Don’t forget what Nikki Haley is capable of

The United Nations recently took a vote to condemn the death penalty being used against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people. Pretty straightforward and common sense to vote yes on that, right?

Not for Nikki Haley. She voted no, refusing to condemn the practice, and joining a meager 13 countries, including China, Iraq, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Among the vast majority voting to condemn such executions was Russia, a country with extremely transparent anti-LGBT laws and a history of turning a blind eye to hate crimes. And yet the Russians were more willing to oppose the most extreme of punishments than the United States.

Now, the argument has been made that this is less of a condemnation of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people and more an American refusal to denounce the death penalty. So maybe it’s not that we view gays as disgusting. Maybe it’s just that we love killing people.

We’ll kill people even if we don’t have the correct drugs to do it. We’ll kill people if their IQ indicates they’re not smart enough to even know what they’re doing. We’ll kill people even though it’s significantly more expensive than keeping them locked up for the rest of their lives. And if any state understands the love of killing, it’s South Carolina, where we once railroaded a 14-year-old into an electric chair that he was small to sit in.

Our motto is “while I breathe, I hope.” While I breathe, I hope that we don’t forget who Nikki Haley is. While she’s tweeting about how upset she is that Tom Petty died, she turns a blind eye to every person unfortunate enough to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender in a country that reviles them.

Remember this when she inevitably starts talking about her presidential run. Shove it in her face. Remind her that we know exactly who she is and has always been. Tell the other 49 states just how far she is willing to go.