GOP Senate Candidate Joins Pro-Bully Caucus

This blog has noted many times that far right Christians and their political whores in the Republican Party literally have blood on their hands for the needless anti-gay bullying related deaths they help cause. What's worse yet, is most aren't remotely apologetic and either try to blame the victims or brush off unrelenting cruelty as no big deal - little more than "teasing." Never mind that such "teasing" often includes horrible denigration or, in the case of 14-year-old Kenneth Weishuhn who took his own life last weekend, out right death threats. One would think that anyone with a shred of common decency, not to mention even a tiny bit of compassion for others would reject such vicious bullying and work to ban it entirely from society. But not Heather Wilson, a Republican running for U.S. Senate in New Mexico. Wilson opposes Senator Al Franken's SB 555 (the Student Non-Discrimination Act) which would grant LGBT students civil rights protections against bullying along the lines already in place based on students' race and gender. Wilson claims the Act would violate students’ free speech rights and criminalize “teasing.” I imagine that Wilson would sing a different tune if Christianist students were being "teased" form being knuckle dragging Neanderthals and bigots by other students exercising the "free speech rights." The far right always want special rights fro themselves even as they ride rough shod over the rights of everyone else. Think Progress looks at Wilson disingenuous lies and bigotry. Here are highlights:

State and federal lawmakers have responded to the wave of school anti-gay bullying and the suicides that they contribute to by introducing legislation prohibiting schools from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Conservative Republicans oppose such efforts and have characterized anti-bullying legislation as an infringement of religious freedoms and free speech.

Heather Wilson, a Republican running for U.S. Senate in New Mexico, joined the so-called pro-bullying chorus when she staked out her opposition to SB 555, the Student Non-Discrimination Act. . . . . Wilson argued that the bill would violate students’ free speech rights and criminalize “teasing”:

WILSON: I mean if somebody gets bullied for having, gosh a low voice — that’s never happened to me. … But I think one of the things why I don’t support the act is because I think it’s misplaced. They are things I’m willing to tolerate that I’m not willing to approve.

With respect to this particular agenda we have to recognize as parents that children tease each other because you’re short or you’re tall or you’re a redhead or because you’re ugly or because you’re smart or because you’re dumb or all kinds of differences and as parents we have to deal with that and strengthen our children to be comfortable with themselves and also to show empathy and acceptance towards others, but that particular act is so broad it would actually punish children and say that it’s prohibited to express an opinion with respect to homosexuality in the schools. I just think that’s wrong and it’s a violation of the First Amendment.

I'm sorry Ms. Wilson, but you are a lying, hateful douche bag - and that's being kind. Needless to say, I hope Ms. Wilson goes down to defeat. We do NOT need such bigots in the U.S. Senate.