The burning of the auctioned O.J. memorabilia was reported across the United States, Canada, and the BBC. In a 48-hour period a rag-tag band of about 10 individuals wearing black ShadowGov.com t-shirts turned the L.A. courthouse upside down, and generated a media frenzy. The Associated Press article printed in most of the major newspapers across the United States, reported that it was “a protest organized by a Christian radio talk show host.”
Yet, where did this group come from? What was the point? Where did this guy get $16,000 to buy the items? And just who is this Bob Enyart?
Bob Enyart has been a conservative radio talk show host in Denver since June 3, 1991. In 1993, the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News described him as “Denver’s answer to Rush Limbaugh.” In April 1993, Bob expanded into television, with Bob Enyart Live!. The live, call-in talk show first aired out of a little television station in Elizabeth, CO, with a very limited broadcasting range. The studio was so small, that the camera had to be placed on the opposite side of a glass door.
A year and a half later, Bob Enyart Live! Aired live via satellite in twelve cities around the nation. The show moved to a larger studio in South Bend, Indiana, where it began to stretch across the country. At the end of 1998 the show that told people to “Do Right and Risk the Consequences,” was being televised in more than 80 cities, with a potential audience of seventeen million households!
Bob’s strong views against abortion, homosexuality, liberals, the “just-a-system,” and the morals of today’s society quickly caught the attention of his audience. Several groups have attempted to get Bob Enyart Live! removed from the airwaves, but have remained unsuccessful. Colorado’s former US Representative Pat Schroeder, and Wisconsin’s US Senator Russ Feingold, attempted to have the show censored by the government, but after investigation by the FCC and the FBI, their requests were denied.
Due to a tight budget, Bob Enyart chose to re-organize, and re-examine the future of his show. On Nov, 1998, Bob canceled his show at its height, and looked into rebuilding his show from the ground up.
On Monday, December 7, 1998, at 10:30 p.m., Bob Enyart Presents premiered in Denver on a new station. The show has been shortened to half-an-hour, and his unique introduction as, “the Nations most popular, self-proclaimed, right-wing religious fanatic, homophobic, anti-choice talk show host,” is no more, but Bob hasn’t faltered in providing the reality of truth, justice, and the existence of an all-powerful, righteous God.
The project to buy and burn O.J. Simpson’s Hall of Fame Award, as well as several other sports items, became reality on those steps of the L.A. courthouse. But, why did Bob organize this protest?
“Since the government will not put O.J. to death, then it is left to those who care about righteousness to do what we can, and that is, to put to death the memory of his career.
“A generation needs to learn right from wrong, and blotting O.J.’s memory from the Hall of Fame will accomplish that better than a thousand sermons.
“...to use this event to proclaim that many Christians still know right from wrong, that O.J. should have been convicted and executed, and that we should no longer honor his name.
“We also hope that this effort will help convince Ron Goldman’s family that justice and righteousness exist, and that the God of Righteousness exists, even though the courts no longer exhibit a knowledge of Him.”
The event was criticized by some as being nothing more than a publicity stunt. Publicity stunt? Is it a publicity stunt because it got publicity? If you were trying to announce to the world that our courts have failed us, that changes need to be made in the justice system, and that the country shouldn’t honor an obvious murderer, would you say it so that nobody hears you?
“What about them wearing those shirts with his website on it?” ShadowGov.com is a cyber game similar to fantasy football. Its purpose is to train men on how to judge rightly. By advertising ShadowGov.com, Bob has helped to continue the message he was presenting. He has provided access to a place where men and women can find out how to change, and improve today’s society.
Local radio personalities questioned if Bob took the $16,000 from donations to his “ministry,” and therefor shouldn’t have been used for destroying O.J.’s memorabilia. Rush Limbaugh is not a minister, and neither is Bob Enyart. Bob receives money from selling audio and videotapes of his shows and seminars, the same as Rush. A banking account was created to contain all of the funds, which people donated for the sole-purpose of the “Execute O.J. Sentence!” project. No money was taken from any other donations.
Some of these misconceptions may be attributed to the vague coverage provided by the media. The majority of televised media coverage was only interested in showing the fire, and didn’t bother relaying the proclamations. The printed media failed to contribute much more. The following is the only quote reported by the Associated Press:
“We are destroying O.J. Simpson’s property in front of the L.A. courthouse because the criminal justice system is destroying justice before our very eyes.”
Was this all Bob had to say? Was this the reason he spent $16,000 dollars to burn the articles of a murderer? No. Whether the media ignores this fact, much more was presented on those steps. Here are only some of the statements presented by Bob Enyart and ShadowGov.com:
“We call upon Congress to make three Criminal Justice system reforms.
1. Abolish justice by committee. Acknowledge the failure of the jury experiment. Accountability requires that responsibility of result lie with the judge.
2. Change the standard for conviction to reasonable evidence from two or three sources. Drop the “reasonable doubt,” test.
3. Execute all convicted murderers.
“We call upon the Professional Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio to make three reforms.
1. Blot out the name of O.J. Simpson from your record books.
2. Establish a policy to expunge any inductee guilty of serious crimes against persons.
3. Teach young people by example that social acceptance demands civil behavior.”
“Since it’s not justice, but just-a-system, acquittal can depend more on how much money the lawyer gets.”
“Every man becomes a felon the moment he commits a felony. If convicted, then he becomes a “convicted felon.” The moment O.J. Simpson sliced the throats of Nicole and Ron Goldman, he became a murderer.”
“We wanted O.J. Simpson to know that we know he’s a murderer. The message is he needs to admit his guilt so the victims’ families can stand a better chance of recovering. He needs to stop mocking justice and all of us by maintaining his innocence. Only a willfully ignorant person could believe he’s not guilty.”
“We want our government officials to recognize the criminal-justice system is a fraud. We really want people to contemplate what it means to have a legal system without accountability.”
The message received a mixed reaction from the crowd. Some booed and displayed thumbs down, while others shook their hands and cheered. And of course there is the reaction of Simpson himself;
"I wonder about the mentality involved in this.
The guy’s burning up $16,000 he could use to fight
AIDS or help kids with cancer or even donate
to battered (women’s) homes.”
To which Bob responded, "O.J. is not qualified to
decide what is right or wrong."
O.J. Simpson thinks the money should have gone to battered women? O.J., who beat his ex-wife, Nicole? Not to mention that after beating her for years, he then stabbed her to death! People seem to have forgotten that the money is going to help the families of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. The surviving victims of the horrendous crime committed by O.J. Simpson! The destruction of Simpson’s former property is the very least that should happen to him.
It is nothing more than a slap in the face to the victims families, for people to support a murderer because he is a former football star!
Enyart and ShadowGov.com purchased and burned:
O.J.’s Hall of Fame Award, $10,000
Two, #32 Jerseys, $4,500
& A Life Saver trophy and chalice, $1,500, which after being smashed will be melted down, and remade into a replica of the knife used to kill Nicole and Ron. Imprinted on it will be the words, “O.J. Did It!”
Simpson stills owes $33,118,000 to the families of his victims in the wrongful-death lawsuit following Simpson’s acquittal in 1994.
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Email: arkhosangelos@hotmail.com
