Yes, that Larry Lockman.
Maine State Rep. Lawrence Lockman (R) ... wrote in a letter, "If a woman has [the right to an abortion], why shouldn't a man be free to use his superior strength to force himself on a woman? At least the rapist's pursuit of sexual freedom doesn't [in most cases] result in anyone’s death."
He also said in a past press clipping that progressives were exacerbating the AIDS epidemic by telling "the public that the practice of sodomy is a legitimate alternative lifestyle, rather than a perverted and depraved crime against humanity."
Mike Tipping broke the story of Lockman's extremism.
“In the overwhelming majority of cases, people are dying because of their addiction to sodomy,” Lockman wrote in a 1987 letter to the editor to the Lewiston Daily Sun arguing against funding for AIDS education. “They are dying because progressive, enlightened, tolerant people in politics and in medicine have assured the public that the practice of sodomy is a legitimate alternative lifestyle, rather than a perverted, depraved crime against humanity.”
It was during this period that Lockman first ran for the Legislature, challenging a young state representative named Mike Michaud (now, of course, a U.S. Congressman running to unseat LePage as governor) for the District 134 seat in both 1986 and 1988. Lockman pledged to make health policy on AIDS and “the pervasive influence of militant, politically-organized homosexuals” major campaign issues. He would also call for an end to Maine’s income tax, deeming it “repugnant to American values.”
Lockman's illustrious resumé includes his years as a
tax resister:
In 1986, Lockman dressed up like Dracula and stood outside the Federal Building in Bangor in order to protest the “vampire-nature” of the IRS and its “tyranny and police-state methods of tax collection.”
Since his election to the Maine Legislature in 2012, Lockman has learned to dial back his most extreme statements,
focusing instead on the more palatable GOP attacks on unions, the working poor, and
most especially those 70,000 undeserving Maine uninsured.
Despite these extreme views, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) is supporting Lockman in his race for re-election. A campaign piece for Lockman features a photo of the two with her endorsement quote. (H/T again to Mike Tipping, who posted the catch on Facebook.)
Collins has even maxed out to his campaign through her Dirigo Pac.
How can Collins call herself moderate when she backs such troglodytes?
.....
Meanwhile, her opponent, Democrat Shenna Bellows prepares for the final stretch of her audacious campaign. She's bringing her grassroots campaign home in the best way possible: Phonebanking with Democratic volunteers in each of the state's 16 counties.
Howard Dean thought of it first – the 50 state strategy, to unite progressives in action in every corner of the country. That’s why I was so excited to kick off our 16-county tour yesterday with Jim Dean, phone banking in Portland. We have seen what happens when we unite behind the call for change. Here in Maine, we have seen grassroots movements triumph at the ballot box when we legalized medical marijuana, restored same day voter registration and won marriage equality.
So what’s the most important thing you can do in the next four days to help us win? Phone bank. Where can you do it? Everywhere.
I will be traveling to Democratic headquarters in all 16 counties over the next four days to phone bank with volunteers to Get Out the Vote.
Want to join me for a phone bank? Sign up here!
Can’t join us at a phone bank but want to support the final GOTV efforts? Donate $5 here.