Larry Darby

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Larry Darby (b. 1957) is a practicing attorney in Montgomery, Alabama. He was runner-up candidate for Alabama Attorney-General in the 2006 Democratic Party Primary. Darby's campaign ran into controversy when he questioned the veracity and scale of the Holocaust.[1] Darby is a Christian.[2]

Contents

[edit] Background and education

Larry Darby was born in 1957 in Conecuh County, Alabama. Darby's ancestors have been in Alabama since the early 19th century.[3] He earned his BS degree at the University of Alabama, his MBA degree at Auburn University and Doctor of Jurisprudence degree at Faulkner University's Thomas Goode Jones School of Law.[4]

Darby is the Chairman of the Alabama Capital Region Chapter of the Council of Conservative Citizens.

Darby is Commander of the Confederate Constitution Camp 2143 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

[edit] Politics

Larry Darby, in his first run for public office, was the runner-up candidate for Alabama Attorney-General in the 2006 Democratic Primary. Darby garnered 43% of the vote, carrying 33 of 67 Alabama counties.[5]

The Darby campaign generated momentum when he questioned the number of Jews who died during the Third Reich, placing the number around 140,000 suggesting that many of those succumbed to typhus.[1] The Associated Press quoted him as saying, "I am what the propagandists call a Holocaust denier, but I do not deny mass deaths that included some Jews," and "there was no systematic extermination of Jews. There's no evidence of that at all."[6] Darby attributed the claims of millions of deaths in the Holocaust to the "Holocaust industry."[6] Darby also spoke positively of David Irving, a historian and Holocaust expert[7][8] and attended a meeting of the group National Vanguard. [9][10] Darby also expressed anti-immigration views, declaring that the United States was undergoing a "Mexican invasion" and compared the current immigration to the 1960s civil rights movement, seeing them both as events which have hurt the South.[11]

During the Alabama Ten Commandments dispute Darby attacked the placement of the commandments in government buildings as an attempt to send the message that "Jewish Supremacism is the law" despite multiple influential Jewish organizations coming out against the placement of the commandments.[12] Darby discusses this in A Brief History of the Atheist Law Center, which was made part of the public record (filed at court) 6 July 2006.[13]

During the Alabama Ten Commandments dispute Darby promoted the constitutional principle of separation between religion and government. Darby also supported Judge Moore's early argument that the federal government had no jurisdiction over this matter. He opposed the placement of a monument to Jewish law in a government building and saw it as an attempt to send the message that "Jewish Supremacism is the law" despite some Jewish organizations coming out against the placement of the commandments.[14] Darby discusses this in A Brief History of the Atheist Law Center and Statement Disavowing Atheism, which was made part of the public record (filed at court) 6 July 2006.[15]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b MSNBC (5/12/2006) Alabama Democrat's views shock his party Viewed: 1/29/2007
  2. ^ Larry Darby (2006/07/07). History of the Atheist Law Center and Statement Disavowing Atheism. Mathaba. Retrieved on 2007-11-10.
  3. ^ WHNT-TV http://www.whnt.com/Global/story.asp?S=4691568 Viewed: 1/30/2006
  4. ^ Larry Darby Stands for Alabama Larry Darby for Attorney General Committee Campaign site Viewed: 1/29/2007
  5. ^ State Democratic Executive Committee of Alabama. Democratic Primary - Official Certification Alabama Secretary of State Office. Viewed: 1/29/2007
  6. ^ a b Reeves, Jay. "Alabama candidate for AG disputes Holocaust, is coming to NJ", The Associated Press State & Local Wire, Associated Press, May 12, 2006 Friday 7:56 PM GMT. Retrieved on 2007-01-29. 
    Convenience link: Washington Post Ala. Candidate's Views Startle Democrats Visited: 1/30/2007
  7. ^ Strange Bedfellows. Sothern Poverty Law Center (Fall 2005). Retrieved on 2007-02-03.
  8. ^ Rawls, Phillip. "Lawmakers add sexual orientation to hate crimes law", Decatur Daily News, 2006-01-19. Retrieved on 2007-02-03. 
  9. ^ Shiel, M. P. (2006-05-17). National Vanguard Conference a Rousing Success. National Vanguard. Retrieved on 2007-01-31. “The gathering featured prominent speakers and guests including Dr. David Duke(pictured), […] Alabama State Attorney General candidate Larry Darby”
  10. ^ ADL Backgrounder on Larry Darby. Anti-Defamation League (2007-06-07). Retrieved on 2007-01-31.
  11. ^ Hughes, Bayne. "Attorney general hopeful advocates martial law", Decatur Daily News, 2006-05-14. Retrieved on 2007-01-31. 
  12. ^ Siegel, Jennifer. "Ala. Democrats Scramble To Bounce Shoah Denier From Primary Ballot", The Jewish Daily Forward, 2006-05-19. Retrieved on 2007-01-31. 
  13. ^ Darby, Larry (2006-07-07). History of the Atheist Law Center and Statement Disavowing Atheism. Retrieved on 2007-01-31.
  14. ^ Siegel, Jennifer. "Ala. Democrats Scramble To Bounce Shoah Denier From Primary Ballot", The Jewish Daily Forward, 2006-05-19. Retrieved on 2007-01-31. 
  15. ^ Darby, Larry (2006-07-07). History of the Atheist Law Center and Statement Disavowing Atheism. Retrieved on 2007-01-31.