Richard Burr's official statement: "I am disappointed in the comments of Congresswoman Foxx in regards to the murder of Matthew Shepard. I find these comments to be inaccurate and insensitive. I hope that as debate continues on this legislation we can focus on the facts and not the emotions associated with it."

Some 300 people called Burr's office yesterday after the NCDP urged North Carolinians to contact the Senator about Foxx's remarks. I'm not sure how Burr is supposed to be responsible for what Foxx says, but good for him for speaking out.

Comments

[Jerimee]

Here is what we sent out:

While debating the bill on the floor Rep. Virginia Foxx (R) stepped over all lines of common decency and said that calling Matthew Shepard's brutal murder a hate crime was a "hoax."

Here is the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWm2zGTZBM0

Matthew Shepard's mother was sitting and listening in the House Gallery as Virginia Foxx embarrassed herself and our state with her outrageous statements.

We ought to let Rep. Foxx know that this cruel political attack is unacceptable. Unfortunately, she isn't responding to calls from her constituents. While she may try to ignore her constituents, there is one constituent she won't be able to ignore: Senator Richard Burr.

Please call Richard Burr at (202) 224-3154 and ask him to tell Virginia Foxx that the crime committed against Matthew Shepard is NOT a hoax.

Once you finish making the call please email me at jrichir@ncdemocraticparty.org to let us know know how Sen. Burr's office responded. Thank you for taking action.

Here is our petition asking Foxx to apologize to Matthew Shepard's mother: http://tinyurl/petfoxx

[Meredith P]

By a Republican Senator speaking out, perhaps the entire US might not get the idea that North Carolina is full of insensitive, ignorant, and hateful hicks. I'm surprised, but pleased that he spoke up.

[Beelzebubba]

Now Burr risks a backlash from the homophobes. I like where this is heading. This is one of the best ego barrier attachment conflicts in weeks. I'd rather watch this stuff unfold than eat when I'm hungry.

If Foxx is dragged by a chain behind a convertible with a rainbow sticker on it, until we see nothing but sparks, maybe then the enlightened apologists for the gender conflicted will move on.something and lay in wait to profile some other idiot who got their job with no merits other than their electibility.

Justice is cynically defined as the redistribution of violence. For some people, redress of a perceived injustice is just what they need to fix their ego to. It's cathartic to strike out and demand punishment, an apology or the resignation of someone who we think has harmed us, our friends or a stranger to whom we have attached a strong ego barrier. We become righteously indignant and demand the State pass a law which divides our egos even more. This is natural, this pursuit of perfect justice. Our songs, literature, and superhero themes are full of it. But it aint gonna happen.

We can only understand nature. We can not control it. The fragmentation will continue until the enlightened apologists understand Foxx, and those who think no recourse is needed, understand the offended. Good luck with that.

[Alan Bulluck]

Why hasn't Kay Hagan said anything? Why does she hate the gays?

[Fred Gregory]

Insectbubba,

You need help, man.

[Beelzebubba]

since kay hagan went godless, she cannot comment on an abomination

[Ishmael]

Foxx should have been hooted off the floor at the time she made her statements. They were ignorant and hurtful, especially with the mother of the victim in the audience.
Beeze,
I know we are collectively bad, but decency is something to strive for even in this imperfect world.

[Beelzebubba]

Ish: we're not bad and the world is the only standard of perfection we have. we attach ourselves to boundaries outside of ourselves which simply aid in the confusion.

This Miltonian psychodrama is the perfect example. A few people have exploited a tragedy to construct their own moral essay. This device is centuries old. A certain kind of energy is needed to consider the philosophic testimony of another. But when we replace inquiry with our own moral certainty in any case involving race, sex, gender identification, religion, or politics, we succumb to using primitive intellectual devices such as ostracism, fear and humiliation to control those who do not share the zeal we have attached to our abstraction of justice.

Foxx was peddling a law and order, drugs are bad policy while the rest of the self-interested in attendance were compelling the mother to wear her son's corpse around her neck. Nothing decent will come of this.

[Ishmael]

I believe the notion that tragedies are opportunities for exploitation is disturbing, not that it doesn't happen, but that after this long that we are still trapped in this cycle.
Maybe, like Milton, it inflates the ego to believe that we can walk around and witness the suffering caused by human frailty and ignorance and by the virtue of our superior intelligence we can remain untouched by these circumstances OR like a religious zealot (which may be one in the same - religious types have no corner on feeling superior) we get to judge those assigned to hell on earth because of their sexual preference or other unfortunate choices, I propose there is no difference in either view. I say this: what good is understanding if we still attach our own prejudice to it?
I don't care how much a gay lifestyle offends, drug use offends, or even thievery offends - there is no reason on God's green earth that Matthew Shephard should have been visciously attacked and left to die alone. If my indignation speaks to a lack of understanding of Ms. Foxx, let it be. It was a hate crime because such brutality speaks of hate - our hate of each other and differences that will always rub each other the wrong way. If there is a standard of justice we have to adhere to, it will be the right to live in this land without fear of holy or intellectual mobs that have deemed us unworthy of consideration.

[Spag]

"By a Republican Senator speaking out, perhaps the entire US might not get the idea that North Carolina is full of insensitive, ignorant, and hateful hicks."

Because we all know that nobody but Republicans in the South ever say anything regrettable or ignorant.