An interesting take on Lay, the facts as I know them and a ‘mea culpa’

Against my pride’s best efforts to keep me from doing this:

Commenter Laura Roslin has an interesting take on the voter fraud indictment of McHenry aide Michael Aaron Lay:

Matt;

Just think how confusing voter registration is to college students who ARENT working on a political campaign.

We have a cutoff date to register of 25 days before election day.

Suddenly college kid says - where am I supposed to vote, can I vote here???

On a voter registration form, did you notice that there is a place to put your “mailing address” and another to put your “address of residence”?

Anyway, this could be a case of a guy having his life/career ruined because of some infighting.

I dont particularly like Patrick McHenry, his politics are horrible and he acts like an 8 yr old child on the floors of congress, right there on CSpan for all to see.

We should get the facts before hurting someone who might be innocent.

Interesting. And she’s right: Voter registration forms are quite confusing for college students. Hopefully the grand jury in Lay’s case was smart enough to look at this.

While working with UNCG’s Student Government Association, we worked hard to register folks to vote in the 2004 and 2006 elections. I can back Laura up in her assertion that college students do find the entire process of voting in this country confusing (a fact that can, without a doubt in my mind, be attributed to our poor education, especially on civic and government issues, but that is an entirely different post and story to write about). Many of the forms we received back from students were not filled out correctly, as many students didn’t know they had to put both a physical address (their Residence Hall and Dormitory room number) and a mailing address (their campus post office box).

I believe that if this angle was not considered by the grand jury, then there might just be enough doubt to have the grand jury indictment immediately be repealed.

Laura is also right another point: A young man’s life shouldn’t be ruined by something he didn’t do, but I’m not willing to buy the political in-fighting claim: The D.A. in the case is a McHenry supporter and the indictment was handed down by a grad jury situated in an area that is heavily pro-McHenry.

But again, Laura is right.

Here are the facts as I know them:

• Lay was living in a home owned, or at least leased by, Patrick McHenry. Other men working for McHenry’s campaign lived there, as well. (see past post)
• Although many people, including me at one time, thought Lay may be gay, there is no evidence to support such a claim and his own friends deny it.
• Lay may have very well intended upon living in North Carolina, evidenced by his current residence in Raleigh, where he works.
• There is no substantial evidence to say that Patrick McHenry is gay, although rumors of this have circulated around western North Carolina and the entire state years before they ever appeared on the web last fall.
• A claim was made that Lay was driving from his home in Cherryville back to his school in Knoxville and he was pulled over for speeding in another municipality. As I stated earlier and quite plainly, this theory may not be true as the town in which Lay was pulled over would not have been on the way from Cherryville to Knoxville and is, in fact, about 15 miles out of the way.

And a mea culpa:

It haven’t the evidence or information to make any substantial claim against a person. I do have, however, rumors. From the beginning, I should have kept with writing my opinion only on the rumors. Instead, I resorted to thinking I knew exactly what happened and if a person was guilty or not. As of this time, there is no evidence known to the public to suggest that Lay is guilty of anything. All we do know is that Lay has been indicted in what some believe to be political in-fighting (a claim, however, I still reject). I still fully believe, however, that Representative Patrick McHenry has not offered North Carolina or his Congressional District the representation they deserve. I also still fully believe that McHenry has resorted to Delay-type politics to get his way and to create public sympathy during this controversy. I believe he is a bully and has, in the past, been used as an attack-dog by the Republican Party. I do not respect Representative McHenry as a leader or as a representative for the People of the State of North Carolina. Nonetheless, what has existed only as rumors regarding what some believe to be improprieties by McHenry remain just that: rumors.

My letter to the site administrator and other “News Partners” of Patrick McHenry EXPOSED (www.mchenryexposed.com):

Great news. The site is back up.

Unfortunately… I have done a lot of thinking as well as interaction with a lot of folks regarding the situation with McHenry and Lay. While I believe a great service has been performed for the public by the “outing” of some of McHenry’s activities (such as his presence at a party with underage college students who were drinking), I have begun to think we might have jumped the gun on the Lay situation and the gay rumors on both Lay and McHenry.

I’ve put up a ‘mea culpa’ on my site (http://www.interstateq.com/archives/2083/). I’m not trying to be soft on misdeeds done by elected officials, but when I have wronged a person, I want to apologize. I recognize that you may not agree that a wrong has occurred, but I have come to the understanding that, perhaps, we should not be asserting that someone is or isn’t gay based on the shaky “evidence” we have, no matter how many rumors may have existed or for how long they may have existed.

I will have to, unfortunately, withdraw InterstateQ.com from being a News Partner with McHenry EXPOSED, but I implore you to keep up the good work and to continue doing what you feel is in the best interests of the People of the State of North Carolina.

As a friend, thank you,

Matt

To commenter Brent:

I can’t leave you out of my apologies. I jumped the gun and did what I asked you not to do: I assumed. Thanks for your thought-provoking comments and I welcome you to continue reading and commenting on my site. People become stronger and grow in the midst of disagreement, intelligent debate and dialogue. When one surrounds him or herself with only those people with whom he will agree, there is no room for thought or growth and the result is “group-think.” I hope you’ll stick around to present an opposing side not only if I write about future happenings on the case involving Lay but on other issues as well.

Past posts: McHenry-Lay Voter Fraud Scandal

Posted in Anti-Gay Politicians Watch |