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kalikshama -> RE: Jay Townsend, GOP Spokesman: 'Let's Hurl Some Acid At Those Female Democratic Senators' (6/2/2012 9:41:04 AM)
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quote:
And where in the world do people routinely hurl acid at women - in the Islamic theocracies.
An Afghan women after an acid attack.
[image]http://nyaltnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/acidattack.jpg[/image]
Becker insists Hayworth fire "acid attack" surrogate
One of the three Democratic candidates running against Republican incumbent Nan Hayworth for NY’s 18th Congressional District seat is demanding that the Republican Representative fire her campaign spokesperson, who threatened to “hurl some acid” on female Democratic senators.
Congressional candidate Dr. Richard Becker demanded that Hayworth announce whether she plans to fire Jay Townsend in light of his despicable Facebook comments made the behalf of her campaign. Acid attacks have notoriously been used to terrorize and punish women by fundamental Muslims in Middle East countries.
Becker also notes that Townsend’s comments may have violated a Federal law (18 USC 115). The statute prohibits anyone from threatening “to assault, kidnap, or murder, a United States official… with intent to impede, intimidate, or interfere with such official.” Relevant case law also makes clear that violating this law “does not require that an actual subjective intent to carry out the threat be present.”
“Does Nan Hayworth want Jay Townsend to be the public face of her campaign? Because to me, this is clear cut: Jay’s rhetoric is indefensible,” said Becker. “It’s just mind boggling that a Congressional spokesman would use this kind of incendiary and downright offensive language and equally shocking that his boss would not instantly fire him for doing so. The specific choice of words here is also particularly sickening. Acid attacks on women have a disturbing and disgusting history – they’re used almost exclusively to silence and punish women across the globe who’ve bravely spoken out on behalf of their human rights.”
“With every minute ‘No Comment’ Nan refuses to take a stand, she takes on responsibility for Jay’s hateful and hurtful remarks. Nan has a history of trying to duck tough issues – from her financial ties to embattled Rep. Michael Grimm to Rush Limbaugh’s hate speech – but she is out of excuses for further delay here. Refusing to take a stand now and fire Townsend would permanently mark Nan as unfit to hold public office and unworthy of the public’s trust.”
“Threats to physically harm elected officials for disagreeing with you are specifically banned by federal law for a very good reason; they’re just never acceptable, and are particularly corrosive in a democracy. The fact that these comments are likely illegal only highlights how far out of bounds they were – and how absurd it is that Jay Townsend is, as of this moment, still Nan Hayworth’s official spokesman. Words have power, words this symbolic especially so. Last January, the US Congress saw some of the ugly and real – even if unintended – consequences of calls for political violence. I would have hoped Nan Hayworth learned the same lessons from that tragedy that the rest of us did.”
None of the other Democratic candidates for the district has provided a press release regarding Townsend’s remarks to NYaltnews at time of publication.
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