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Hate Crimes bill passes the house handily [message #57246]

Thu, 30 April 2009 11:14

CarolynnL

Messages: 1817
Registered: October 2007
Location: Central Time Zone

Senior Member

Keith Olbermann (MSNBC News) shredded a North Carolina Republican for comments on the floor of the house about the Mathew Shepard hate crime bill. Which later passed in spite of the conservative republican opposition.

On "Countdown," his political news/analysis/commentary show on MSNBC last night, Keith Olbermann used his "Worst Persons In The World" segment to highlight (not to mention rip, tear and shred) a Congressional critic of the Matthew Shepard anti-hate-crimes bill that was later passed in yesterday's session.

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, Republican from North Carolina, representing NC's 5th district, Winston-Salem, stood on the floor, with Matthew Shepard's mother sitting in the gallery, and called the story of the Shepard killing a hoax, insisting the death had nothing to do with the young man being gay, and certainly no justification for a hate-crimes bill.

Olbermann's absolute denunciation of Foxx is a treat to behold. Just for starters, he called it, "The most despicable thing said on the floor of the House in decades." It was one of the strongest unequivocal, unapologetic arguments I've ever heard from a straight, mainstream media figure on behalf of gay people. It comes about 2:40 into the segment below (after the few seconds of commercial:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#30488035

The bill passed the house, now on to the Senate. Some people think it will not make it through there, but others think it will. HRC is taking credit, of course.

[Updated on: Thu, 30 April 2009 11:17]

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