Virginia Foxx Sends Apology Letter To Matthew Shephard's Mother

[babylonsister]

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/may/06/foxx-sends-note-of-apology-to-gay-mans-mother/news/

snip//

In an interview with WXII-TV, Foxx said she was "speaking off the cuff, and I just simply chose a poor word." She said she is sorry she used the wrong word and expects that "people will accept that."

The Matthew Shepard Act passed the House 249-175. Foxx voted against the bill.

She told WXII that she sent a handwritten note to Judy Shepard, Shepard's mother, saying that "if I said anything that offended her, I certainly apologize for it and know that she's hurting, and I would never do anything to add to that."

The Matthew Shepard Foundation confirmed that Judy Shepard received Foxx's note, but offered no comment on it.

"We are not commenting any further on Rep. Foxx's remarks on the House floor, or anything that was contained in a letter," Logan Shepard, the foundation's communications associate, wrote in an e-mail. "Everything that has been said already, is enough. We are trying to focus on the positive, which is, that the (hate-crimes bill) has been passed onto the Senate. We are looking to the future and our energy will be focused on putting the Matthew Shepard Act onto the President's desk."

Foxx declined to say in the WXII interview whether she now considers Shepard's death a hate crime.

Foxx's apology "shows that she doesn't necessarily understand what it was that she said wrong," said Becky Dansky of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "It wasn't just her word choice, it was the sentiment she expressed. It was incredibly disrespectful, not just to the mother of Matthew Shepard but to the thousands of other hate-crime victims out there."

Dansky said that the backlash Foxx received for her comments may show "just how affected so many people were by those words and how important this legislation is to so many people."

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

1. Any apology with the word "if" in it is not a real apology. nt

[babylonsister]

7. I hear you. She felt pressured to send it, I'm sure. There's no

indication of any remorse. I'm not surprised.

[bullwinkle428]

11. EXACTLY. She's just continuing to dig the hole deeper.

[BlueIris]

21. Yep. Right up there with the "I'm sorry...THAT YOU FEEL THAT WAY" non-apology.

Both are asshole classics.

[BonnieJW]

23. But it was HAND WRITTEN and everything!!!

I wish Mrs. Sheppard would sue her for liabel, claiming that Matthew was participating in a robbery.

[Gormy Cuss]

27. Sure it is. It's a Republican apology.

What a weasel.

[Arkansas Granny]

29. Exactly. It just shows that she still doesn't know or won't acknowledge

that her statements were hurtful and offensive.

[seabeyond]

2. does she begin.... IF you are offended?????? n/t

[Vickers]

3. "if I said anything that offended her"

:wtf:

Dumb fucking non-apology jackass.

[Dappleganger]

6. I hate that phrase...

it's obvious she DID say something which offended her and a lot of other people. We don't let our own kids apologize that way either--it's not a real apology. It's easier to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission.

[Faygo Kid]

17. I hate that insincere BS. Awful. No apology at all.

In other words, "If you were offended, I'm sorry you're such a dumb fuck, but I take no responsibility for my comments."

Typical Repuke. It's all they know.

[lazer47]

4. If she had to write a check for a Mil. or 2, then she would really be sorry

[abluelady]

9. A Lawsuit Might Help.

Mrs. Fox is a (another) disgrace in congress. Her kind of talk will go on consistently because nothing is ever done. People like her only react when their pocketbook is affected.

[lazer47]

12. Exaztamundo

[sarcasmo]

28. Fonz, How is Ritchie and the gang?

[firedupdem]

5. She could have kept that. How do you say you are apologizing

and include the words "If I said anything that offended her,..." What a nasty human being.

[riderinthestorm]

8. So she's sorry for the word "hoax" only but not her despicable attitude. Got it.

If she really wanted to "not add" to Mrs. Shepard's pain, she could begin to get a fucking grip on the issue and instead of urging all of us to just "accept" her mind-set, perhaps she could spend one tiny bit of time actually demonstrating some research into this terrible problem.

Frankly, instead of this non-apology, I do believe Mrs. Shepard would far rather see Congresswoman Foxx actually spend some time understanding hate crimes. THAT would be a far better demonstration of REAL remorse.

[HillWilliam]

22. She's not even sorry for that

As a typical neoKKKon, she's only sorry she got called out. That's all.

I'll tell you what gives me the shudders. Foxx was the better of the two original choices posited in 2004. Her opponent, Vermin, er, ah, Vernon Robinson is even crazier and nastier. Robinson is an even nuttier nutbar answer to Alan Keyes.

Nasty. Just plainole nassssssssty.

[derby378]

10. So which Democrat is running against Virginia Foxx in 2010?

That's what I want to know...

[supernova]

13. She really doesn't understand

that the *content* of what she said was wrong.

Saddening and maddening. :-(

[SidDithers]

14. I hate apologies that say "I'm sorry if you were offended"...

that no fucking apology at all.

Sid

[gratuitous]

15. Standard issue non-apology apology

"Well, okay, if you were offended by my incredibly stupid, hurtful and uninformed comments, you thin-skinned little offense whore, then, yeah, I 'apologize'. I knew exactly what I was saying then, and I know exactly what I'm saying now."

[Orsino]

16. Did she get around to identifying the wrong word--or the right one?

Since she is not willing to recant and say "not a hoax," I presume this was a quiet attempt to make the controversy go away while maintaining her ignorant, bigoted stance for her base.

[myrna minx]

18. That is no apology. "If"?!

What a disgusting person.

[Hepburn]

19. Dear Virginia:

If you really, really wish to evidence your sincerity ~~ resign.

JMHO

[Lex]

20. ""if I said anything that offended"

Screw you, you repuke POS.

[lame54]

24. that's her 3rd non-apology

[shadowknows69]

25. I hope she wiped her ass with it and mailed it back to her

[varkam]

26. Great non-apology apology, Ms. Foxx.

Poor choice of words? Soo...am I to think that you just wished you had espoused your hatred, bigotry, intolerance, and callousness with a bit more deft?

See - she's not sorry for the opinion that she expressed, merely the words that she used to express them. Want to know what I expect, Ms. Foxx? I expect that, if there's any decent damn bone in your body, you're going to tender your resignation.