CONGRESSWOMAN FOXX TRYS TO PLAY THE SYMPATHY CARD

Caught in her own web of lies, Republican Congresswoman Virginia Foxx of North Carolina is now trying to portray herself as a "victim" by claiming that she's receiving death threats because of the disgusting Matthew Shepard murder comments she made in front of congress, the world and Matthew's own mother.

Her comments were so off-base and reprehensible that it prompted Keith Olbermann to label her the "World's Worst Person" during his Wednesday broadcast. That video is at the end of yesterday's posting and can be found at the link above.

The problem with Foxx's death threat claims is that they're apparently another total lie. According to a Washington Post story by Mary Ann Akers (aka the Sleuth) that was published yesterday;

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.

Foxx somewhat retracted her comments about Shepard later yesterday, after gay-rights groups and Democratic lawmakers denounced her revisionist history. (The two men who killed Shepard were convicted after multiple witnesses testified the killers were motivated by anti-gay bias.)

This is apparently the tactic du jour for corrupt politicians. Remember Oklahoma State Rep. Sally Kern who said that homosexuality is a bigger threat to this country than terrorists? In the maelstrom that ensued, she too tried to claim death threats to gain public sympathy.

Here in Arizona, we're all too familiar with this kind of sympathy play. Every time the corrupt and moralless Sheriff Joe Arpaio is caught in a lie, his first line of defense is to claim "death threats."

In case you don't know who Arpaio is (referred to by many here as "Joke Arpaio"), consider that his modus operandi has been repeatedly challenged by no less than Amnesty International, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Arizona Ecumenical Council, the American Jewish Committee, and the Arizona chapter of the Anti-Defamation League.

He is also currently under federal investigation for racial profiling in connection with a series of headline grabbing and questionably legal/illegal raids and community "sweeps" supposedly looking for criminals but targeting hispanic communities and businesses that employ hispanics. These operations usually resulted in hundreds of blanket arrests of almost exclusively hispanic individuals who were deemed "illegal immigrants" on the spot and taken to jail even though many were able to prove citizenship or legal status.

In Arizona, illegal immigration is, as I'm sure you can imagine, a very divisive and heated issue that Arpaio has been able to use to his advantage over and over again. Hopefully, this time the feds investigation will be able to come up with enough evidence to not only put a stop to these shameless practices but put an end to Arpaio's career as well.

Why these people keep getting reelected when they're so obviously corrupt and completely devoid of any kind of compassion or morality is a very disturbing reality of politics.

I'm hoping that the new direction and new sense of positive community activism that's taking hold in this country continues to grow. It's really the only thing that can stop the downward spiral we find ourselves in now.

I personally think it will.

ACTION ALERT FOR HATE CRIMES LAW

With hate crimes against gays, lesbians and transgenders rising at alarming rates across the country, it's more important than ever to get the federal hate crimes law (the Matthew Shepard Act) passed - NOW.

This morning I received an email from Joe Solmonese, the President of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), asking for immediate help in getting this legislation, which is up for a vote next week, passed once and for all.

According to Solmonese,

This week, the right-wing Traditional Values Coalition blanketed Congress with a "fact sheet" saying the Matthew Shepard Act would protect "bizarre sexual orientations" like bestiality and necrophilia.

Once again, facts have nothing to do with it. Dozens of states have hate crime laws, and none get into this nonsense.

But these arguments can make members of Congress uneasy about voting for the bill – and we've heard repeatedly that right-wing groups have been FLOODING Congress with calls.

Please take just a minute (or less) and call your Representative's Office. If you don't know who that is or what number to call, click here for help in finding that out. Just fill in the state and your zip code and the name and contact information (w/phone numbers) will come up.

When you call, just tell the staff member answering the phone where you're calling from, and that you'd like to urge your Representative to work hard to pass the Matthew Shepard Act next week. If you choose, you can also add:

•Hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are on the rise. One out of every six hate crimes is because of the victim's sexual orientation.

•Hate crimes have more than one victim. They are intended to create an atmosphere of fear and terrorize entire communities.

•The Matthew Shepard Act targets only violent acts – not speech. It does not tell any clergy member what he or she can or can't preach.

Solmonese is also requesting that after you hang up, please let them know that you made the call. That will help HRC track how many members of Congress have been reached.

UPDATE...

According to Lez Get Real, the Matthew Shepard Act (HR 1913) was approved by the House Judiciary Committee yesterday (Thursday, 4/23/09) by a vote of 15-12. It will now move to the House floor for a vote expected to take place sometime next week.

If you haven't already, please email or call your representative and urge them to vote for this legislation when it does come up for a vote. See above for instructions.