In its weekend editions, The Herald (Everett) has a thorough and informative story by Jackson Holz on this week's anti-gay conference in Lynnwood. (The link comes to us via Orcinus blog that has been closely following developments with the conference hosted by virulently anti-gay group Watchmen on the Walls.)

The chairman of the quasi-public group responsible for booking the center refused to admit to the Herald's Holz there is anything untoward about this group.

"Our understanding is that they're law-abiding. They have a right of free speech just like any other group," said Mike Echelbarger, the board's chairman.

"If we were talking about the (Ku Klux Klan) we'd have a totally different take on it. Of course we wouldn't rent to the KKK," he said.

Gay folk in Sacramento or Riga who have been on the receiving end of the bigotry espoused by the group would probably have a different take on the matter.

Holz's story adds more scary details to what little is known about the group, making it clear that the Orcinus headline for the meeting is all-too appropriate. The call it "A congregation of thugs".

The Russian-speaking group, founded by a Latvian minister, is building a reputation for being an "unbelievably virulent anti-gay organization," said Mark Potok, a spokesman for the Southern Poverty Law Center, based in Montgomery, Ala. The center is known for promoting tolerance, tracking hate groups and fighting legal battles against white supremacists, including the Klan and Aryan Nations.

Watchmen on the Walls' positions are far beyond those typically seen among groups who oppose gays, Potok said. In the former Soviet republic of Latvia, members of the group have been accused of throwing human *** at people with whom they disagree. In the United States, the group is known for extreme, hate-filled speech, Potok said.

"It's the kind of language that leads to violent crimes and often death," he said.

While Watchmen on the Walls hasn't officially been placed on the center's list of hate groups, they likely will be when the list is updated at the end of the year, Potok said.

Among those expected to speak in Lynnwood is Scott Lively, a lawyer from California. He is a "radical anti-gay activist who has all sorts of beliefs about homosexuality and fascism," said Michelle Deutchman, western states counsel for the Anti-Defamation League.

Bothell's political-activist preacher Joe Fuiten played the typical Fox News switcharound on those complaining about the conference.

"That southern law group, they're a bunch of whackos," Fuiten told Holz. "They're the hate group. That's a gay front, is what that is."