On this date in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, as well as 2018, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day posted profiles of Lawrence Lockman, a member of the Maine House of Representatives since 2013, who spent most of the 1980s forming an anti-government militia group that called for the dissolution of the IRS, even once dressing up as Dracula outside of a local IRS office to protest their presence, eventually instead focusing his attentions to spreading misinformation about the AIDS virus publicly (he liked to warn people you could catch it from toilet seats), and using it as a part of the public consciousness to demonize the gay community whenever possible,. In the 1990s, Lockman was claiming that tolerance of gays was leading to a point where children would be “indoctrinated” as homosexuals in schools.
The disgusting opinions Lockman holds know no bounds, and he freely provided them in opinion editorials in Maine newspapers, including one where he expressed his humble opinion that “If a woman has (the right to 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.” Yes, he’s that terrible, and after laying low from 2000-2012, he reappeared to run for the Maine House of Representatives, winning office for the first time in 2012, before anyone really did much digging into his past to learn how extreme he truly is. Lockman’s name turns up every now and then in the local Maine papers, as one of the few people who tried to spin the ramblings of insane Governor Paul LePage and argue as to why LePage shouldn’t be impeached.
And by no means has Lockman ever apologized for his previous controversies, or learned his lesson. He’s become fervently anti-immigrant of late, echoing Donald Trump, and when he got a speaking engagement at Portland State University in February of 2017, he got hundreds of protesters to show up and cuss him out. Hell, it was only a few months ago back in March of 2017 that he wrote yet another opinion editorial in the Bangor Daily News where he raged against illegal immigrants in Maine, inflating the statistical number of illegal immigrants in their state from the actual less than 1,000 there to “over 5,000” an falsely claiming that they receive welfare benefits and whining about how that money (that isn’t being given to them) would be better given to our veterans while blaming “liberals” for it.
How much of a s*** is Lawrence Lockman? Well, he doesn’t believe in legal protections for women, or minorities LGBTQ citizens, but yet, he drafted legislation that would shield politicians from being investigated or prosecuted for their political views, including (but not limited to) climate change denialism… because THAT totally is a form of bigotry in this country.
But if there were any doubt of whether or not Lockman is racist, look no further than a mass e-mail he sent out in January of 2018 where he claimed that immigrant welcome centers are a part of “the Left’s War on Whites”. Fit this man for a robe and pointy hat, ladies and gentlemen.
Lockman was, regrettably, re-elected in 2018 to a fourth term in office, with 59% of the vote, a higher total than you would want to see a rape advocate and HIV Truther get after he only snuck into office by less than a hundred votes only a few years earlier. The only good news we have is… Lockman is term-limited in 2020, and if he can’t weasel his way onto a seat on the Maine State Senate, next year might be the last time we have to mention this misanthrope.