Tracy Thorne-Begland | AP Photo
. . . And they’re responding!
Note from Dan: It appears Virginia lawmakers are taking some heat for their vote to deny Tracy Thorn-Begland a judgeship in General District Court. Below is a note from Ann Huebner of Lexington, in which she has forwarded to me copies of critical emails sent to state lawmakers by constituents, and the responses from the lawmakers. One thing that’s clear from them is there are form letters flying on both sides of this one. Cline indeed told me that his decision to vote against the nomination was influenced by listening to objections on the House floor raised by ex-military officers. If you’d like to give your lawmakers your opinion, you can find their email addresses here.
Hi Dan,
It’s me again. You let me guest blog about [Del. Ben] Cline and the anti-shackling bill a couple of months back.
I’ve been following what you have been writing about Tracy Thorne-Begland’s disgraceful treatment. You wrote that you spoke to Cline after the vote and he told you he made his decision on the House floor. Did you see what he told WTVR? According to them Cline “admitted that he called other lawmakers, including Delegate Jackson Miller (R-Manassas) not to vote for Thorne-Begland. Miller ended up not voting at all.” That doesn’t sound like he made up his mind on the House floor.
My guess is he misplayed his hand–that he thought the electorate would go along with Bob Marshall’s and Family Foundation’s outrageous homophobia and is now scrambling for another reason to justify his vote, trying to keep multiple stories straight, etc.
He is certainly starting to sound rattled (so is Del. Greason). Look what how rudely he responded to my friend (btw, Del. Greason’s aggressive, sanctimonious & personal response is, in fact, boilerplate; another friend got the same one) .
Have a great day,
Ann Huebner
LEXINGTON
———————-
From: ProgressVA On Behalf Of Elizabeth Boylan
Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 3:15 PM
To: Del. Tag Greason
Subject: Intolerance has no place in the Virginia House of Delegates
May 15, 2012
Delegate Thomas Greason
General Assembly Building, Room 513
910 Capitol Square
Richmond, VA 23218
Dear Virginia Legislator, Delegate Greason,
Your vote to reject the judicial nomination of Tracy Thorne-Begland based on his sexual orientation is shameful and a stain on the reputation of our Commonwealth. A 20 year veteran of the US Navy and a top prosecutor in Richmond, Thorne-Begland is eminently qualified to sit on the Virginia bench. All residents of our Commonwealth should be treated fairly and equally. Intolerance has no place in the Virginia House of Delegates.
I already tweeted Delegate Ben Cline on this but am adding my name here too. His Facebook page is closed to comments so it makes it difficult to have a voice to my representative.
Signed,
Ms. Elizabeth Boylan
————————
From: Delegate Tag Greason
To: Elizabeth Boylan
Subject: Re: Intolerance has no place in the Virginia House of Delegates
Elizabeth,
Your email is offensive and way off base. You don’t know me and have no idea why I voted the way I did.
As graduate of the United States Military Academy, a former Officer in the United States Army and Virginia National Guard, I take seriously the oath that all military officers take. In many regards you give up your First Amendment Rights, as you have sworn to become a part of something bigger than yourself….the defense of our Nation.
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, so help me God.”
Additionally, an Officer…
“Cannot participate in any radio, television, or other program or group discussion as an advocate for or against a partisan political party, candidate, or cause.”
In 1994, Mr. Thorne announced to the Nation that he was a gay man serving in the military under President Clinton’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. In doing so, he broke the oath that he willingly took. No one forced Mr. Thorne-Begland to join the Military…he did that willingly as well. His announcement, however, put his personal beliefs above that oath, and violated the United Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). He felt that publically advocated for a “cause” that he believed in deeply was more important than that oath he took and the Code of Justice he swore to live by.
I do not begrudge Mr. Thorne-Begland’s passion and his willingness to stand up for what he believes in. I actually find it honorable. But in my opinion, he should have re-signed from the military and focused on his advocacy in a way that would not directly under mind the policies of the United States Military.
I can assure you one thing: my vote against Mr. Thorne-Begland was NOT based on sexual orientation. It had NOTHING to do with that and that thought never even entered my mind. My concern with Mr. Thorne-Begland strictly relates to judgment and he showed poor judgment while in the Military.
How can I be sure that he will not show poor judgment while on the Bench when he is faced with a “cause” that he feels is more important than the law he has sworn to uphold?
Sincerely,
Tag
————————
From: Elizabeth Boylan
To: DelTGreason@house.virginia.gov
Dear Delegate Greason,
If I misunderstood your rationale behind your recent vote on Mr. Thorne-Begland, then I am in the company of the website, ThinkProgress.org, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Richmond Times Dispatch, who all report that the House of Delegates removed Mr. Thorne-Begland from consideration because of his homosexuality.
In your argument below, you fail to recognize one important fact. The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was a discriminatory piece of legislation and therefore fell on this side of wrong versus right. An analogy would be that the suffragettes showed bad judgement in trying to vote when the current laws of the time prohibited them from doing so. If Mr. Thorne-Begland were to have done the same thing now, that he did in 1994, there would have been no problem whatsoever. To hold this against him is a very flimsy reason for not allowing him to sit on the bench of Virginia’s General District Court whose duties are hearing suits on misdemeanors and small dollar civil suits and where cases on issues of gay rights are very unlikely. I have no doubt, though, that if there was a case on gay rights, that Mr. Thorne-Begland would judge it as impartially as any heterosexual judge.
The House of Delegates has become an embarrassment to the state of Virginia with the recent trans-vaginal ultrasound legislation, the attempts at personhood legislation and now this. Please realize that this is no longer a local story and that you are all the laughingstock on national news shows and internet sites. The fact that you have grammar and spelling errors in the message . . . does not inspire confidence or help the reputation of your legislative body either. The only thing I can say for you is that you at least took the time to respond which is more than my own Delegate, Ben Cline has chosen to do thus far on this issue.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Boylan
————————
From: Del. Ben Cline
To: Elizabeth Boylan
Ms Boylan,
You sent me a message on twitter yesterday asking how I voted on Mr Begland’s election, followed by a second message that said ‘nevermind, I found it’. Since there was only an insult and no other question with your message, I followed your direction and did not respond. You did not bother to ask me why I voted against Mr Begland, so I can only conclude that you are not interested in knowing my reasoning. From your rude email to my colleague, it seems you have already reached a conclusion on the matter. Nevertheless, I am always willing to respond to any questions you might have. Be advised, however, that it might take more than 24 hours. Thanks,
Ben Cline
Sent from my iPhone
————————-
Dear Delegate Cline,
Are you referring to when I wrote “shame on you” when you say I insulted you? If so, then I stand by what I said and think that you should be ashamed of that vote. I would be interested in hearing why you voted against Mr. Thorne-Begland’s appointment, though. I don’t believe I ever directed you not to respond. I am always open to all sides and, right now, am basing my opinions on articles written by the news sources listed below. If there is anything else you’d like to say that will cast a different light on what is being reported, I would appreciate you taking the time to let me know.
As representatives in a democratic system, I would think all of you would welcome any and all viewpoints that your constituents are good enough to share, whether they agree with your own views or not. To have both of you offended and insulted by hearing my views and label them as rude surprises me. I certainly hope these responses are not meant to intimidate me into staying silent.
I look forward to your response on this issue.
Sincerely,
Ellie Boylan
——————————————
May 16, 2012
Delegate Thomas Greason
General Assembly Building, Room 513
910 Capitol Square
Richmond, VA 23218
Dear Virginia Legislator, Delegate Greason,
Your vote to reject the judicial nomination of Tracy Thorne-Begland based on his sexual orientation is shameful and a stain on the reputation of our Commonwealth. A 20 year veteran of the US Navy and a top prosecutor in Richmond, Thorne-Begland is eminently qualified to sit on the Virginia bench. All residents of our Commonwealth should be treated fairly and equally. Intolerance has no place in the Virginia House of Delegates.
It is your behavior, not Thorne-Begland’s, that is shameful. Deeply shameful.
Signed,
Mr. Timothy Lubin
—————————————-
From: Delegate Tag Greason
To: “Lubin, Tim”
Subject: Re: Intolerance has no place in the Virginia House of Delegates
Timothy,
Your email is offensive and way off base. You don’t know me and have no idea why I voted the way I did.
As graduate of the United States Military Academy, a former Officer in the United States Army and Virginia National Guard, I take seriously the oath that all military officers take. In many regards you give up your First Amendment Rights, as you have sworn to become a part of something bigger than yourself….the defense of our Nation.
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, so help me God.”
Additionally, an Officer….
“Cannot participate in any radio, television, or other program or group discussion as an advocate for or against a partisan political party, candidate, or cause.”
In 1994, Mr. Thorne announced to the Nation that he was a gay man serving in the military under President Clinton’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. In doing so, he broke the oath that he willingly took. No one forced Mr. Thorne-Begland to join the Military…he did that willingly as well. His announcement, however, put his personal beliefs above that oath, and violated the United Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). He felt that publically advocated for a “cause” that he believed in deeply was more important than that oath he took and the Code of Justice he swore to live by.
I do not begrudge Mr. Thorne-Begland’s passion and his willingness to stand up for what he believes in. I actually find it honorable. But in my opinion, he should have re-signed from the military and focused on his advocacy in a way that would not directly under mind the policies of the United States Military.
I can assure you one thing: my vote against Mr. Thorne-Begland was NOT based on sexual orientation. It had NOTHING to do with that and that thought never even entered my mind. My concern with Mr. Thorne-Begland strictly relates to judgment and he showed poor judgment while in the Military.
How can I be sure that he will not show poor judgment while on the Bench when he is faced with a “cause” that he feels is more important than the law he has sworn to uphold?
Sincerely,
Tag
—————————————
Delegate Greason,
My email is “offensive”? If it is offensive to call things as they are, so be it. Your defense of your vote is just self-righteous, disingenuous sophistry. Thorne-Begland bravely spoke out on the injustice of a humiliating policy; I note that the Navy saw fit to grant him an honorable discharge. Our Republican governor supported his nomination. His legal career has by all accounts been stellar and free of any trace of a “pro-homosexual agenda” (as the Washington Post noted today).
This 1 am vote against his appointment was clearly frame in terms of Thorne-Begland’s allegedly “disordered” sexuality and family life (as Del. Bob Marshall called it).
So please don’t preach to me about my offensive communication.
Sincerely,
Timothy Lubin
Hi Dan,
It’s me again. You let me guest blog about Cline and the anti-shackling bill a couple of months back.
I’ve been following what you have been writing about Tracy Thorne-Begland’s disgraceful treatment. You wrote that you spoke to Cline after the vote and he told you he made his decision on the House floor. Did you see what he told WTVR? According to this (http://wtvr.com/2012/05/16/commitee-members-who-approved-gay-judicial-candidate-voted-against-him-or-didnt-vote-at-all/ ) Cline “admitted that he called other lawmakers, including Delegate Jackson Miller (R-Manassas) not to vote for Thorne-Begland. Miller ended up not voting at all.” That doesn’t sound like he made up his mind on the House floor.
My guess is he misplayed his hand–that he thought the electorate would go along with Bob Marshall’s and Family Foundation’s outrageous homophobia and is now scrambling for another reason to justify his vote, trying to keep multiple stories straight, etc. He is certainly starting to sound rattled (so is Del. Greason). Look what how rudely he responded to my friend (btw, Del. Greason’s deeply aggressive, sanctimonious & deeply personal response is, in fact, boiler plate; another friend got the same one) .
Have a great day,
Ann Huebner
LEXINGTON
———————-
From: ProgressVA [mailto:info@progressva.org] On Behalf Of Elizabeth Boylan
Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 3:15 PM
To: DelTGreason@house.virginia.gov
Subject: Intolerance has no place in the Virginia House of Delegates
May 15, 2012
Delegate Thomas Greason
General Assembly Building, Room 513
910 Capitol Square
Richmond, VA 23218
Dear Virginia Legislator, Delegate Greason,
Your vote to reject the judicial nomination of Tracy Thorne-Begland based on his sexual orientation is shameful and a stain on the reputation of our Commonwealth. A 20 year veteran of the US Navy and a top prosecutor in Richmond, Thorne-Begland is eminently qualified to sit on the Virginia bench. All residents of our Commonwealth should be treated fairly and equally. Intolerance has no place in the Virginia House of Delegates.
I already tweeted Delegate Ben Cline on this but am adding my name here too. His Facebook page is closed to comments so it makes it difficult to have a voice to my representative.
Signed,
Ms. Elizabeth Boylan
————————
From: Delegate Tag Greason
To: Elizabeth Boylan
Subject: Re: Intolerance has no place in the Virginia House of Delegates
Elizabeth,
Your email is offensive and way off base. You don’t know me and have no idea why I voted the way I did.
As graduate of the United States Military Academy, a former Officer in the United States Army and Virginia National Guard, I take seriously the oath that all military officers take. In many regards you give up your First Amendment Rights, as you have sworn to become a part of something bigger than yourself….the defense of our Nation.
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, so help me God.”
Additionally, an Officer…
“Cannot participate in any radio, television, or other program or group discussion as an advocate for or against a partisan political party, candidate, or cause.”
In 1994, Mr. Thorne announced to the Nation that he was a gay man serving in the military under President Clinton’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. In doing so, he broke the oath that he willingly took. No one forced Mr. Thorne-Begland to join the Military…he did that willingly as well. His announcement, however, put his personal beliefs above that oath, and violated the United Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). He felt that publically advocated for a “cause” that he believed in deeply was more important than that oath he took and the Code of Justice he swore to live by.
I do not begrudge Mr. Thorne-Begland’s passion and his willingness to stand up for what he believes in. I actually find it honorable. But in my opinion, he should have re-signed from the military and focused on his advocacy in a way that would not directly under mind the policies of the United States Military.
I can assure you one thing: my vote against Mr. Thorne-Begland was NOT based on sexual orientation. It had NOTHING to do with that and that thought never even entered my mind. My concern with Mr. Thorne-Begland strictly relates to judgment and he showed poor judgment while in the Military.
How can I be sure that he will not show poor judgment while on the Bench when he is faced with a “cause” that he feels is more important than the law he has sworn to uphold?
Sincerely,
Tag
————————
From: Elizabeth Boylan
To: DelTGreason@house.virginia.gov
Dear Delegate Greason,
If I misunderstood your rationale behind your recent vote on Mr. Thorne-Begland, then I am in the company of the website, ThinkProgress.org, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Richmond Times Dispatch, who all report that the House of Delegates removed Mr. Thorne-Begland from consideration because of his homosexuality.
In your argument below, you fail to recognize one important fact. The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was a discriminatory piece of legislation and therefore fell on this side of wrong versus right. An analogy would be that the suffragettes showed bad judgement in trying to vote when the current laws of the time prohibited them from doing so. If Mr. Thorne-Begland were to have done the same thing now, that he did in 1994, there would have been no problem whatsoever. To hold this against him is a very flimsy reason for not allowing him to sit on the bench of Virginia’s General District Court whose duties are hearing suits on misdemeanors and small dollar civil suits and where cases on issues of gay rights are very unlikely. I have no doubt, though, that if there was a case on gay rights, that Mr. Thorne-Begland would judge it as impartially as any heterosexual judge.
The House of Delegates has become an embarrassment to the state of Virginia with the recent trans-vaginal ultrasound legislation, the attempts at personhood legislation and now this. Please realize that this is no longer a local story and that you are all the laughingstock on national news shows and internet sites. The fact that you have grammar and spelling errors in the message below does not inspire confidence or help the reputation of your legislative body either. The only thing I can say for you is that you at least took the time to respond which is more than my own Delegate, Ben Cline has chosen to do thus far on this issue.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Boylan
————————
From: Del. Ben Cline
To: Elizabeth Boylan
Ms Boylan,
You sent me a message on twitter yesterday asking how I voted on Mr Begland’s election, followed by a second message that said ‘nevermind, I found it’. Since there was only an insult and no other question with your message, I followed your direction and did not respond. You did not bother to ask me why I voted against Mr Begland, so I can only conclude that you are not interested in knowing my reasoning. From your rude email to my colleague, it seems you have already reached a conclusion on the matter. Nevertheless, I am always willing to respond to any questions you might have. Be advised, however, that it might take more than 24 hours. Thanks,
Ben Cline
Sent from my iPhone
————————-
Dear Delegate Cline,
Are you referring to when I wrote “shame on you” when you say I insulted you? If so, then I stand by what I said and think that you should be ashamed of that vote. I would be interested in hearing why you voted against Mr. Thorne-Begland’s appointment, though. I don’t believe I ever directed you not to respond. I am always open to all sides and, right now, am basing my opinions on articles written by the news sources listed below. If there is anything else you’d like to say that will cast a different light on what is being reported, I would appreciate you taking the time to let me know.
As representatives in a democratic system, I would think all of you would welcome any and all viewpoints that your constituents are good enough to share, whether they agree with your own views or not. To have both of you offended and insulted by hearing my views and label them as rude surprises me. I certainly hope these responses are not meant to intimidate me into staying silent.
I look forward to your response on this issue.
Sincerely,
Ellie Boylan
