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News & ArtsWednesday, April 29, 2009
Homo Matthew Shepard's Murder: "A Hoax."
Posted by Dan Savage on Wed, Apr 29, 2009 at 1:36 PM
So says Republican congresswoman Virginia Foxx. I suppose someone needs to go exhume Matthew Shepard and tell him to stop pretending that he was killed in a hate crime.
1
riiiiiight.
and we're supposed to believe the people that lied about waterboarding "working on the first try" ... when it didn't.
and we're supposed to believe the people that lied about waterboarding "working on the first try" ... when it didn't.
2
OH lordy. Someone needs to bring her on a talk show and have her explain to Matthew Shepard's mom how it was a hoax.
4
She didn't say it was a hoax in that he wasn't murdered. But, a hoax in that he wasn't murdered because he was gay. Though, both claims are pretty much equally idiotic at this point, given all the evidence that confirms that they killed him because he was gay.
This just makes me wonder even more, what the Republicans are going to do. Really. I'm fascinated by this. I have been hesitant to jump on the "they're imploding!" bandwagon, but, I really don't think that going forward (2, 5, 10, 20 years from now) the different factions are going to play nicely together (fiscal conservative, social conservative, independent-minded moderates, libertarian-ish, just plain crazy like Bachman and now Foxx apparently). It's almost like a war... trying to predict their next move - flank right/alienate moderates, flank left/alienate crazies, hold steady and try to bring everyone together.
This just makes me wonder even more, what the Republicans are going to do. Really. I'm fascinated by this. I have been hesitant to jump on the "they're imploding!" bandwagon, but, I really don't think that going forward (2, 5, 10, 20 years from now) the different factions are going to play nicely together (fiscal conservative, social conservative, independent-minded moderates, libertarian-ish, just plain crazy like Bachman and now Foxx apparently). It's almost like a war... trying to predict their next move - flank right/alienate moderates, flank left/alienate crazies, hold steady and try to bring everyone together.
5
*sigh* A poor choice of words.
However, there has been speculation for years that it wasn't a hate crime...only a gruesome one that became a hate crime for publicity and politics. There was even a 20/20 or 60 Minutes special on that view. Mrs. Foxx believes that side of things.
However, there has been speculation for years that it wasn't a hate crime...only a gruesome one that became a hate crime for publicity and politics. There was even a 20/20 or 60 Minutes special on that view. Mrs. Foxx believes that side of things.
6
@ 5 So, you are saying it was their desire for money that made them smash that boy's face in?
Really?
Really?
7
Is she BFF with that wack-a-doo Michele Bachmann of Minnesota? These ladies need their own youtube channel.
8
I didn't think I'd react that strongly, but I almost wanted to cry listening to that.
Fuck that bitch. Ah!
Fuck that bitch. Ah!
10
A gay man is tortured and crucified because he was gay and the wacko right wing shit themselves denying the truth. Why? Because people know the truth and they don't want anymore of this and they know who's really to blame. It's the same way with them on almost every truth. They are deperate to hold onto their fucking lies. Good luck mutherfuckers.
11
I was going to send her (Foxx) an email suggesting what a clueless bitch she must be, but why bother? She'd only turn it around and say, "Look at these horrible, discourteous people who disagree with me," conveniently forgetting the rudeness and lack of respect her statement had for 1) the Shepard family, and 2) gay men and women everywhere who have had their lives threatened by bashers.
Why doesn't she just be real and say what she really wants to say, "The only good queer is a dead queer?"
Why doesn't she just be real and say what she really wants to say, "The only good queer is a dead queer?"
13
@6 Thats the new theory. It was just a night that went too far.
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=2776…
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=2776…
16
This is exactly like Holocaust denial. People whose business it is the deny that people who belong to other groups (be they based on ethnic, gender, or sexual orientation traits) have a vested interest in demonstrating that these others are in some way "bad," whether it's through the curse of Ham, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, the weaker sex, or the inherent immorality of their state of being. Having members of those groups be victims of violence for the sole reason that they ARE members of those groups undermines their cause by generating sympathy for them. Therefore, they have to deny that any such violence could have been motivated for that reason.
Just ask Loveschild. She's a master at this kind of thinking.
Just ask Loveschild. She's a master at this kind of thinking.
17
I like the equation that I heard awhile ago: hate crimes = terrorism. Both have essentially the same goal - to invoke fear within a targeted group. And I have no problem equating anti-gay groups with other religious groups trying to force irrational archaic beliefs into law.
Though that's just the surface though - I think what gives these crazy religious groups the kind of legitimacy that they have is linked in certain ways to the economic disparity between 'middle America' and urban economic centers (which is real - cities make up 65% of the population and 80% of the wealth, which must be annoying for the 35% of the country who share 20% of the $$$ action - not that this always translates into a universally more comfortable urban existence) that gets spit out by church's funhouse mirrors. People that live in small towns/bumblefuck nowhere still need some sort of social institution, and there's really nothing competing with the church - it's older, bigger, and has more money. If the church encourages believers to hate homosexuality, and protect those that fight against it the way that families/congregations will protect and support parishioners with (costly) health problems, the image of homosexuality (like the image of the jew) becomes that of a threatening, affluent, self-sufficient outsider.
crank up the economic disparity and despair, add a century of European colonization, and you have the middle east.
I'm a bit of a pinko in this, but I'd like to think that there's some way to point out that people who live in small towns working in agriculture probably have more in common with the day to day existence of (or at least have more politically advantageous connections with) openly gay urban wage slaves than they do with the clergy and the lying politicians they prop up.
Just a thought.
More...
Though that's just the surface though - I think what gives these crazy religious groups the kind of legitimacy that they have is linked in certain ways to the economic disparity between 'middle America' and urban economic centers (which is real - cities make up 65% of the population and 80% of the wealth, which must be annoying for the 35% of the country who share 20% of the $$$ action - not that this always translates into a universally more comfortable urban existence) that gets spit out by church's funhouse mirrors. People that live in small towns/bumblefuck nowhere still need some sort of social institution, and there's really nothing competing with the church - it's older, bigger, and has more money. If the church encourages believers to hate homosexuality, and protect those that fight against it the way that families/congregations will protect and support parishioners with (costly) health problems, the image of homosexuality (like the image of the jew) becomes that of a threatening, affluent, self-sufficient outsider.
crank up the economic disparity and despair, add a century of European colonization, and you have the middle east.
I'm a bit of a pinko in this, but I'd like to think that there's some way to point out that people who live in small towns working in agriculture probably have more in common with the day to day existence of (or at least have more politically advantageous connections with) openly gay urban wage slaves than they do with the clergy and the lying politicians they prop up.
Just a thought.
19
I live in Laramie, lived in Wyoming when he was killed, and this story is popular here. All of the stories go something like: "I know a gay guy who knew Matthew, and he said he owed them a bunch of money for drugs." Or: "My older brothers friend used to party with Matthew... drug money... blah blah blah."
Sometimes the topic comes up during drunken outings to the bars and I want to yell "Shut the fuck up! He was killed because he was gay, the cops know it, the killers know it. Stop making excuses because a couple of local shitheads made your town the center of controversy and you don't feel comfortable even talking about gay people."
Sometimes the topic comes up during drunken outings to the bars and I want to yell "Shut the fuck up! He was killed because he was gay, the cops know it, the killers know it. Stop making excuses because a couple of local shitheads made your town the center of controversy and you don't feel comfortable even talking about gay people."
21
I'm from North Carolina and it really is a lovely place. It is mortifying that this soulless bitch is our official representative. Please don't judge all of us based on the ignorant rantings of one idiot.
22
Holy wow.
It's like the Republicans have decided that they lost the election because they weren't big enough assholes.
Bizarro world, man.
It's like the Republicans have decided that they lost the election because they weren't big enough assholes.
Bizarro world, man.
23
#5, "a poor choice of words"? How about a deliberate intention to deceive? Who do you think has more credibility, her or the investigators of the case?
As reported in Slate, "the detectives dismissed the idea that the murder was the mere result of a robbery gone bad. 'Far from that!' scoffed Sgt. Rob DeBree, the chief investigator in the case. 'They knew damn well he was gay ... It started out as a robbery and burglary, and I sincerely believe the other activity was because he was gay.'"
As reported in Slate, "the detectives dismissed the idea that the murder was the mere result of a robbery gone bad. 'Far from that!' scoffed Sgt. Rob DeBree, the chief investigator in the case. 'They knew damn well he was gay ... It started out as a robbery and burglary, and I sincerely believe the other activity was because he was gay.'"
24
I feel sick. I think I'm going to share my outrage and nausea with Congresswoman Foxx's office staff. Loudly. Possibly profanely.
25
@23 The article from which you are quoting is 10 years old. The article that I linked to, from 20/20, is 5 years old and was a revisit. The 20/20 article in question was a highly-rated show (as in well viewed) and interviewed the killer, who said that his attorneys told him to say it was a hate crime because he'd get off easier due to it being only a gay person.
Whether or not you believe 20/20 is one thing. I believe that it didn't catch THAT much flack, with many leaders saying, "Well, it doesn't diminish the fact that it was a watershed moment that brought together and strengthened the LGBT community. You can't take that away from it." Whether somebody else believes the opposite is the same thing.
To call it a hoax is a poor choice of words. To say that it wasn't a hate crime is a better statement. She, as a politician, should know better. But, in reality, there was a large amount of speculation when the 2004 show came out.
Whether or not you believe 20/20 is one thing. I believe that it didn't catch THAT much flack, with many leaders saying, "Well, it doesn't diminish the fact that it was a watershed moment that brought together and strengthened the LGBT community. You can't take that away from it." Whether somebody else believes the opposite is the same thing.
To call it a hoax is a poor choice of words. To say that it wasn't a hate crime is a better statement. She, as a politician, should know better. But, in reality, there was a large amount of speculation when the 2004 show came out.
27
Oh yeah, let's take the killer's word for it. And uh huh, suuuuure, an actual attorney advised him they'd go easy 'cause it was "only" a gay person.
After all, sworn testimony in the trial is only sworn testimony, and the killer was otherwise such a nice guy, that we should give him the benefit of the doubt:
"During the trial, Chastity Pasley and Kristen Price (the pair's then-girlfriends) testified under oath that Henderson and McKinney both plotted beforehand to rob a gay man.
McKinney and Henderson then went to the Fireside Lounge and selected Shepard as their target. McKinney alleged that Shepard asked them for a ride home. After befriending him, they took him to a remote area of Laramie where they robbed him, beat him severely (media reports often contained the graphic account of the pistol whipping and his smashed skull), and tied him to a fence with a rope from McKinney's truck. Shepard begged for his life.
Both girlfriends also testified that neither McKinney nor Henderson was under the influence of drugs at the time. The beating was so severe that the only areas on Shepard's face that were not covered in blood were those where his tears had washed the blood stains away."
Puhleez, the professionally bigoted bitch chose the word "hoax" with care, lied that it was "only" a robbery in the sentence before, but we should give all those slime merchants the benefit of the doubt.
I just threw up in my mouth at the thought, but apparently you and one other morally dubious commentor on this thread for some reason are taking up the sides with murderers and bigots.
Enjoy their company.
After all, sworn testimony in the trial is only sworn testimony, and the killer was otherwise such a nice guy, that we should give him the benefit of the doubt:
"During the trial, Chastity Pasley and Kristen Price (the pair's then-girlfriends) testified under oath that Henderson and McKinney both plotted beforehand to rob a gay man.
McKinney and Henderson then went to the Fireside Lounge and selected Shepard as their target. McKinney alleged that Shepard asked them for a ride home. After befriending him, they took him to a remote area of Laramie where they robbed him, beat him severely (media reports often contained the graphic account of the pistol whipping and his smashed skull), and tied him to a fence with a rope from McKinney's truck. Shepard begged for his life.
Both girlfriends also testified that neither McKinney nor Henderson was under the influence of drugs at the time. The beating was so severe that the only areas on Shepard's face that were not covered in blood were those where his tears had washed the blood stains away."
Puhleez, the professionally bigoted bitch chose the word "hoax" with care, lied that it was "only" a robbery in the sentence before, but we should give all those slime merchants the benefit of the doubt.
I just threw up in my mouth at the thought, but apparently you and one other morally dubious commentor on this thread for some reason are taking up the sides with murderers and bigots.
Enjoy their company.
28
@25: It makes no difference how old my quotation was; it came from a credible source. It's really important to make an informed judgement here, and Foxx is not doing that.
Keep in mind that McKinney's girlfriend changed her story: in 1998 she told 20/20, “They just wanted to beat him bad enough to teach him a lesson, not to come on to straight people, and don’t be aggressive about it anymore.” In the 2004 show, she changed it to: “I don’t think it was a hate crime at all... I never did.”
GLAAD asks, “Did she commit perjury in McKinney’s trial? ....And why does 20/20 put forward as fact the statements of someone who’s admitted to deceiving and lying to them in the past?”
If you're interested in this, you'll want to read the following article about that 20/20 show, called "Rewriting the Motives Behind Matthew Shepard’s Murder":
http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/recoun…
The argument that this wasn't a hate crime is disingenuous, considering the evidence available.
Keep in mind that McKinney's girlfriend changed her story: in 1998 she told 20/20, “They just wanted to beat him bad enough to teach him a lesson, not to come on to straight people, and don’t be aggressive about it anymore.” In the 2004 show, she changed it to: “I don’t think it was a hate crime at all... I never did.”
GLAAD asks, “Did she commit perjury in McKinney’s trial? ....And why does 20/20 put forward as fact the statements of someone who’s admitted to deceiving and lying to them in the past?”
If you're interested in this, you'll want to read the following article about that 20/20 show, called "Rewriting the Motives Behind Matthew Shepard’s Murder":
http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/recoun…
The argument that this wasn't a hate crime is disingenuous, considering the evidence available.
29
Why are Republicans and criminals such fucking, lying morons? Why? Don't they know we can see them for what they really, really are?
30
Ok. The anti-marriage rights thing I get. I mean, I don't agree and I think that they will be judged harshly by history, but at least I get the whole "my pastor says gay people are just trying to destroy marriage, religion, etc" craziness. What I just can not wrap my head around is this opposition to offering protection to a group that is targeted by domestic terrorists on an insanely regular basis. Seriously, can someone please explain how these people even attempt to live with themselves? How can that congresspieceofshit (I won't malign the term woman by categorizing her as one) live with herself? Especially since besides her oh so truthful and not at all self-serving characterization of the crucifixion of a gay man as a "hoax" she also offers this gem, "you could vote against it because we are spending additional money." I know when I ask the government to protect me I really want them to evaluate the cost vs. loss before taking any steps. And clearly, this piece of garbage thinks the a homosexual life is worth nothing.
At least she's old and almost dead. I trust that if there is a God he'll have quite a bit to say to her.
At least she's old and almost dead. I trust that if there is a God he'll have quite a bit to say to her.
32
I thought the moral of the story was don't get so drunk that you obnoxiously come on to homophobic rednecks.
33
@28 That article was even less newsworthy than the 20/20 article. It was written by an obviously biased pseudo-journalist who was trying to add his name in the mix. And you bought into it...and made me read it.
Your anti-bias against the thought that somebody may believe this revision of the news is understandable. it doesn't flow with your morals, and thus is irresponsible and wrong. In fact, you probably felt that this was a vital moment in GLBT hate crime history. People I've talked to feel that negating Shepard as a hate crime would diminish all other hate crimes. Obviously, this is partially the case as Mrs. Foxx firmly believes that hate crime legislation should not be around because the HATE CRIME of the CENTURY may not be a hate crime.
Calling it a "hoax" is a bad choice of words. Whether or not you agree with her is something different. She's not the only one who actually believes the actually-plausible (though despicable) argument that homophobia was an act to get a lighter sentence. I mean lets look at the Twinkie defense.
This isn't to say that the crime is any less gruesome, or that the killers should have a reduced sentence. It was a vile crime that should keep them locked up for life. And, the importance of the crime as a moment in bringing other hate crimes to light is not to be diminished. BUT, there are many many other more vile things said about gays and other people that should rile you up. This is simply a statement of belief (perpetrated by a somewhat legitimate news magazine) with a poor choice of words.
Your anti-bias against the thought that somebody may believe this revision of the news is understandable. it doesn't flow with your morals, and thus is irresponsible and wrong. In fact, you probably felt that this was a vital moment in GLBT hate crime history. People I've talked to feel that negating Shepard as a hate crime would diminish all other hate crimes. Obviously, this is partially the case as Mrs. Foxx firmly believes that hate crime legislation should not be around because the HATE CRIME of the CENTURY may not be a hate crime.
Calling it a "hoax" is a bad choice of words. Whether or not you agree with her is something different. She's not the only one who actually believes the actually-plausible (though despicable) argument that homophobia was an act to get a lighter sentence. I mean lets look at the Twinkie defense.
This isn't to say that the crime is any less gruesome, or that the killers should have a reduced sentence. It was a vile crime that should keep them locked up for life. And, the importance of the crime as a moment in bringing other hate crimes to light is not to be diminished. BUT, there are many many other more vile things said about gays and other people that should rile you up. This is simply a statement of belief (perpetrated by a somewhat legitimate news magazine) with a poor choice of words.
34
@27 It's nice to recount the details of brutal murders isn't it?
Its also manipulative. Just because a crime is brutal doesn't automatically mean it is against somebody for their race/sexuality/belief/etc. I'm sorry, but you seem to ignore my screen name. Try a legitimate argument, like 28 does.
Its also manipulative. Just because a crime is brutal doesn't automatically mean it is against somebody for their race/sexuality/belief/etc. I'm sorry, but you seem to ignore my screen name. Try a legitimate argument, like 28 does.
35
The 1998 Matthew Shepard murder, portrayed as a hate crime because Shepard was homosexual, was in fact a bungled robbery and not motivated by hate, according to an ABC 20/20 investigation.
Shepard's murder set in motion a drive to promulgate new laws to protect homosexuals from discrimination, including the so-called hate crimes laws Bill C-250 in Canada, and a similar proposed law in the US.
20/20 interviewed the killers, Aaron McKinney and Russell A. Henderson for their exposé, which alleged that the two had made a bargain with the court that they would not speak to the media in exchange for an agreement sparing them the death penalty. However, Henderson's lawyer has contacted LifeSiteNew.com and stated that only McKinley made the bargain. They are both serving consecutive double life sentences.
Shepard was a college student beaten to death by McKinney and Henderson in Laramie, Wyoming, in 1998.
"The murder of Matthew Shepard was and is a heinous and vicious crime," ABC News spokesman Jeffrey Schneider told the New York Post.
"Exploring and re-examining the facts around that murder in a very thoughtful and in-depth way is the very essence of responsible journalism. This new information in no way diminishes the importance of the national conversation that took place after Matthew Shepard's murder."
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/nov…
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=2776…
Shepard's murder set in motion a drive to promulgate new laws to protect homosexuals from discrimination, including the so-called hate crimes laws Bill C-250 in Canada, and a similar proposed law in the US.
20/20 interviewed the killers, Aaron McKinney and Russell A. Henderson for their exposé, which alleged that the two had made a bargain with the court that they would not speak to the media in exchange for an agreement sparing them the death penalty. However, Henderson's lawyer has contacted LifeSiteNew.com and stated that only McKinley made the bargain. They are both serving consecutive double life sentences.
Shepard was a college student beaten to death by McKinney and Henderson in Laramie, Wyoming, in 1998.
"The murder of Matthew Shepard was and is a heinous and vicious crime," ABC News spokesman Jeffrey Schneider told the New York Post.
"Exploring and re-examining the facts around that murder in a very thoughtful and in-depth way is the very essence of responsible journalism. This new information in no way diminishes the importance of the national conversation that took place after Matthew Shepard's murder."
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/nov…
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=2776…
36
Misanthrope @33:
You state that:
"That article was even less newsworthy than the 20/20 article. It was written by an obviously biased pseudo-journalist who was trying to add his name in the mix."
There is no such thing as completely objective reportage. Every story involves a choice of topic, an angle, a set of questions to ask. I disagree with you that this article was less valuable than the 20/20 show. It simply challenged Vargas's (the 20/20 writer's) angle by presenting other views. Yeah, it was critical of her, but that's allowed. I didn't see anything particularly irresponsible about this piece.
And please don't jump to conclusions about me. I did not feel "that this was a vital moment in GLBT hate crime history." I am merely looking at the information available and trying to make an informed decision about this.
I found the following paragraphs introduced valid critiques the 20/20 show, which seems, so far, to have presented the most convincing argument for this whole "it wasn't a hate crime" theory. Frankly, I'm surprised you found them so useless. Sorry about the length, but I think they're worth reprinting, if not for your consideration, then for others:
Judy Shepard was available for comment. Matthew’s mother, who appeared in the report, told www.365Gay.com that the editing by 20/20 of her interview left out all her comments regarding the show’s potential bias. “My remarks were reduced to a few very personal maternal comments taken out of context to make it appear as if I agreed with 20/20’s theories,” she said in the article. “That couldn’t be farther from the truth.”
Gay City News also criticized the report in an article headlined “Trashing Matthew Shepard.” Reporter Duncan Osborne immediately discredited the report for claiming to land the first media interview with McKinney. “McKinney’s first media interview came in 1999 with KGAB, a Wyoming radio station,” Osborne wrote. Claiming to be first sets Vargas up nicely for a chance to reveal the emerging truth behind Shepard’s murder: McKinney may have killed a gay person for drugs, but he doesn’t actually hate gay people. “This is an old argument, but ABC has been promoting the story as if they have made a new discovery,” Osborne said. He also pointed to “reams of evidence” left out of Vargas’ report, including a statement McKinney gave to police just days after the killing, in which he referred to Shepard as a “faggot” and a “queer.”
Osborne also cites a letter obtained by Denver television reporter Rick Sallinger of News4 and reported in the Rocky Mountain News in 1999. According to this letter, attributed to McKinney, he learned that Shepard was gay, he “flipped out” and beat the college student with a gun. Shepard “said he was gay and wanted a piece of me,” according to the letter. “Being a verry (sic) drunk homofobick (sic) I flipped out and began to pistol whip the f-- with my gun.”
More...
You state that:
"That article was even less newsworthy than the 20/20 article. It was written by an obviously biased pseudo-journalist who was trying to add his name in the mix."
There is no such thing as completely objective reportage. Every story involves a choice of topic, an angle, a set of questions to ask. I disagree with you that this article was less valuable than the 20/20 show. It simply challenged Vargas's (the 20/20 writer's) angle by presenting other views. Yeah, it was critical of her, but that's allowed. I didn't see anything particularly irresponsible about this piece.
And please don't jump to conclusions about me. I did not feel "that this was a vital moment in GLBT hate crime history." I am merely looking at the information available and trying to make an informed decision about this.
I found the following paragraphs introduced valid critiques the 20/20 show, which seems, so far, to have presented the most convincing argument for this whole "it wasn't a hate crime" theory. Frankly, I'm surprised you found them so useless. Sorry about the length, but I think they're worth reprinting, if not for your consideration, then for others:
Judy Shepard was available for comment. Matthew’s mother, who appeared in the report, told www.365Gay.com that the editing by 20/20 of her interview left out all her comments regarding the show’s potential bias. “My remarks were reduced to a few very personal maternal comments taken out of context to make it appear as if I agreed with 20/20’s theories,” she said in the article. “That couldn’t be farther from the truth.”
Gay City News also criticized the report in an article headlined “Trashing Matthew Shepard.” Reporter Duncan Osborne immediately discredited the report for claiming to land the first media interview with McKinney. “McKinney’s first media interview came in 1999 with KGAB, a Wyoming radio station,” Osborne wrote. Claiming to be first sets Vargas up nicely for a chance to reveal the emerging truth behind Shepard’s murder: McKinney may have killed a gay person for drugs, but he doesn’t actually hate gay people. “This is an old argument, but ABC has been promoting the story as if they have made a new discovery,” Osborne said. He also pointed to “reams of evidence” left out of Vargas’ report, including a statement McKinney gave to police just days after the killing, in which he referred to Shepard as a “faggot” and a “queer.”
Osborne also cites a letter obtained by Denver television reporter Rick Sallinger of News4 and reported in the Rocky Mountain News in 1999. According to this letter, attributed to McKinney, he learned that Shepard was gay, he “flipped out” and beat the college student with a gun. Shepard “said he was gay and wanted a piece of me,” according to the letter. “Being a verry (sic) drunk homofobick (sic) I flipped out and began to pistol whip the f-- with my gun.”
37
Hey truthteller @45, your name's a little ironic considering that you simply cut and pasted that entire post from another website. You're not very clear on the whole "Your comments" concept, are you?
38
Holy crap. Olbermann covered this on Countdown, and he said that Matthew Shepard's MOTHER was in the gallery when Virginia Foxx made those comments. Not sure if that's true, but if it is, holy Jesus. That's pretty classy...
39
Misanthrope, do you really think those losers could have beat him like that if robbery were the entire motive? That does not pass the credibility test.
40
@34: No, but when the killers and their girlfriends all say that hate was the motivation, under oath and only change their story years and years after the fact it does mean it was a hate crime. And detailing the brutality of the murder may not be the way to prove it was a hate crime, but it does serve to show us exactly what kind of people these two assholes are and were. Of course, it's much easier for people like Foxx (who don't want to go to the "expense" of including homosexuals in hate crime laws) to simply say, "oh, clearly we should believe what these degenarate killers are saying years after the fact since that falls in line with what I want to believe".
And let's all realize that (just like the post on the TVC fudging numbers to make it look like anti-gay crimes are much less numerically significant) Foxx is clearly trying to make a much broader statement about anti-homosexual hate crimes. She is not just saying, Matthew Shephard was a hoax, she is saying, if this case which really highlighted the problem of violence directed at homosexuals isn't true, how many of the other anti-gay crimes are actually not due to homophobia at all?
As I said before, I'm just glad this woman is old and on her way to death.
And let's all realize that (just like the post on the TVC fudging numbers to make it look like anti-gay crimes are much less numerically significant) Foxx is clearly trying to make a much broader statement about anti-homosexual hate crimes. She is not just saying, Matthew Shephard was a hoax, she is saying, if this case which really highlighted the problem of violence directed at homosexuals isn't true, how many of the other anti-gay crimes are actually not due to homophobia at all?
As I said before, I'm just glad this woman is old and on her way to death.
41
Thank you Christian Right, Homophobes, Republicans, Racists and other sub-human scum of our planet. Representatives like Foxx will eventually ensure that anyone other than the craziest of extremists will disavow their causes. As painful as it is to watch (I nearly vomited), should we expect anything less from these disconnected and delusional morons?
All we can hope for, is that they continue to isolate themselves into a tiny fringe group that watches Glenn Beck, listens to Rush and is ignored by the rest of the non-Fixed News world in the same way that holocaust deniers are today. Whatever the Republican party was, or should be, it's currently lost to all sanity and reason. So, keep it up Foxx and the like... help us to isolate you into your little corner of insanity so the rest of us can live in peace, reality and humanity.
All we can hope for, is that they continue to isolate themselves into a tiny fringe group that watches Glenn Beck, listens to Rush and is ignored by the rest of the non-Fixed News world in the same way that holocaust deniers are today. Whatever the Republican party was, or should be, it's currently lost to all sanity and reason. So, keep it up Foxx and the like... help us to isolate you into your little corner of insanity so the rest of us can live in peace, reality and humanity.
45
A crime is a crime is a crime .. there is no such thing as Hate Crime .. any crime against anyone is a crime .. I agree it's not a HATE CRIME .. but I do agree it was a crime that should have been paid the time just like any murder crime. I do not believe in putting one above the other. If you murder "anyone" for "any reason" it still should have the same punishment. there lies your protection. It's not due to race, color, sex, age .. nothing. On that point you are wrong. On the point it was a crime ... you are right.
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