Kate Vasiloff: Outraged at Goode

Op-ed by Kate Vasiloff

As a Virginia voter, taxpayer, and student at the University of Virginia (an area belonging to the Fifth Congressional District), I am outraged by Congressman Virgil Goode’s behavior and hypocrisy.

As you may or may not know by now, Goode gave $150,000 of taxpayers’ dollars to the producer and cowriter of a soft-core porn film that came out in 2003. At the end of the film, during the credits, “Congressman Virgil Good and his wife Lucy Goode” are named personally under the heading, “The Producers Wish to Thank the Following.” Goode’s very own press wecretary even stars in the film!

The film, entitled “Eden’s Curve”, depicts many graphic hetero- and homosexual sex scenes as well as drug use, violence and threesomes. While this ordinarily would not be a problem within the world of cinema, I find it troubling that the bigoted Congressman Goode gives tax dollars to have themes portrayed that he publicly and politically denounces.

I have followed the Goode vs. Tom Perriello race very closely and I find this all too ironic. Perriello, founder of many religious nonprofit organizations, is a strict Catholic who has run a squeaky clean campaign. He even tithes 10 percent of all his volunteer hours to charities around the district. Yet, despite this devout candidate, Virgil Goode has still attacked Perriello for not opposing gay marriage strongly enough and for being “out of touch” with Virginia Southside voters. I wonder how many of Goode’s current constituents would approve of this film, or that they paid for it!

What does this say about Goode’s moral compass? Gay sex, violent sex and threesomes are appropriate behaviors so long as no one gets married? How about his honesty or management skills? It is acceptable fund a friend’s film project so long as you use hard-working, middl-e and working-class Virginia taxpayer dollars?

I trust you will recognize the severity of this discovery and give it proper media attention. Past voters in Virginia deserve the right to know what has happened over the last five years and future voters deserve the ability to make a fully informed decision for their congressional representative on Nov. 4.