Pam Spaulding

Memphis Cops Caught on Tape Beating Transsexual Prisoner

Our trans brothers and sisters are human beings. How difficult is this concept to grasp for the bigots out there? I'm sick and angered by story after story about grown adults -- in this case a law enforcement officer sworn to serve and protect everyone -- acting like violent brutes out of fear and ignorance. And all the while they are enabled by others who look on and do nothing. Memphis station WMC-TV has the video. You must watch it.

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Republican Revolt

Bob Barr has jumped into the race as a Libertarian candidate. Will this siphon off some of the disaffected Republicans voters who cannot stand McSame, or is this just a blip.

Former Republican Rep. Bob Barr launched a Libertarian Party presidential bid Monday, saying voters are hungry for an alternative to the status quo who would dramatically cut the federal government.

His candidacy throws a wild card into the White House race that many believe could peel away votes from Republican Sen. John McCain given the candidates' similar positions on fiscal policy.

...Barr first must win the Libertarian nomination at the party's national convention that begins May 22. Party officials consider him a front-runner thanks to the national profile he developed as a Georgia congressman from 1995 to 2003.

Barr, 59, quit the Republican Party two years ago, saying he had grown disillusioned with its failure to shrink government and its willingness to scale back civil liberties in fighting terrorism.

The Freepi are alternately seeing this as a good thing or a disaster spoiler situation.

And look at this fun -- McCain is going to have a pain in the posterior as Ron Paul's revolutionaries are plotting a "convention revolt." The GOP convention may be more interesting than expected.

NC Robo-Call Investigation Broadens - NAACP Files Complaint

As I said last Tuesday, "Stop messing with my primary!" and "All I know is that this better not be connected to the Clinton campaign." That was a desperate wish for it to be some right-wing scheme to suppress votes. You just don't want to deal with an internal problem of this nature.

I posted the above statements before it was revealed by Facing South's investigation that the source of the misleading and illegal robo-calls in NC was the progressive DC non-profit Women's Voices Women Vote. It's still not clear what on earth really went on, but WVWV has been on a swift offensive to dispel any suggestion that there was purposeful deception.

Be that as it may, the NC attorney general is investigating, and over the weekend, Sue Sturgis of Facing South reported that the NC NAACP filed a complaint against WVWV.

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Are Misleading Robocalls in NC Voter Suppression?

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper cracked down on the misleading and deceptive robo-calls by WomenÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Voices. Women Vote that implied voters had to wait for and fill out a registration packet before they could vote. He stated that the calls are breaking state law. (Audio of the call here).

What is particularly egregious is that the calls went out after the registration deadline for the presidential primary Ã¢â‚¬â€� and were targeting minority neighborhoods, using a fictitious caller named Ã¢â‚¬Å“Lamont Williams.Ã¢â‚¬Â� In a measure of damage control, a press release landed in my inbox from WVWV in the late afternoon yesterday. A snippet is below the fold.

This is the explanation:

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Not Enough Evidence for Hate Crime Charge in Student Slaying

This is a follow up to a post from last September, "Is the Newark triple murder an anti-gay hate crime?". At the time there was a call to investigate whether the execution-style slaying of Terrance Aeriel, 18, Dashon Harvey, 20, and Iofemi Hightower, 20, was motivated because of the orientation of one or more of the victims.

Leaders in the LGBT community as well as law enforcement have found that the families don't want any part of a perception that their children might have been gay. This is just sad.

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The Post-Substantive Debate

I didn't bother turning on the presidential debate held in Pennsylvania tonight; thank goodness I didn't. Based on the blow-by-blow, the majority of it involved ignoring actual issues -- oh, say Iraq, health care, the economy. Apparently ABC's Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos thought it would inform viewers more about where either candidate would take the country if they dredged up the various bloody political battles/scandals/bloopers of the campaign for deeper analysis.

For those who did watch, did they bring up the latest flap over Hillary's 1995 comments about lunch-bucket Dems (the demo she's cozying up to these days):

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Jay Leno Confuses Homophobia with Humor Yet Again

WTF is wrong with the Tonight Show host? Has he so little creativity that he has to stoop to lame humor like this over and over? Melissa:

Last night, Ryan Phillippe was on The Tonight Show, which gave Jay Leno the opportunity to do one of his favorite things: Laugh at gay men!

Now, Phillippe isn't gay, but he played Billy Douglas on One Life to Live, which was the first out gay teen character on American daytime television-and Phillippe was once naked in a jeans commercial, so that's good enough for Jay. Says Andy (who's got the video): "[T]he first topic Leno brought up was Phillippe's first acting role as a gay teen on One Life to Live. No matter that the role was a serious one in which a gay son came out to his father. Leno had to squeeze as much of a joke out of the fact that his first acting role was a gay part, even asking Phillippe to look into the camera and give his 'gayest look'."

Avenue Q scribe Jeff Whitty actually wrote an infamous missive to Leno to clue him in that the late-night host's homo-humor is, well, not amusing in the least. A snippet is below the fold.

Jeff Whitty in 2006:

I know you know gay people, Mr. Leno. Are they just jokes to you, to be snickered at behind their backs? Despite the angry tenor of my letter, I suspect you're a better man than that. I don't bother writing letters to the "God Hates Fags" people, or Donald Wildmon, or the pope. But I think you can do better. I know it's The Tonight Show, not a White House press conference, but you reach a lot of people.

I caught your show when you had a tired mockery of Brokeback Mountain, involving something about a horse done up in what you consider a "gay" way. Man, that's dated. I turned the television off and felt pretty fucking depressed. And now I understand your gay-baiting jokes have continued.

Yes it has, even after Whitty had a phone chat with Jay and was convinced the TV night owl wasn't a homophobe back in 2006.

The other night Ryan Philippe was so appalled by Jay's lame Brokeback appeal to give his gayest look, that he said "Wow. That is so something I don't want to do."

Pat Buchanan Says Black Americans Should Be Grateful for Years of Oppression and Segregation

While progressives and average Americans who think Barack Obama's speech presented a difficult challenge wring their hands worrying about appearing to be racist if they broach the subject in any significant way, the depth of the problem at hand is clear when we have folks on the right like Pat Buchanan just laying it on the line with this kind of mind-blower.

First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known.

Wright ought to go down on his knees and thank God he is an American.

Second, no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the '60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream.

...We hear the grievances. Where is the gratitude?

Thanks, Pat. We've got the old "lift up" message, all right. How could people like Buchanan listen to the same speech and walk away with this level of vitriol in their heart and purposeful ignorance of history? Our country suffers an incredible sickness when it comes to race relations. The point of Obama's speech is that we all have work to do, and share responsibility in opening up an adult dialog. The above does nothing to advance understanding, and shows no desire to do so either.
I love Dave Neiwert's comment on Pat's "A Brief for Whitey" essay. It's below the fold.

17-Year-Old Killed by Taser Over Shoplifted Hot Pockets

More Taser insanity. The mounting incidents of violence being perpetrated by the inappropriate use of Tasers is unnerving. The stories from readers keep flooding into my inbox.

Here’s one from my state that will turn your stomach (h/t n8nyc and Virginia F.). Darryl Wayne Turner was a cashier and bagged groceries at a local Food Lion. He lifted a couple of Hot Pocket lunches and his mother told him to do the right thing — go back to the store and fess up. Then something went horribly wrong.

A 17-year-old died at Carolinas Medical Center Thursday after a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer shocked him with a Taser during a confrontation at a grocery store in northeast Charlotte.

…Around lunchtime, Turner had come home to eat and told his mom that he had stolen a couple of Hot Pockets from the store. A supervisor planned to get a district manager involved and he feared disciplinary action, she said.

She said she told him to go back to the store and face up to what happened.

It wasn’t long after lunch she got a call from one of her son’s co-workers, who told her about the incident, she said.

After Turner was hit, police called the Charlotte Fire Department and paramedics, department policy anytime an officer uses a Taser gun, the release said.

Homicide detectives are investigating Turner’s death and will present their findings to the district attorney, the news release said.

Turner had no criminal record and no health problems.

Not to be topped, read what happened in the case of a Matteson, IL man, who was on the wrong end of a Taser — he has been acquitted of assaulting an officer.

Read that, and see a video about the use of Tasers in Eugene, Oregon, after the jump.

Florida Couple Busted for Having Sex on Church Altar

I simply don't want to hear any more from the Sally Kerns or Jim Naugles of the world about my ability to destroy civilization when they cannot even keep their own horny, depraved heteroworld in order.
In this story out of Sanderson, Florida, we also learn about an alternative spelling for brassiere. That or the woman was going to toss a few shrimp on the barbie after the holy rolling.

Deputies in Baker County arrested a couple caught having sex in a church. Baker County Sheriff's Deputies say they received a call about a suspicious person outside the Mount Zion Primitive Baptist Church, on the night of March 11th.

..."Her drawers [were] in the stands. Her brazier was over on the outside the stands," Deacon Lonzie Altman recalled from his conversation with deputies.

According to the offense report, deputies found Crystal Rowland, 24, behind the altar. Rowland was taken into custody. She told deputies that Matthew Pearce, 28, was still inside. Deputies found him underneath the church, partially dressed.

Red tea candles were also collected from the church. Deputies say there was splattered red wax all over the altar. "I don't know what has become of the people [that] somebody would just do something like that in a church," said Altman.

...When asked why they decided to have sex inside the church, police say Rowland told them she wanted a "spiritual and sexual experience."

..."Don't think that the lord ain't got something for them," said Altman.

Anti-Gay Lawmaker Predicts a Violent Backlash Against Gays Seeking Civil Rights

My, my, these bigots are getting bold. Oregon recently passed legislation that prohibits housing and employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, but there is a repeal effort under way, and one of the three lawmakers leading the charge is State Senator Gary George (sen.garygeorge@state.or.us).

The local LGBT publication Just Out, managed to snare an interview with George, and he had quite a lot to say about the uppity homos. A snippet.

Just Out: What sort of special rights do you feel that the Oregon Equality Act offers?

George: First off, I thought that was a fabrication of definition, in the sense that you gave special rights, it picks out another group, a lifestyle group, and says hmm, you have all these protections. The main thing that bothered us with the whole bill was the fact that here we go again, adding one more class of people that need to have special rights.

Just Out: What if an employee is fired because of his/her sexual orientation or gender identity? Isn't the Oregon Equality Act in place to guard against such discrimination?

George: As an employer, I don't wanna hear about it. This workplace is for work purposes. My advice to the gay community is SHUT UP, just don't talk about it. If you walk around talking about what you do in the bedroom, you should be on the pervert channel.

Black Reporter Is Attacked by White Family Live on Camera in South Carolina

Sweet jeebus. Racism - what me worry? When are we going to have that sane discussion about race in this country?

In South Carolina, a black reporter was attacked by as she did a stand-up at a crime scene. Another crew was there to film the attack (by members of the suspect's family). Via Huff Post:

Three people upset that a news crew was reporting on the arrest of a relative attacked the television reporter and yelled racial slurs at her and a photographer, authorities said Tuesday.

The family members, all white, began yelling and charged at black WSPA-TV reporter Charmayne Brown while she was standing in the street near the family's home in Union, said news director Alex Bongiorno.

Brown was punched in the head, and black cameraman Ti Barnes was also struck as he tried to pull family members off Brown, Bongiorno said. A video of the attack shows Brown, who wasn't seriously injured, defending herself. "I think she's more affected by the verbal abuse than the physical abuse. She's really shaken up," Bongiorno said.

The fight was taped by a white crew from a second television station. They were not attacked.

Yes, Union, South Carolina. Home of Susan Smith, who strapped her two young children and released her car into a lake, drowning them -- then made up a story blaming a black male carjacker (more here).

Is the Clinton Team Stark Raving Mad?

For the life of me I just don’t understand the thinking inside the Clinton campaign (and insided the heads of surrogates). Strong supporters of Clinton — please clue me in; I don’t know how the following developments make any sense in terms of political strategy that’s helpful to the candidate:

* Bill and Hillary continuing to promote the idea of a Clinton/Obama ticket with her at the top when she’s behind in delegate count;

* Promoting the idea of Obama as VP after spending time and money on ads to convince voters he’s not ready to answer the 3 AM phone call - why would she want someone she’s declared unqualified on the ticket?

* The assertion by Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson that somehow Obama could cross the imaginary 3AM-ready “threshhold” that Hillary has by the convention and thus be qualified for the VP slot.

* And the latest misfire - Geraldine Ferraro, 1984 VP nominee, claiming Obama has only gotten as far as he has because he is black.

If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept.

That one is pretty breathtaking on several levels, considering her selection as VP was most certainly due in part to the fact she is a woman.

In any case, using this particular line of thinking…

* If Clinton were a black man, Hillary would have been told to drop out of the race after losing 11 contests in a row, after all, John Edwards had to get out after losing only 3.

* If Obama were white, as it has already been noted elsewhere, he’d already be the nominee, because it’s pretty clear that while there are blacks voting for him because of his race, there are certain demographic groups who didn’t vote for him because he’s black, and those are the Reagan Democrats that Hillary is chasing.

In any case, since he’s biracial, does that factor into Ferraro’s deluded thinking? What would happen, for instance, if Obama were not visibly identifiable as black (as in, he could pass), but identified as such — does that make any difference in perceived advantage? It’s crazy-making. DHinMI at DKos:

MSNBC to Cancel Tucker Carlson

That's what TVNewser is reporting.

The official announcement, expected tomorrow, will include details about who will replace Tucker at 6pmET as well as other political programming additions. Sources say the network is going to beef up its schedule with more NBC News talent.
In recent days, Jossip, as well as other blogs, ratcheted up the talk that Tucker would be replaced "for a new project." In its 33-month run, Carlson's show has had two names, four time slots and multiple formats.

Alex Blaze of The Bilerico Project is spot-on:

Maybe MSNBC has realized that swinging to the Right to try and shake out Fox News for viewers isn't a winning strategy. Or maybe they realized that at least half their commentators should accept the reality that white men aren't oppressed. Or maybe they think that people don't want to watch a bully wannabe talk about his fun days of beating up fags. Or maybe they got tired of his history of abusing the rules of logic, evidence, and reality.

Or how about this gem, questioning Barack Obama's masculinity for having a book club:

...Carlson recently referred to Obama's "rhetoric" as "kind of wimpy" and said that Obama "seems like kind of a wuss." Carlson also said that Obama "sounds like a pothead."

GOP Rep Shamelessly Attempts to Link Obama with Al Qaeda

"The radical Islamists, the al-Qaida ... would be dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on Sept. 11 because they would declare victory in this war on terror."

-- Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa 5th), basing his prediction of a possible Obama presidency on the Illinois senator's pledge to pull troops out of Iraq, his Kenyan heritage and his middle name, Hussein.

King, who is up for re-election in a conservative district, said in the next breath that his comments were not meant to demean Obama. I wonder if McCain thinks this is how his supporters on the Hill should campaign on his behalf.

In what cannot be a surprise to Blenders, this is on King's web site:

I support marriage between one man and one woman. Marriage is the building block of the family, of community and of society. I do not support allowing special legal rights based on sexual orientation. I believe the traditional American family, together with conservative values, forms the bedrock of our free society. States should not be forced to recognize the same-sex marriages of other states. I am the original co-sponsor of a Constitutional amendment to defend the definition of marriage as the union between a man and a woman.

AlterNet is a nonprofit organization and does not make political endorsements. The opinions expressed by its writers are their own.

Openly Gay Black Politicians Take On Anti-Gay Black Clergy

Cambridge, Massachusetts may be light years ahead of many other places around the country regarding electing openly gay officials, but Mayor Denise Simmons, the country's first openly lesbian black mayor and City Councilor Ken Reeves, the first openly gay black mayor, received a rude political awakening from the homophobic elements of the religious black community. They addressed it in a talk to students at Harvard. (Cambridge Chronicle):

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Baptist Church Nixes Family Photos Rather Than Include Gays

This is an interesting article in the Dallas Morning News. Given how dicey it is these days to be an LGBT-welcoming Baptist church, expect continued struggles such as the one Broadway Baptist Church faces. The church according to the article, was known to be inclusive of gays and moderate in its views (including women in leadership roles), but it hit a wall of tolerance when it planned to publish its church directory for its 125th anniversary with photos of members and their families

There was discord and disagreement as to how to treat its gay parishioners and their families, since all people would be identified in the publication. What did church members decide constituted a compromise?

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Secret Service Responds to Charges of Lax Gun Checks at Obama Rally in Dallas

(UPDATE: Jack Douglas of the Star-Telegram has a follow up to his original story. Readers have flooded the comments of the original article with stories of equally lax security at other events -- I've included some below the fold.)

It takes a lot to get the Secret Service to respond. Based on this statement, someone is not telling the truth, as the USSS challenges the veracity of the Dallas law enforcement's observations reported in the Star-Telegram. Is this a satisfactory explanation? (UPI):

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Hypocritical GOP Perv Has Child Porn-Laced Computers Seized from His Home

Robert A. McKee, who is a Republican delegate from Western Maryland as well as a former chaplain for the Hagerstown Jaycees and trustee and community services chairman at First Christian Church, had two computers, videotapes and printed materials from his home in Hagerstown by authorities conducting an investigation into child pornography.

In what can only be described as familiar hypocrisy of epic disgusting proportions, McKee was the sponsor of legislation to protect minors from sexual predators, and placed himself in professional situations involving child welfare. (WaPo):

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McCain-Backed Bigots Seek Second Marriage Amendment Vote

"I believe that the institution of marriage should be reserved for the union of one man and one woman, said Sen. McCain. The Protect Marriage Arizona Amendment would allow the people of Arizona to decide on the definition of marriage in our state. I wholeheartedly support the Protect Marriage Arizona Amendment and I hope that the voters in Arizona choose to support it as well."

In the only state that fundies managed to put a marriage amendment on the ballot only to see it go down in defeat, John McCain's state of Arizona has a bunch of homobigots ready to try again to enshrine discrimination in its constitution because, apparently, the voters were snookered the first time. (AZ Star):

Unable to persuade voters to ban gay marriage, civil unions and domestic-partner benefits in 2006, proponents are reloading and taking aim at a smaller target.

A proposed amendment to the Arizona Constitution, filed Monday by Senate President Tim Bee, seeks to ask voters to spell out in the constitution that "only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as marriage in this state." Bee, R-Tucson, managed to get 15 of the 16 other GOP senators to sign on as sponsors.

An identical measure is being pushed in the House by Speaker Jim Weiers of Phoenix, who got all but two of his Republican colleagues to be co-sponsors.

...Cathi Herrod, president of the Center for Arizona Policy, which helped craft the 2006 measure, acknowledged that the new version is far less sweeping than the initiative. But she said the decision was made to pursue what is politically possible. "This is about where we agree, about bringing Arizonans together on an agreement on a definition of marriage," Herrod said.

Would this watered down version get the thumbs up from the voters? In 2005, a survey found that 54% of Arizonans would support an amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. That support dropped dramatically when a ban on civil unions or DP benefits was part of the measure (33%). Has enough changed in those three years to turn back such an initiative?

Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, a Phoenix Democrat who was one of the leaders of the opposition to the 2006 initiative, all but conceded the point during the campaign, saying that if the measure had been limited to just banning same-sex marriage, it likely would have passed.

Right Wing Evangelist Dobson Endorses Huck

Well damn, Dobson, there's no one left with any fundie cred in the clown car (save Alan Keyes). Guess he finally had to break down and do something. Folks, this pretty much signals that Dobson wants Huck on the ticket. Will McCain kneel before Daddy D?

James Dobson, one of the nation's most prominent evangelical Christian leaders, is about to endorse former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, The Associated Press has learned.

Dobson, founder of Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Focus on the Family, talked to the GOP presidential hopeful Thursday and later was to release a statement explaining his choice, said Gary Schneeberger, a spokesman for Dobson.

Huckabee had long sought Dobson's endorsement, believing he is the best fit to advance Dobson's conservative, moral worldview.

...Dobson released a statement Tuesday that criticized McCain for his support of embryonic stem cell research, his opposition to a federal anti-gay marriage amendment and for his temper and use of foul language. He said if McCain were the nominee, he would not cast a ballot for president for the first time in his life.

FEMA Covered Up Cancer Risk in its Toxic Katrina Trailers

Surprised? I didn't think so. At this point, there's nothing left to shock when it comes to the handling of post-Katrina matters involving FEMA.

[D]ocuments obtained by Salon show that FEMA also pressured scientists to water down a report on the health risks of formaldehyde. FEMA officials instructed the scientists to omit any references to cancer or other long-term health risks from exposure to formaldehyde in FEMA trailers.

In a scathing letter sent today to Dr. Howard Frumkin, chief of the National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Reps. Brad Miller, chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee's Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, and Nick Lampson, chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, wrote, "you appear to have been complicit in giving FEMA precisely what they wanted ... However what FEMA wanted and what you approved giving them was not the whole truth regarding formaldehyde. It was not based on 'best science,' nor did it provide 'trusted health information' to the Katrina survivors." FEMA and ATSDR officials are expected to testify Tuesday before the House Committee on Homeland Security, which is also investigating the matter.

After Hurricane Katrina, FEMA placed tens of thousands of displaced families in travel trailers, more than 40,000 of which are still in use. Almost immediately, hundreds of families called FEMA to complain of illnesses, from breathing difficulties, bloody noses and rashes to more serious problems, and even deaths, possibly connected to high levels of formaldehyde gas permeating the trailers. Formaldehyde is a nearly colorless gas with a pungent, irritating odor even at low levels. It is used in many products and manufacturing procedures, notably as an adhesive in plywood used to make trailers. Health reports reveal that exposure to formaldehyde can impact fertility and the developing fetus, leading to spontaneous abortion or physical malformations.

College Republican Busted on Sex Offender Charges

And he used to work for Mitt. I'm sure the former Massachusetts governor is breathing a sigh of relief.

A former aide to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney who also played a leadership role in Iowa's College Republicans was arrested by Des Moines-area police earlier in the week on outstanding warrants related to his status as a convicted sex offender.

Matthew Joseph Elliott, aged 26, and identified in numerous accounts as Matt Elliott, was arrested on Jan. 21 for outstanding warrants relating to his registered sex offender status, according to the <Polk County government website. TheIowa registry of sex offenders also shows that he was convicted of exploiting a minor and given a "low" risk assessment.

Take a look at another Young Republican of high morals, and a video of the College Republican National Convention below the fold.

Former National Young Republican Chairman, Glenn Murphy is part of this family values club. He's the guy arrested for sexually assaulting a sleeping man, performing oral sex on him (image of police report here). Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC10) supported him for the National Young Republican Chairmanship.

Here's the generation that will not sacrifice a damn thing in Dear Leader's Big Military Misadventures -- they want to let the poor do the fighting. These College Republicans have important work to do on the home front. Listen to all of the lame excuses why they just can't serve (but they would if they could, you know).

Former National Young Republican Chairman, Glenn Murphy is part of this family values club. He's the guy arrested for sexually assaulting a sleeping man, performing oral sex on him (image of police report here). Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC10) supported him for the National Young Republican Chairmanship.

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