Saturday, May 2, 2009

Foxx' Fallout

In light of Rep. Foxx calling the murder of Matthew Shepard because he was gay a "hoax," public outcry has been strong, amplified, and fierce. As a result, Foxx offered an (non-)apology, saying that the word "hoax" was a poor choice of words. The issue, however, isn't about sematics, it's about grossly misinterpreting history to suit a political agenda, belittling the tragic murder of a human being. As such, Matthew Shepard's mother, who was sitting in the gallery during Foxx' comments, rejected Foxx' apology. Foxx has since (non-)apologized again, also with the poor-choice-of-words defense.

Today, the Winston-Salem Journal offered their thoughts on the issue (and Foxx' comparison of the health hazards of tobacco to Mountain Dew), using an April Fool's Day joke analogy. Money quote:
The evidence that Shepard's homosexuality played a large role in his murder by Aaron James McKinney and Russell Arthur Henderson came out in the courtroom -- including through McKinney's own testimony, as Politico.com noted -- and was reported by numerous reliable news organizations. Shepard was robbed, but the hate-crime aspect can't be denied.

There is plenty of room to argue the pros and cons of hate-crime legislation, but responsibility and truth should be the guide, not recklessness and dishonesty.
[...]
Indeed. April Fool's Month is over.
The Journal has never had a great relationship with Foxx, historically offering loud and vocal critiques of Foxx' numerous mental lapses. As such, I wish the Journal's criticism would have been more pronounced, less gimicky, but I'll still take it.

3 comments:

Goof said...

"Mental lapse"? There's an old saying that I think fits better: "In the war of wits, she comes unarmed."

A Faithful Reader said...

The point is well given, it is not the important point here which side of the debate on "Hate Crime Legislation" one finds themselves upon. What is important to note is that Representative Foxx continues down the path of non-apology and untruth. It is horrible that she lied on the floor of the House, but to then fail in the task of correcting the record and offering an apology is outside the box of all conceivable behaviors for a lawmaker. One must conclude that Representative Foxx takes pride in horrible behaviors, and has much to be proud of.

"If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal."
1 Corintians 13:1

Darren Staley said...

As you know Drew, the W-S Journal sells a lot of papers in the red areas of the district. So they tend to ride the fence as much as possible on the most controversial issues.