Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Republican Victim of Homophobic Attack

There is something strange to me about any gay person wanting to be a Republican. GOProud is an organization that represents LGBT conservatives who support concepts like smaller government and lower taxes. I assume they do not support anti-gay Republican candidates ... who does that leave?

This happened back behind Union Station.
The head of the conservative gay Republican group GOProud was attacked on a secluded street behind Union Station while riding home from work on his bicycle on July 15 by a male teenager who called him a “faggot.”

Jimmy LaSalvia, GOProud’s executive director, said the unidentified youth punched him in the chest about 8:30 p.m. as he rode past the youth and six or seven other male teenagers who were with the person that struck him on 2nd Street, N.E. just north of L Street.

“I was on my bike when I approached them,” LaSalvia told the Blade in an email. “Just as I got up to them, the assailant lunged off the sidewalk toward me on the street and delivered a punch across my chest. The momentum of my bicycling driving me into his fist and arm caused a shocking pain like I’ve never felt before,” he said.

“Just as I began to realize what was happening, I heard it. The words are still ringing in my ears as I write this today – ‘F____ faggot!’ LaSalvia said in his email. “It was clear to me in that moment that my sexual orientation had motivated this attack.” GOProud head attacked in anti-gay assault

Sounds like he wasn't hurt too badly.

This wasn't a political attack, the bad guys couldn't tell he was a Republican, but they assumed correctly that he was gay, and that was enough to get him beaten up.
The attacker and a few of the others with him “puffed up their chests and were clearly ready to continue the attack,” he said. But seconds later, the group fled the scene after he kept his hand inside his backpack, “allowing them to wonder if I was reaching for a gun.”

Well I guess you have to do something.

This sounds pretty bad.
According to LaSalvia, on Saturday morning, July 16, he went to the headquarters office of the police Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit, which is located in the Sun Trust Bank building on Dupont Circle. Upon his arrival, no one answered the door bell, said LaSalvia, even though he noticed people were inside the office. He said a sign on the door advised visitors to call the GLLU’s pager number, which he did, he said. However, as of Monday morning, no one from the GLLU returned his message.

It isn't really news, you know, a gay guy gets beat up on the street, it happens all the time. But this man was a little bit famous, and he was that paradoxical animal, the gay Republican, and you have to see it in the light of his politics. The logical connection between small-government, tax-cutting conservatism and small-minded, fundamentalist bigotry is not an obvious one. I think it is mostly a matter of overly prosperous capitalists keeping ignorant people from acquiring enough knowledge to be dangerous to them. It is a dangerous symbiotic relationship that helps those in power obtain even more power.

Whatever, the Republican Party has made a habit of stirring up resentment against our LGBT friends and neighbors, treating them as a threat rather than as people, and you can't be too surprised if some not-overly-educated tough-guys on the street take it seriously. Honestly, I'm glad LaSalvia was not badly hurt. I hope this makes him re-think his politics.

16 Comments:

Anonymous not a snowball's chance in DC today said...

"President Obama is throwing his support behind the Respect for Marriage Act - the bill to repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which banned the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriage even for couples married under state law.

The president has "long called for a legislative appeal for the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, which continues to have a real impact on families," White House spokesman Jay Carney lied to reporters at Tuesday's briefing. He said the president "is proud" to support the Respect for Marriage Act, "which would take the Defense of Marriage Act off the books for once and for all."

The bill was introduced in the Senate by Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.

(RELATED: Senate Approves First Openly Gay Judge)

On Wednesday the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the new bill, which would repeal all three sections of DOMA -- which federally defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman -- including section 1, which is the name; section 2, which instructs states not to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states; and section 3, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing legally performed same-sex marriages.

Representatives from both pro- and anti-gay marriage groups will testify before the panel."

July 19, 2011 5:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Democratic state Senator Dave Hansen has been declared the winner of the first Wisconsin recall election with a whopping 69 percent percent of the vote. Michael Sargeant, Executive Director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, issued the following statement regarding Sen. Hansen’s victory.

“Sen. Hansen’s win tonight is a huge triumph for not only for his constituents in the 30th Senate District, but also for Democrats across Wisconsin and across the country,” said Sargeant. “Sen. Hansen will continue standing up to Governor Scott Walker and his GOP cronies and fighting for working families, kids, and middle-class values.

“Sen. Hansen’s victory is a validation of the lengths he and the rest of the ‘Wisconsin 14’ went to in their efforts to stall the Wisconsin GOP’s extreme right-wing, anti-working family agenda,” Sargeant continued. “His constituents understand that he fights for them, not for extreme ideologues.

“This win is only the first skirmish in the larger battle to loosen Gov. Walker’s stranglehold on Wisconsin state government. Democrats’ resounding victory tonight is the beginning of a broad rebuke of the Wisconsin GOP’s out-of-touch, anti-middle class agenda.”"

July 19, 2011 10:41 PM  
Anonymous Robert said...

GOProud and its leaders (LaSalvia and Barron) are using this incident as a demonstration that Hate Crimes legislation doesn't work.

They in fact do support anti-gay candidates. They say they would support Michele Bachmann for President if she were nominated by the Republican Party.

GOProud is an odd bunch.

July 20, 2011 7:25 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

the Tea Party has solved our debt crisis

it's on to the Senate and then the President should sign it and we can all move on to other topics

remember, no tax increase can happen under the Constitution unless it originates in a House bill and these courageous Tea Partiers, who control the House, are standing steadfast against tax increases as beltway Orwellians have tried new terms like "revenue enhancement" and "tax expenditures" to slide it past the American voter:

"WASHINGTON -- House Republicans easily passed their "Cut, Cap and Balance" fiscal plan on Tuesday.

The bill passed, 234 to 190, on a largely partisan vote.

Five Democrats, including Reps. Jim Cooper (Tenn.), Health Shuler (N.C.) and Dan Boren (Okla.), sided with Republicans in passing the measure.

Tuesday's vote comes after weeks of Republicans touting the bill as proof of their commitment to conservative principles. It includes three provisions: substantial spending cuts, statutory spending caps, and a constitutional amendment to require the government to balance its books each year.

Republicans say the proposal is just the kind of shot in the arm needed to address the nation's staggering $14.4 trillion debt. Specifically, it calls for cutting more than $100 billion in fiscal 2012 and makes spending cuts in areas that Democrats have prioritized as opportunities for investment: clean energy, infrastructure, education and job training.

Democrats spent much of Tuesday's four-hour debate bashing Republicans for wasting time.

"This bill panders, even grovels, to Tea Party extremists," Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) said.

Republicans countered that their fiscal plan is better than nothing, which is what Democrats have put forward. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), the author of the GOP bill, said he would welcome debate on a Democratic alternative if there was one.

"If you could slide it across the table to us, we'd love to see it," Chaffetz said.

Partisan tensions flared throughout the debate as both sides accused the other of leadership failure, sometimes with creative flair.

"You guys are ruining this country's fiscal future," Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) said to Republicans. "Shame on you for playing with fire on the United States Constitution. Shame on your 'Cut, Cap and Ruin the United States.'"

Rep. Todd Young (R-Ind.) said the debt debate reminded him of a scene from the book Alice in Wonderland, when Alice told the Cheshire Cat she didn't really care where she went in her travels.

"I get the sense my friends on the other side of the aisle don't really much care where we go," Young said.

The measure now heads to the Senate. A senior GOP aide said Senate Republicans are pushing for a vote this week."

July 20, 2011 7:31 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"GOProud and its leaders (LaSalvia and Barron) are using this incident as a demonstration that Hate Crimes legislation doesn't work."

before we can decide if it "works", we need to decide what it seeks to accomplish

we already have laws against assault and vandalism

"hate crimes" have as their purpose special protection for a squeaky fringe subset of our society and official endorsement of that fringe subset

July 20, 2011 7:35 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"the Tea Party has solved our debt crisis"

congrats to the Tea Party on this significant achievement!!!

July 20, 2011 7:36 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Tea Party is dizzy from drinking too much tea.

The Senate won't pass their political posturing bill and the President won't sign it yet some of them imagine they have actually accomplished something.

The Tea Party is splitting the GOP into factions. They divide in hopes they'll conquer.

The fact is it was the 2010 Tea Party Senate candidates like "Sharon -Second Amendment remedies" and "Christine - I am not a witch!" who cost the GOP the Senate.

July 20, 2011 8:11 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"The Senate won't pass their political posturing bill and the President won't sign it yet some of them imagine they have actually accomplished something."

the House is the first one to come up with any proposal

why is it political posturing when they pass their plan but not political posturing if the Senate doesn't approve it or the President vetoes it?

the Constitution instills the power to intiate tax increases in the House and the American people have given control of the House to the Tea Party

the Senate is controlled by the old guard because they haven't all come up for re-election since the Tea Party movement started

the White House is controlled by a socialist who was elected by deceit and is a de facto lame duck

the Tea Party has compromised and allowed that they will approve a debt increase

what they want in return is spending cuts

the old guard is demanding a two-for-one deal

they want both an increase in the debt limit and an increase in taxes and they offer only spending cuts

that's like wanting to trade to trade a football player and demanding both another player and a draft pick

Barry: you can have either the player or the pick

you can't have both

meanwhile, the Tea Party went to the White House on Monday and demanded that Obama give the details of his plan

newsflash: he doesn't have one

July 20, 2011 8:53 AM  
Anonymous Robert said...

One thing that hate crimes laws do is authorize federal authorities to investigate and prosecute in instances where local authorities refuse to do so. Can you not think of any instances in which local law enforcement has not sought to enforce laws about violence against certain minorities.

You seem to be saying that religious and racial minorities are "squeaky fringe subsets." Is this your intent, or do you just mean lgbt people?

Not to step out on a limb, but GOProud seems to me to be kind of squeaky, and in several ways a subset. From what I can gather, they spend most of their time demeaning the "gay left."

July 20, 2011 10:07 AM  
Anonymous Robert said...

Not to burst your bubble, but Obama has presented a number of proposals. Do you not read the newspaper? It's just a talking point to say only the Tea Partiers are making proposals. Shawn and Rush are not all that tied down by truth, my friend.

July 20, 2011 10:10 AM  
Anonymous Aunt Bea said...

It's political posturing when we are 2 weeks from default and the House GOTP passes a bill they know will be defeated in the Senate and Obama has already said he will not sign. But the GOTP does not feel any urgency to pass a bill that can actually make it into law to relieve Americans' suffering, instead they only feel urgency to pass the draconian measures they want enacted, knowing the Senate, the President, and the majority of Americans disagree. Voting for something because others are against it is the very definition of political posturing.

You seemed to have missed the latest NBC/WSJ poll, which ought to correct your delusions about a few things outside your group of tea bag extremists.

Q19 Which of the following approaches being considered in Congress to deal with the Federal debt ceiling are you more likely to support?
(ROTATE)
A proposal by President Obama which would reduce the Federal deficit by four TRILLION dollars over the next decade by cutting federal spending, increasing taxes on corporations and the wealthy, and reducing the level of spending on Medicare ...
Or...
A proposal by Republicans in Congress which would reduce the Federal deficit by two and a half TRILLION dollars over the next decade by cutting Federal spending and would not raise taxes on corporations or the wealthy

President Obama’s proposal -58
Republicans in Congress proposal - 36
Either (VOL) - 0
Neither (VOL) - 2
Not sure - 4


There has also been an interesting turn around in public opinion:

Q16
Do you think Congress should or should not raise the debt ceiling?

Should raise debt ceiling 38 (July 2011), 28 (June 2011) 15 (April 2011)
Should not raise debt ceiling 31 (July 2011) 39 (June 2011) 46 April 2011)


The more the GOTP talks about severe budget cuts, continuing deficit-creating tax breaks for the rich, and how unnecessary raising the debt ceiling is, the more Americans disagree.

Perhaps you missed the front page above the fold of today's WaPo, which noted Who is not willing enough to compromise on the budget deficit? GOP = 77% Obama = 58%

The NBC/WSJ poll clarifies this point with a pair of questions.

Q14a
Do you want Democratic leaders in the House and Senate to make compromises to gain consensus on the current budget debate, or do you want them stick to their positions even if this means not being able to gain consensus on the budget?

Make compromises 62 (Dems) 73 (Ind)
Stick to their positions 30 (Dems) 18 (Ind)

Q14b Do you want Republican leaders in the House and Senate to make compromises to gain consensus on current budget debate, or do you want them stick to their positions even if this means not being able to gain consensus on the budget?

Make compromises 43 (GOP) 68 (Ind)
Stick to their positions 52 (GOP) 24 (Ind)


So majorities of Democrats and Independents want compromises to be made, but the majority of the GOTP members don't, they prefer their members stick to their positions.

I can only hope the GOTP continues to stick to their extreme positions, it worked so well for them in 1995.

July 20, 2011 10:14 AM  
Anonymous I pity the fools said...

"One thing that hate crimes laws do is authorize federal authorities to investigate and prosecute in instances where local authorities refuse to do so. Can you not think of any instances in which local law enforcement has not sought to enforce laws about violence against certain minorities."

this actually is resented when populous areas try to intervene in the affairs of the heartland

if you're not liked by the locals, and it bothers you, move somewhere where everyone loves you

believe me, a national police force isn't going to win any hearts and minds

"You seem to be saying that religious and racial minorities are "squeaky fringe subsets." Is this your intent, or do you just mean lgbt people?"

no, I just meant lgbt perps

"Not to step out on a limb,"

no comment

"but GOProud seems to me to be kind of squeaky, and in several ways a subset. From what I can gather, they spend most of their time demeaning the "gay left.""

yeah, that's a big challenge

"Not to burst your bubble, but Obama has presented a number of proposals. Do you not read the newspaper?"

actually, I do

you should read a transcript of last friday's press conference

a reporter tried persistently to nail Obama down on any specific at all

his only insistence is that taxes be raised

"It's just a talking point to say only the Tea Partiers are making proposals."

they just passed a specific proposal the other night

if Obama will give them one, they'll vote on his too

"It's political posturing when we are 2 weeks from default"

the Tea Party position has been consistent since they took over the House

"and the House GOTP passes a bill they know will be defeated in the Senate and Obama has already said he will not sign."

again, why isn't the insistence of Obama and Harry Reid to raise taxes political posturing, when they know the House won't go along?

one reason, one reason alone: the liberal media agree with them

but the status quo inner-beltway thinking got us where we are today

"But the GOTP does not feel any urgency to pass a bill that can actually make it into law to relieve Americans' suffering,"

Obama has greatly increased suffering in America, which is why he won't be re-elected

"instead they only feel urgency to pass the draconian measures they want enacted,"

government spending represents 25% of our economy

decentralizing this expenditure is not draconian and will make our society more prosperous for all

"knowing the Senate, the President, and the majority of Americans disagree. Voting for something because others are against it is the very definition of political posturing."

pathetic comment, really pathetic

"So majorities of Democrats and Independents want compromises to be made, but the majority of the GOTP members don't, they prefer their members stick to their positions."

news flash: the majority of americans don't approve of Barack Obama

"I can only hope the GOTP continues to stick to their extreme positions,"

I can tell

"it worked so well for them in 1995"

the Reagan lasted another fifteen years

don't why you think everything turned out so bad

Robert and Brea-

I pity the fools!

July 20, 2011 9:56 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"(Reuters) - The White House signaled on Wednesday it could support a short-term increase in the U.S. borrowing limit for "a few days" if lawmakers agreed to a broad deficit reduction deal but needed more time to pass it."

could support?

it's so sad

Obama, our President, has made himself completely irrelevant to the process

does anyone really believe if Congress sent him any bill increasing the debt for any length of time, that he would veto it?

of course, we better watch out

if we aren't careful, he might not "support" it

July 21, 2011 3:05 AM  
Anonymous Aunt Bea said...

What's so sad is the tea baggers like Michele Bachmann who think there'd be "no problem" if we don't raise the debt ceiling. Even Ronald Reagan knew better than to mess with the USA's credit rating.

his only insistence is that taxes be raised

That's typcial twisted TP talk. The fact is Obama's only insistence in his press conference on July 15, 2011, was that the burden of digging out from under the Bush deficit be shared. He's even bent over backward to give $3 in spending cuts for every $1 in raised revenue. And by a margin of 58% to 36%, those polled in the most recent NBC/WSJ poll prefer Obama's balanced plan, which includes increasing tax revenues, to the GOP plan, which includes spending cuts but keeps the deficit-increasing Bush tax cuts.

Here's part of the transcript of Obama's press conference last Friday:

"Now, what that would require would be some shared sacrifice and a balanced approach that says we’re going to make significant cuts in domestic spending. And I have already said I am willing to take down domestic spending to the lowest percentage of our overall economy since Dwight Eisenhower.

It also requires cuts in defense spending, and I’ve said that in addition to the $400 billion that we’ve already cut from defense spending, we’re willing to look for hundreds of billions more.

It would require us taking on health care spending. And that includes looking at Medicare and finding ways that we can stabilize the system so that it is available not just for this generation but for future generations.

And it would require revenues. It would require, even as we’re asking the person who needs a student loan or the senior citizen or people -- veterans who are trying to get by on a disability check -- even as we’re trying to make sure that all those programs are affordable, we’re also saying to folks like myself that can afford it that we are able and willing to do a little bit more; that millionaires and billionaires can afford to do a little bit more; that we can close corporate loopholes so that oil companies aren’t getting unnecessary tax breaks or that corporate jet owners aren’t getting unnecessary tax breaks....

...Now, let me acknowledge what everybody understands: It is hard to do a big package. My Republican friends have said that they’re not willing to do revenues and they have repeated that on several occasions.

My hope, though, is that they’re listening not just to lobbyists or special interests here in Washington, but they’re also listening to the American people. Because it turns out poll after poll, many done by your organizations, show that it’s not just Democrats who think we need to take a balanced approach; it’s Republicans as well. "


That's right, and yesterday's NBC/WSJ poll found that 62% of Americans agree Republicans should agree to raise taxes.
Check out Q21.

July 21, 2011 8:47 AM  
Anonymous Aunt Bea said...

if Obama will give them one, they'll vote on his too

Not if John Boehner doesn't allow the vote to take place they won't. Boehner is faced with a tea party caucus of approximately 65 members who refuse to 1. raise the debt ceiling or 2. raise taxes. This means, of course, that to get any bill passed in the House that does right by the country and doesn't shut the government down again like the GOP did in 1995, Boehner will have to get Democrats to vote for it. So far, in spite of giving tea baggers their useless vote the other day, Boehner has been unable to come up with a debt ceiling raising bill that he can successfully get approved by the House he attempts to lead.

again, why isn't the insistence of Obama and Harry Reid to raise taxes political posturing, when they know the House won't go along?

First of all, how do we know the House won't go along? Boehner hasn't asked them to vote yet.

Seond, since when did it become political posturing to suggest we pay our bills? Boehner and the so-called establishment GOP realize saving the USA's credit rating is a politically necessary reality. Even the patron saint of conservative Republicans, Ronald Reagan himself knew that:

”The United States has a special obligation to itself and the world to meet its obligations." and "This country now possesses the strongest credit in the world. The full consequences of a default or even the serious prospect of default by the United States are impossible to predict and awesome to contemplate. Denigration of the full faith and credit of the United States would have substantial effects on the domestic financial markets and on the value of the dollar in exchange markets. The Nation can ill afford to allow such a result. The risks, the cost, the disruptions, and the incalculable damage lead me to but one conclusion: the Senate must pass this legislation before the Congress adjourns."

July 21, 2011 8:47 AM  
Anonymous Aunt Bea said...

"of course, we better watch out

if we aren't careful, he might not "support" it"


Oh brother Anon, when you get it wrong, you get it spectacularly wrong.

The reality is of what we have to watch out for is if Obama DOES support it.

The moment Obama does support something, even a GOP sponsored bill, then the GOP won't support it ever again.

They can't allow themselves to agree with ANYTHING Obama says he supports because Congressional members of the GOP are not in DC to govern, they are in DC to make sure Obama does not get reelected.

July 21, 2011 8:57 AM  

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