Yesterday, it emerged that James Forrester, the deputy president pro tem of the North Carolina State Senate and principal author of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to ban gay marriage, has been lying about his credentials for several years. Forrester claims to be a fellow of the American College of Preventative Medicine. However, when gay rights activist Scott Rose wrote the ACPM to complain about a possible breach of ethics, ACPM Executive Director Michael Barry revealed that Forrester isn't even a member, let alone a fellow. Forrester was asked to take that claim down, but as of 10 am Eastern, it's still on his Web site.
Laura Leslie, head of the state capitol bureau at WRAL-TV in Raleigh, did some more digging and discovered that Forrester's claim to be an associate fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association is also false. Which makes you wonder--what else is Forrester lying about? As I write this, I'm also writing the American Association of Family Physicians to find out if he's really a member.
Regardless of where you stand on gay rights, an elected official misrepresenting medical credentials for ANY reason is unfit for office. Forrester needs to show some leadership and resign. Now.
Think about this, folks. The second-ranking Republican in the state senate has been out-and-out lying about his credentials for who knows how long. If he were in the private sector, he'd probably be in his boss' office right now drafting his resignation letter. Methinks we need to lean on the state senate leadership in North Carolina to do the same thing if Forrester doesn't have the guts to leave himself. Here's contact information for the Republican state senate leadership:
President Pro Tem: Phil Berger
Email: Phil.Berger@ncleg.net
Phone: (919) 733-5708
Majority Leader: Harry Brown
Email: Harry.Brown@ncleg.net
Phone: (919) 715-3034
Majority Whip: Jerry Tillman
Email: Jerry.Tillman@ncleg.net
Phone: (919) 733-5870
Oh, and for good measure, here's Forrester's email: James.Forrester@ncleg.net