The Christian Civic League of Maine's Mike Hein calls Pam's House Blend: "a leading source of radical homosexual propaganda, anti-Christian bigotry, and radical transgender advocacy."
He is "praying that Pam Spaulding will "turn away from her wicked and sinful promotion of homosexual behavior."
(CCLM's web site, 10/15/07)
Ex-gay "Christian" activist James Hartline on Pam:
"I have been mocked over and over again by ungodly and unprincipled anti-christian lesbians."
(from "Six Years In Sodom: From The Journal Of James Hartline," 9/4/2006, written from the "homosexual stronghold" of Hillcrest in San Diego).
"Pam is a 'twisted lesbian sister' and an 'embittered lesbian' of the 'self-imposed gutteral experiences of the gay ghetto.'" -- 9/5/2008
Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth Against Homosexuality heartily endorses the Blend, calling Pam:
A "vicious anti-Christian lesbian activist." (Concerned Women for America's radio show [9:15], 1/25/07)
"A nutty lesbian blogger." (MassResistance radio show [16:25], 2/3/07)
Pam's House Blend always seems to find these sick f*cks. The area of the country she is in? The home state of her wife? I know, they are everywhere. Pam just does such a great job of bringing them out into the light.
--Impeach Bush
who monitors yours Bevis ?? Just thought I would drop you a line,so the rest of your life is not wasted.
As you know, I'm thrilled we have a person running to represent the 5th district of North Carolina, Billy Kennedy, who has a real chance to topple the anti-gay, wingnut, ignorant embarrassment Virginia Foxx.
More from Billy:
I will not run a wedge campaign. I want to focus on what all of us can do to improve our lives. I plan to listen to my constituents and hear what's important to them because I respect other people's points of view. I will not allow my opponent to play "gotcha" politics on these questions of individual liberty.
I want to make it clear. I support freedom and equal rights for all people. I will protect all individual constitutional rights, without allowing politicians to pick and choose which Amendments deserve to be taken seriously.
Join progressive champion Jerry Nadler's leadership PAC and Blue America PAC in supporting up-and-coming progressive challengers.
Vote with your dollars! The candidate who gets the most "votes" (in the form of online contributions) wins the $2,500 1st prize from Jerry's PAC. Both a $1 donation and a $1,000 donation count as one vote. And one vote is allowed per e-mail address.
The candidate who garners the largest number of contributions on this page between now and 3PM EST/12PM PST on Saturday 3/20/2010 wins an extra $2,500 contribution from Jerry's PAC.
Additionally, to recognize the candidate who raises the greatest sum of money in the contest, we will award the runner-up a contribution of $1,000 from Jerry's PAC. (Note: if the candidate who wins first place also has the highest dollar amount raised, the runner-up prize goes the candidate who raises the second highest dollar amount.)
The candidates are:
Bill Hedrick (D-CA)
Billy Kennedy (D-NC)
Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH)
Natalie Mosher (D-MI)
Doug Tudor (D-FL)
Jerry has generously offered his support to these five challengers-- if you know of a single Democrat in Congress who has reached out to five progressive challengers, please let us know; we haven't found one, not a single one-- and his PAC is awarding $3,500 to the challengers we select. That's right, he's leaving it to us.
And how do we let him know? Simple! The candidate who gets the most "votes" (in the form of online contributions) wins $2,500 from Jerry's PAC. A vote is a donation and that means a $1 donation is the same as a $1,000 donation-- although only one vote per e-mail address counts. On the other hand... Congressman Nadler understands the realpolitik of getting elected to office and he wants to encourage some big money contributions too, so he's offering a runner-up contribution of $1,000 for the candidate who winds up with the biggest total contribution.
Please join us Saturday at Crooks and Liars to hear what Congressman Nadler has to say about the State Secrets Act and please "vote" in our contest. The contest will be open for one week and the winners will be announced a week from Saturday, at The winners will be announced at the end of the week at Crooks and Liars, Digby's Hullabaloo and DownWithTyranny..
Thanks for all you do,
Digby, John, Howie and the Blue America team
So cast your vote. I'm surfing over to vote for Billy Kennedy. We can't have Virginia Foxx back in office.
Lots of NC news today; that doesn't happen often...
Billy Kennedy has earned the endorsement from Howie Klien's Blue America -- charging up that the race is on to topple bigoted, ignorant extremist Virginia Foxx (Wingnut-NC) from her perch representing the 5th Congressional district.
You can "meet" Billy today over at C&L at 2PM ET. He's definitely a breath of fresh air, not a Blue Dog by any stretch of the imagination. His election would send a much-needed message to the tools of the DCCC, which again doesn't see the value of supporting a candidate like Kennedy. Look at this BS reasoning that craps on the constituents of the 5th:
Democrats have said that her bizarre and extremist presence in Congress does them more good than harm and that there's no reason to run any candidates against her since she is probably the single least effective member of Congress.
Do they not deseve better representation? What kind leadership is that in our party? Kennedy's message is and cognizant that wedge issues have no place in either party.This is the kind of "support" that tells you Kennedy needs and deserves netroots support if that is what Dems call "strategy." Kennedy:
Dishonest politicians try to divide us and pit us against each other in order to win an election on wedge issues. Politicians of both political parties emphasize wedge issues so they can distract us and avoid talking about the serious problems we face. It is a tactic used to confuse us in order to hide how they really vote about bread and butter issues.
More and better jobs, a commitment to Medicare and Social Security, real discussions about whether or not we should commit our young people and our nation to war, health care reform, and the failure of bailouts and subsidies to corporations are not wedge issues.
I will not run a wedge campaign. I want to focus on what all of us can do to improve our lives. I plan to listen to my constituents and hear what's important to them because I respect other people's points of view. I will not allow my opponent to play "gotcha" politics on these questions of individual liberty.
I want to make it clear. I support freedom and equal rights for all people. I will protect all individual constitutional rights, without allowing politicians to pick and choose which Amendments deserve to be taken seriously.
Even when a candidate or political party wins an election through the use of a wedge issue, once they arrive in Washington they do nothing to further its cause. That is when it becomes painfully clear that the candidate never had any real commitment to the issue itself. The candidate simply used the issue to try to fool the people and win the election at any cost.
"She is more concerned about her reelection than helping people. She actively discourages any government attempt to stimulate development. This may explain why only three of 12 counties in the 5th District are targeted for new broadband infrastructure and access funding. We need a representative in Washington who helps bring jobs back home, not someone who actively discourages that! ... [Foxx] cheer leads a business culture where the rich and well-connected get richer while employees, shareholders and customers get left in the dirt."
-- Billy Kennedy, who plans to unseat reactionary, ineffective Virginia Foxx from her U.S. House seat.
In my state's 5th Congressional district we are "blessed" with one of the worst possible human beings representing constituents, Virginia Foxx. She is not only ignorant, uninformed and an embarrassment to the entire state, but she lacks simple human empathy toward others. I called her evil to the core for her floor speech declaring Matthew Shepard's hate crime murder a hoax, and never truly apologizing for Judy Shepard, who was in the gallery to listen to the lying bile emitting from the Congresswoman.
But make no mistake -- this is unfortunately a conservative district, one that is ill-served by Foxx. She needs to go, and Billy Kennedy has stepped up to the challenge and he filed to run this morning.
Does he have a chance? The stars are aligning for change because she hasn't been able to garner the fringe teabaggers, a real one -- Republican Brad Smith (a big fan of Glenn Beck btw) is running as a third party candidate. That means all Billy Kennedy has to do is draw a small slice, maybe 10%, of GOP voters his way he will easily bump Foxx off of her wingnut horse.
Howie Klein did a great piece on Kennedy, interviewing him to show that unseating Foxx will bring the kind of change to the 5th that it needs. Howie on how the change is needed because of DEM strategists who think Foxx is a good foil for them -- enough to leave the residents of the 5th stuck with garbage in-garbage out Foxx.
As I mentioned in November when I first heard that Smith was taking on the wild-eyed hellion, there is no list existent of the half dozen most lunatic fringe members of Congress that doesn't include this homophobic sociopath. I have literally been in strategy sessions where Democrats have said that her bizarre and extremist presence in Congress does them more good than harm and that there's no reason to run any candidates against her since she is probably the single least effective member of Congress and a warning signal to moderates across party lines that, at its core, the Republican Party offers nothing but extremism, fanaticism and a world turned upside down by ignorance, hatred and fear.
This is the kind of "support" that tells you Kennedy needs and deserves netroots support if that is what Dems call "strategy." Kennedy:
Dishonest politicians try to divide us and pit us against each other in order to win an election on wedge issues. Politicians of both political parties emphasize wedge issues so they can distract us and avoid talking about the serious problems we face. It is a tactic used to confuse us in order to hide how they really vote about bread and butter issues.
More and better jobs, a commitment to Medicare and Social Security, real discussions about whether or not we should commit our young people and our nation to war, health care reform, and the failure of bailouts and subsidies to corporations are not wedge issues.
I will not run a wedge campaign. I want to focus on what all of us can do to improve our lives. I plan to listen to my constituents and hear what's important to them because I respect other people's points of view. I will not allow my opponent to play "gotcha" politics on these questions of individual liberty.
I want to make it clear. I support freedom and equal rights for all people. I will protect all individual constitutional rights, without allowing politicians to pick and choose which Amendments deserve to be taken seriously.
Even when a candidate or political party wins an election through the use of a wedge issue, once they arrive in Washington they do nothing to further its cause. That is when it becomes painfully clear that the candidate never had any real commitment to the issue itself. The candidate simply used the issue to try to fool the people and win the election at any cost.
And looks at this breath of fresh air:
Washington isn't working because people there are greedy. They've forgotten what real Americans learn every day of our working lives that we expect real value for the money we pay. So we're paying taxes, and not getting value back for our dollar. Instead of working on real reform in banking or health care or farm policy, Congress wastes time debating toothless laws, written by lobbyists, for the very industries the laws are meant to regulate.
I believe we must replace the culture of corruption in Washington with a renewed culture of service. That's why my campaign will tithe 10 percent of our volunteer hours directly to local charities.
I've worked all my life. I haven't spent time rubbing elbows with celebrities and paid lobbyists, and I don't intend to start now. This country has real problems that affect my family and my neighbors' families, and I want to go to Washington to work on real solutions.
As I said above, don't look for the DCCC to do ANYTHING to help Kennedy. I'm sick of pols up in Washington deciding to throw whole districts overboard as Red, particularly since districts will be redrawn and the general population in NC is growing more progressive, not more conservative. Is the DCCC incapable of long term strategic thinking?
It's time to stop the Beltway architects of failure. We've seen enough of that crap. That's why, if you feel so inclined, can donate to Billy Kennedy's campaign directly through ActBlue.
Billy Kennedy is a popular radio talk show host-- and a farmer and carpenter-- with a fiery populist message that sounds a lot like the saner noises coming from the Tea Party movement-- but without the racism, hatred, and Fox-stoked paranoia. Kennedy's speaking authentically for working Americans like himself-- and that could spell real trouble for Big Business shill Virginia Foxx.
Is there anyone in the 5th district of NC willing and able to run and unseat this horrible embarrassment of a Congresswoman? I'm sorry there just are not any kind words to bestow against the vile, homobigoted politician, who claimed on the floor of the House that Matthew Shepard's gruesome death was a hate crime hoax, and battled with Michelle Bachmann to put her hands all over GWB at a SOTU?
Now, true to form, even as she complains about the current President's "lecturing" of her party, she's got her priorities in line -- she brags that she nabbed his autograph.
Flame-throwing conservative Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) was not a big fan of President Barack Obama's appearance before the House Republican caucus retreat on Friday.
The North Carolina Republican categorized it as "another lecture" from Obama. She suggested that "independent fact checkers" were needed to confirm the veracity of "his comments." She insisted, against some countervailing evidence, that her Republican colleagues "asked great questions."
But she also seemed delighted by the fact that she got the president's autograph. Foxx tweeted that she secured Obama's signature and a White House official confirmed her account.
***
Speaking of wingnuts, in Hawaii, the RNC is meeting to figure out how to improve its image with voters (good luck with that), and have mostly been cranky with one another over how to distinguish itself from the Dems. You may have heard about the extremist wing's "Purity Test" proposal by Indiana's James Bopp which would mandate that required a GOP candidate had to support 10 specific positions in order to receive backing and funding from the party.
(1) We support smaller government, smaller national debt, lower deficits and lower taxes by opposing bills like Obama's "stimulus" bill;
(2) We support market-based health care reform and oppose Obama-style government run health care;
(3) We support market-based energy reforms by opposing cap and trade legislation;
(4) We support workers' right to secret ballot by opposing card check;
(5) We support legal immigration and assimilation into American society by opposing amnesty for illegal immigrants;
(6) We support victory in Iraq and Afghanistan by supporting military-recommended troop surges;
(7) We support containment of Iran and North Korea, particularly effective action to eliminate their nuclear weapons threat;
(8) We support retention of the Defense of Marriage Act;
(9) We support protecting the lives of vulnerable persons by opposing health care rationing and denial of health care and government funding of abortion; and
(10) We support the right to keep and bear arms by opposing government restrictions on gun ownership
The new rule will not prevent support for moderate Republican candidates but will bar funding for those judged to be too far to the left, Crocker said.
"No more Scozzafavas, please. No more Specters, please. No more Chafees, please," Crocker said, referring to Dede Scozzafava, a GOP candidate for a U.S. House seat in New York whom conservatives opposed; U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, who switched his party registration from Republican to Democrat last year, and former U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, a liberal Republican.
Crocker urged the party to "present candidates who will be attractive" to the people who, like those in the Tea Party movement, "are really dissatisfied with our political conduct over the past several years.
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC5) is a stain on the reputation of my state. She continues to belch out the most ignorant garbage on the floor of the House.
Yesterday she decided to weigh in on the health care reform debate with this doozy. Keyboard protection on.
Rep. Foxx: The Republican plan would "make sure we bring down the cost of health care for all Americans and that ensures affordable access for all Americans and is pro-life because it will not put seniors in a position of being put to death by their government."
WTF is she talking about?! Media Matters has to straighten out the mental confusion of Rep. Foxx (since I doubt she's able to navigate the complexities of the subject at hand to actually do anything except regurgitate winger talking points):
The Democratic Legislation Actually Provides Professional Guidance For Seniors' Difficult Decisions - NOT To Encourage Euthanasia Like other Republicans before her, Rep. Foxx is basing her statement on a clause in the House bill guaranteeing seniors free counseling to help them with complex decisions.
"Advance Care Planning Consultation" Would Provide Seniors With Professional Advice On Will Preparation, Power Of Attorney, And Other Complicated Issues. PolitiFact.com reported: "Indeed, Sec. 1233 of the bill, labeled 'Advance Care Planning Consultation' details how the bill would, for the first time, require Medicare to cover the cost of end-of-life counseling sessions. According to the bill, 'such consultation shall include the following: An explanation by the practitioner of advance care planning, including key questions and considerations, important steps, and suggested people to talk to; an explanation by the practitioner of advance directives, including living wills and durable powers of attorney, and their uses; an explanation by the practitioner of the role and responsibilities of a health care proxy.'" [PolitiFact.com, 7/16/09]
Medicare Will Pay For Increased Counseling If The Senior Citizen Becomes Ill And Would Like Additional Information. According to PolitiFact.com: "Medicare will cover one session every five years, the legislation states. If a patient becomes very ill in the interim, Medicare will cover additional sessions." [PolitiFact.com, 7/16/09]
Counseling Is NOT Mandatory. In regards to the "mandatory" assertion, PolitiFact.com reported: "For his part, Keyserling said he and outside counsel read the language carefully to make sure that was not the case. 'Neither of us can come to the conclusion that it's mandatory.' he said. 'This new consultation is just like all in Medicare: it's voluntary.' 'The only thing mandatory is that Medicare will have to pay for the counseling,' said Dau." [PolitiFact.com, 7/16/09]
***
You might recall that last year Foxx managed to make KO's worst person in the world for calling the hate crime of Matthew Shepard's murder a hoax:
Rep. Foxx: "The bill was named after a very unfortunate incident that happened, where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of robbery. It wasn't because he was gay. The bill was named for him, the hate crimes bill was named for him, but it's, it's really a hoax, that that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills."[House Floor Speech, 4/29/09]
Foxx had to go into serious damage control mode. She issued a standard non-apology after the uproar, saying it was "a poor choice of words," and sent a note to Judy Shepard that said "if I said anything that offended her, I certainly apologize for it and know that she's hurting, and I would never do anything to add to that."
When that went over like a lead balloon, the Congresswoman for the 5th district attempted to play the victim -- she said that she was receiving death threats at her office. However, that tactic didn't exactly work out since the Capitol Police reported that no one in Foxx's office had alerted them about any threats and that there was “no ongoing investigation” of the matter.
Please -- the good people of the 5th, I beg you -- bounce her out in 2010.
She didn't have the guts to apologize face-to-face, but the deluge of emails and phone calls to Rep. Virginia Foxx have now resulted in an apology to Judy Shepard -- but she is not releasing the note sent to Matthew Shepard's mother.
U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx has written a letter of apology to the mother of Matthew Shepard, a gay Wyoming man whose name is on a bill adding sexual orientation to federal hate-crimes legislation.
During recent debate on the bill, Foxx, R-5th, called attempts to label Shepard's 1998 murder a hate crime "a hoax." She said that he was killed during a robbery and not because he was gay.
Foxx's remarks caused an uproar, and she later issued a statement saying that her use of "hoax" was "a poor choice of words."
Neither Foxx nor anyone in her office would return repeated calls and e-mails from the Winston-Salem Journal for comment about her apology.
So she can slur the hate crime against the young man in public, but cannot offer a public apology? Class. Her filthy behavior on the floor of the House stained our great state -- she owes everyone an apology, particularly those who have been the victim of a hate crime and the families of those who lost a loved family member to one.
But was it an apology at all? Foxx did reveal this bit of business to a local station:
She told WXII that she sent a handwritten note to Judy Shepard, Shepard's mother, saying that "if I said anything that offended her, I certainly apologize for it and know that she's hurting, and I would never do anything to add to that."
Also revealed is that Foxx declined to say whether she now considers Shepard's death a hate crime. Right.
In an earlier interview with WXII (video here), Foxx said she only "misspoke" during her closing remarks. "I was speaking off the cuff and simply chose a poor word, and it happens all the time and unfortunately that gets blown out of proportion." Can we call bullsh*t? Here's what she said on the House floor.
Rep. Foxx: "The bill was named after a very unfortunate incident that happened, where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of robbery. It wasn't because he was gay. The bill was named for him, the hate crimes bill was named for him, but it's, it's really a hoax, that that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills." [House Floor Speech, 4/29/09]
In the WXII-TV report, Foxx also claimed that 99% of the calls came from outside her district and that she received 10 death threats (the Capitol Police have no knowledge of any threats reported from her office).
One can only imagine that party hacks felt the criticism had reached the tipping point with Rep. Virginia Foxx (since her only public supporters are the hate fringe, like Peter LaBarbera). I mean come on -- PFLAG Winston-Salem was running ads in local papers in NC blasting her inhumanity and ignorance regarding the murder of Matthew Shepard. The Matthew Shepard Foundation has confirmed receipt of Foxx's missive, but did not comment publicly other to say that the organization is focused on getting the federal hate crimes law named after Matthew passed in the U.S. Senate.
Rep. Foxx doesn't get it; like most pols backed into a corner, she did the minimum to stop the carnage. We all know her views haven't changed one iota. She'd vote no on the legislation again, perhaps deciding to keep her bigoted trap shut (and even then, I doubt that).
We are sure you have seen or heard about 5th District Representative Virginia Foxx's comments on the floor of the US House of Representatives last Wednesday, April 29, 2009, about the Matthew Shepherd Hate Crimes Act. Basically, Rep. Foxx said that naming the Federal Hate Crimes Act after Matthew Shepard was a "hoax" in the sense that he was not killed because he was gay. Rather, he was killed as the result of a robbery. This has to be one of the most appalling statements we have ever heard. It is very clear that the trial record does not support her comments at all. This is one of those times when the Winston-Salem Chapter of Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) must step up and make a public statement in opposition to comments made on the US House floor by Representative Virginia Foxx.
PFLAG Winston-Salem is the only organization in the Winston-Salem area that works on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. Our Mission Statement says "Parents, Families and Friends, of Lesbians and Gays promotes the well being of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons through support - to cope with an adverse society, advocacy - to end discrimination and secure equal civil rights, and education - to enlighten an ill informed public. Our mission is directly related to the statements made by Rep. Virginia Foxx.
...The total cost for these ads was over $4,300. Yes, that is expensive for us. However, we cannot let this opportunity pass us by. This is one of those rare opportunities handed to us for us to use as a "teachable moment" for the community at large. We need contributions to help underwrite the cost of these ads. So far, we have raised over $1,800. That is a great response but more is needed. If you haven't made a contribution yet, please consider doing so for yourself and or for those you love and care about. We sincerely hope individuals, faith communities, and other organizations that care about equality and justice will consider contributing toward the cost of these ads and work with PFLAG Winston-Salem to help educate the greater Winston-Salem community, not only about LGBT hate crimes, but also about issues that impact LGBT people every day.
No surprise here. She's trapped -- she knows the only legitimate way out is an apology (and we know she won't do that), so out comes the victim card. --Pam
While Representative Foxx's staff claim "death threats" have been made against Foxx, the Capital Police have no knowledge of this according to the Washington Post:
The Capitol Police are unaware of any death threats against the congresswoman. Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, a spokeswoman for the Capitol Police, tells the Sleuth there is “no ongoing investigation” of the matter, which means the police have received no information about death threats from Foxx’s office.
Meanwhile, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council stood solidly behing Foxx and her reprehensible "hoax" statement on the FRC website:
Since yesterday, Foxx has been publicly skewered for her comments, largely by homosexuals who want desperately to bury the truth about that crime so that Shepard’s story can be used to galvanize support for their push to silence dissent from their agenda. The Left certainly has a right to their “feelings” but they don’t have a right to their own “facts”. Foxx and Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), deserve credit for their opposition to H.R. 1913 during yesterday’s debate.
Mythical death threats and claims that a real crime was a hoax. Can Fundamentalist Christianity survive the sins of its followers?
NOTE FROM PAM: It's time to bring out this graphic again...
"Attacks of lesser consequence have been said about Matt since the beginning... but I never expected it to be called 'a hoax,'" said Shepard Thursday on "The Rachel Maddow Show."
...Judy Shepard, who was present when Foxx made the remarks, was unconvinced by the clarification. "It's apologizing for semantics but not her sentiment, her insensitivity or her ignorance," she said on MSNBC.
..."Everyone knew Matthew's murder was a hate crime, but it couldn't be prosecuted as a hate crime. We couldn't call it a hate crime. Getting this bill passed in the House brings gay rights up to the level of equality," said Shepard.
You know Foxx has no intention of giving a real apology for this.
Rep. Foxx: "The bill was named after a very unfortunate incident that happened, where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of robbery. It wasn't because he was gay. The bill was named for him, the hate crimes bill was named for him, but it's, it's really a hoax, that that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills."[House Floor Speech, 4/29/09]
She needs to resign, but it won't happen. What would be meaningful was if she could meet with Judy Shepard in private, look her in the eye, and tell her that her son's death as a hate crime is a hoax. That would be taking responsibility for her statement. These bigots are great at lobbing the charges out there, and cowards when they are called out and confronted one-to-one.
A poor choice of words? Too late for you, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC5). You know you meant what you said when you spewed that hate on the floor of the House of Representative. You shamed yourself, your district and your state with that filth. And this backtracking is only because you must have had no clue how out of step you are with basic decency. The NC GOP was laughing at the anger over your remarks. I doubt they are laughing now as they have to explain to the media why the party of Jesse Helms and Elizabeth Dole refuse to enter the 21st century. (WXII12-Winston-Salem):
Foxx released this comment stating that she used a poor choice of words:
"It has come to my attention that some people have been led to believe that I think the terrible crimes that led to Matthew Shepard's death in 1998 were a hoax," she said. "The term "hoax" was a poor choice of words used in the discussion of the hate crimes bill. Mr. Shepard's death was nothing less than a tragedy and those responsible for his death certainly deserved the punishment they received.
"The larger context of my remarks is important. I was referring to a 2004 ABC 20/20 report on Mr. Shepard's death. The 20/20 report questioned the motivation of those responsible for Mr. Shepard's death. Referencing this media account may have been a mistake, but if so it was a mistake based on what I believed were reliable accounts."
Let's go back to the videotape...
"The bill was named after a very unfortunate incident that happened, where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of robbery. It wasn't because he was gay. The bill was named for him, the hate crimes bill was named for him, but it's, it's really a hoax, that that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills."
She sounds mighty confident about her choice of words, doesn't she?
Foxx office addresses and phone numbers:
WASHINGTON, D.C.
1230 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2071
Fax: (202) 225-2995
This is beyond belief -- Virginia Foxx, spitting on Matthew Shepard's grave during today's hate crimes bill debate, from Media Matters:
Summary: On April 29, 2009, in a speech on the House floor, Rep. Virginia Foxx claimed that Matthew Shepard's death was merely the result of a robbery gone bad. While his killers Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson did rob him, they also admitted that they were well aware of his sexual orientation and pretended they were gay to lure him away from the bar he was in at the time. The most striking feature of the case, of course, is that during the course of a normal, simple robbery, the victim is not generally beaten, tied to a post, and left for dead.
Rep. Foxx: "The bill was named after a very unfortunate incident that happened, where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of robbery. It wasn't because he was gay. The bill was named for him, the hate crimes bill was named for him, but it's, it's really a hoax, that that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills."[House Floor Speech, 4/29/09]
Call the NCGOP at (919) 828-6423 and ask them if they agree with Foxx's denial of the hate crime.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, in cooperation with Blue America PAC, want more progressive challengers elected in districts where there is a rich opportunity to move the ball forward. 
Billy Kennedy has earned the endorsement from Howie Klien's Blue America -- charging up that the race is on to topple bigoted, ignorant extremist Virginia Foxx (Wingnut-NC) from her perch representing the 5th Congressional district.
Democrats have said that her bizarre and extremist presence in Congress does them more good than harm and that there's no reason to run any candidates against her since she is probably the single least effective member of Congress.
Dishonest politicians try to divide us and pit us against each other in order to win an election on wedge issues. Politicians of both political parties emphasize wedge issues so they can distract us and avoid talking about the serious problems we face. It is a tactic used to confuse us in order to hide how they really vote about bread and butter issues.
But make no mistake -- this is unfortunately a conservative district, one that is ill-served by Foxx. She needs to go, and Billy Kennedy has stepped up to the challenge and he filed to run this morning.
Is there anyone in the 5th district of NC willing and able to run and 
You might recall that last year Foxx managed to make 
We are sure you have seen or heard about 5th District Representative Virginia Foxx's comments on the floor of the US House of Representatives last Wednesday, April 29, 2009, about the Matthew Shepherd Hate Crimes Act. Basically, Rep. Foxx said that naming the Federal Hate Crimes Act after Matthew Shepard was a "hoax" in the sense that he was not killed because he was gay. Rather, he was killed as the result of a robbery. This has to be one of the most appalling statements we have ever heard. It is very clear that the trial record does not support her comments at all. This is one of those times when the Winston-Salem Chapter of Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) must step up and make a public statement in opposition to comments made on the US House floor by Representative Virginia Foxx.
A poor choice of words? Too late for you, Rep. 
