out what really happened, I e-mailed him on several occasions, even making a video plea just for him, which I later posted to YouTube. I have also left him a couple of voicemails, but was never sure I had the correct phone number.
I always made it clear that if he simply responded that I had his real story wrong that I would, of course, leave him alone (and I would have been THRILLED to be able to get this entire monkey of a story off of my back forever). That never happened, and so I then made one visit to his home where I immediately left after being asked to by his wife.
Doesn’t that sound like really creepy behavior to you?
And as late as March 28, he called into the morning show at WRSC in State College and publicly named Victim 5. You’ll have to take my word for it—I’m not linking to it. Head on over to WRSC’s Web page and listen for yourself—click on the link for Ziegler’s interview on March 28.
While there is no doubt that Ziegler has stooped to criminal behavior, the loophole in the rape shield law makes it prohibitively difficult to hold him to account. But there is a way to shut him down—knock him off his perch at Mediaite. It is inconceivable that Mediaite’s founder, Dan Abrams, would have hired Ziegler had he known about his sordid past. Well, the evidence is now out there. It’s time for Abrams to give Ziegler his walking papers.
Drop Abrams a line on his contact page, on Facebook, or on Twitter and tell him that Ziegler must be fired. Also, sign this petition calling for Ziegler to be fired.