Editorial: Shirvell is nuts, but he's not alone

It took too long for Attorney General Mike Cox to finally fire Andrew Shirvell. Shirvell had quickly become a national symbol for everything that's wrong with ideologically-driven government. He is a right-wing nut and a strong Mike Cox supporter who clearly went over the edge of both reasonable thought and behavior. After embarrassing the state, his office and his profession by stalking and harassing a college student, it took Cox six weeks to fire him, a period Shirvell spent collecting a paycheck while on leave. Cox could not possibly have retained Shirvell for his legal acumen – it's hard to believe that someone as unhinged as Shirvell would be capable of responsibly representing the state in complex legal proceedings. Cox defended him at first, until his own office's disciplinary hearings revealed how badly Shirvell behaved on the taxpayers dime.
The most outrageous aspect of Shirvell's stalking behavior was his choice of victim. Chris Armstrong, the University of Michigan student body president and the object of Shirvell's unwanted attentions, is 21-years-old. He's been subjected to Shirvell's tyrannical protests and blogging, as if destroying Armstrong would somehow destroy the "Gay Agenda."
In stark contrast, Armstrong has behaved with dignity and restraint through this entire affair – a time that has surely been distracting and upsetting for him, his family and his friends. With Shirvell now out of his life (and we hope he does stay away), Armstrong can get back to being a student government leader and hitting the books.
Shirvell's firing came at the end of a week in which all three branches of the state's government and the U.S. congressional delegation are now firmly in the hands of the Republicans. With these election results we expect a sharp, right turn in government policies over the next two years. However, we hope that the ridiculous Shirvell incident will remind conservatives that it is possible to go too far. Elevating people who have real hate in their hearts to positions of authority is dangerous. Conservatives will be making hundreds of appointments in the coming months and hiring contractors for a wide range of services – including social services that directly impact the lives of minorities, women, LGBTs, youth and other vulnerable communities. We call on the new leadership to be careful and select wisely.
There are plenty of other Shirvells out there who are just waiting for a chance to flex their political muscles against the scary demons they see lurking behind every Obama sticker. Now that they have the power, we hope the Republicans will use that power to move the state's agenda forward for ALL citizens; to rebuild our economy, rebuild our infrastructure and make sure that every child in Michigan has access to a first-rate education without bullying.
If the Republicans listen to the crazy right wing of the party and allow themselves to become embroiled in anti-LGBT, anti-woman, anti-youth and anti-anything then we are all in trouble. Instead, we hope the Republicans take this opportunity to select leaders that can tolerate new ideas and people. It's a chance for conservatives to show that they can be reasonable, responsible and not crazy wing-nuts like Andrew Shirvell.