Logo of the Family Research Council. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Domestic terrorist Floyd Lee Corkins – who threatened to “smear their [FRC employees] faces with Chick-fil-A sandwiches” and attempted to carry out a mass-murder spree last August- plead guilty to three charges this week, namely committing an act of terrorism. He faces up to 70 years in prison.
You might be asking yourselves, “Why is this conservative chick is so worked up about this Floyd guy?” Well, I take great issue with this individual and would display the same anger on anyone who wishes ill on conservatives or innocent Americans.
On August 15, 2012, Corkins targeted my sister Anna Maria Hoffman (then a Family Research Council intern) and her co-workers at the Family Research Council’s Washington, D.C., office. He shot building manager Leo Johnson and then was immediately apprehended. (Being Washington, D.C., it is one of the worst cities in terms of crime and gun control policies.) Thankfully law enforcement came to the scene and took this incident seriously.
I remember that fateful day like it was yesterday. I was into my third day as the new Northeast Regional Field Coordinator at the Leadership Institute. I was in a meeting with our company president before I heard the news. After the meeting ended, my co-workers informed me that there had been a shooting at the Family Research Council. I was in disbelief. My sister was there finishing her final week as an intern, and my heart began to race and pound deep in my chest. I immediately thought the worst- my sister had been shot or killed. I withheld tears as best as I could. Thankfully, I discovered on my phone that my sister was all right and safe. She assured me that all was well and that her building was on lock down. I could sense that she was scared and frightened, yet calm and collected. My dad, who flew in that morning to visit us, came at the right time and provided that much-needed comfort then. When I saw my sister after work, I could sense she was distraught. When a guy attempts to commit mass murder at your office, how else should you react? It’s scary and terrifying. My dear little sister had every right to feel this way. I was afraid I had lost my best friend, my flesh and blood. Luckily, she and her co-workers were spared the worst. Without a doubt, Anna Maria and I were thankful to be consoled by our dad that day.
Fast-forward to February 8, 2013 – nearly six months after the shooting. How has the media responded? Except for conservative media outlets, the Left has completely shoved this story under the rug. Given this, my sister offered her take about being one of many people targeted that day in an entry at her blog Counter Cultured today:
I was one of those people who could have been his victim. I was on the 6th floor of the FRC building working on my pro-life internship assignments. I could have lost my life. My dear friend Rosa and everyone else in the building, including my boss Jeanne Monahan, now president of March for Life, could have lost their lives.
That fateful day has only reminded me of how precious life truly is and how important it is to live every day as if it is your last. I thank God every day that our building manager, Leo Johnson, prevented Corkins from carrying out his intended act of violence. Leo’s courage and strength helped prevent what could have been a heartbreaking tragedy. Leo is a real hero that I will continue to thank for the rest of my life.
It saddens me and brings tears to my eyes that a person like Corkins would resort to violence out of political disagreement, especially on the topic of gay marriage. It breaks my heart that Southern Poverty Law Center facilitated his intent to commit such a horrific act of violence by labeling FRC as a “hate group.”
In case you weren’t aware, she and I support traditional marriage. (That makes us fascists and Nazis, right? Wrong.) Anna Maria and I were raised with a set of principles and traditional values. No one has to agree with our views, but we ask that you respect our right to express them in a civil way. We have no hatred towards anyone (with the exception of communists and anti-Semites, mind you). We only wish our opponents well and hope they can respect different opinions.
Many conservatives also share this worldview. We don’t resort to violent means to achieve our goals, although the mainstream media will tell you otherwise. We’re free to disagree on the marriage issue and all other issues. That’s what living in a free society is all about. We’ll defend your right to express your views, and we hope you’re respectful enough to defend our right to express ours. Fair deal?
I don’t care whether you support gay marriage or not – if you stand for civil discourse, I hope you – especially gay rights’ activists on the Left – condemn people like Floyd Corkins. If you think targeting conservatives with violence and premeditated murder is conducive to healthy debate in America, then you need to reevaluate your tactics and think twice about lending support to dangerous people.
American leftists are eager to shut us up. The least our fellow Americans can do is behave human.
Thank you everyone-namely friends, family, co-workers, and fellow activists-for your prayers and for extending your support to my sister and Family Research Council following the August 15, 2012, incident. May we console one another and work together to advance our cause without living in fear.
G-d bless.
“Rejoice not against me, O my enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.” מיכה Micah 7:8
-Gabriella
