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'Hate crimes' bill: Prescription for tyranny
CWA ^ | Robert Knight

Posted on 09/08/2004 8:00:02 PM PDT by Cedar

'Hate crimes' bill: Prescription for tyranny By Robert Knight

Like a bad penny, the proposed federal "hate crimes" law just keeps coming back.

It doesn't matter that there is no evidence that crimes against homosexuals are prosecuted any less vigorously than crimes against other victims. It doesn't matter that actual crimes against homosexuals have declined in recent years.

Liberal GOP Sens. Orrin Hatch, Utah, and Gordon Smith, Ore., are planning to bring up a new version of the Kennedy-Smith federal "hate crimes" law, which has been filed as an amendment to the defense authorization bill.

Proponents of the Hatch-Smith bill insist that their version seeks to empower state officials to better handle "hate crimes" and that it mitigates the more radical aspects of the Kennedy-Smith bill. But it still endorses the concept of "hate crimes," greatly expands federal power and will lead inevitably to "thought crimes."

Let's agree that we're all against hate and abuse of anybody. Nobody in America should live in fear. That is what the criminal law is for, and there is no evidence that it is not working. But "hate crime" laws are fraught with possibilities for abuse.

Such laws create a multi-tiered system of justice, in which some crime victims' cases are taken more seriously than others, thus violating the constitutional guarantee of equal protection.

Seeking federal dollars, police and prosecutors will define more and more cases as "hate crimes." Expect such crimes to soar. After California enacted a "hate crimes" law, incidents went from 75 to 2,052 in four years.

In a media- and dollar-driven situation, your grandmother's mugging will not receive as much attention as the "hate crime" committed against a homosexual. Both victims deserve the full protection of the law, but the one that snags the headlines will get more of it.

All citizens who treasure freedom and the fundamental protections afforded by our legal system should see the latest drive for a federal "hate crimes" law for what it is: a sop to the homosexual lobby, fresh from its victory in Massachusetts, where weddings no longer require a bride.

But the real danger of "hate crime" laws is that they criminalize thoughts and beliefs. The law should concern itself only with actions. Prosecutors must prove intent, but examining underlying beliefs goes far beyond that.

Let's go to the bottom line: The federal "hate crimes" bill lays the groundwork for persecution of Christians in this country.

Homosexual activists have redefined any opposition to homosexuality as "hate speech." Laws already criminalize speech that incites violence. It's easy to imagine a scenario in which any incident involving a homosexual can be blamed on people who have publicly opposed homosexual activism.

Imagine what the activists could have done with a "hate crimes" law in 1998, when Matthew Shepard was beaten to death by two bar-hopping thugs in Wyoming. Everybody from Katie Couric to the San Francisco city supervisors blamed the killing on a "climate of hate" fomented by conservative Christians. Their evidence was newspaper ads from the "Truth in Love" campaign, in which former homosexuals told their stories of hope and redemption. Pure hate, according to the liberal chattering classes. Now they want to put teeth behind their charges.

Because of the publicity surrounding Mathew Shepherd's death, the state spent a small fortune prosecuting the case and handling media. By contrast, the rape and murder of 8-year-old Kristin Lamb, whose body was found in a landfill that same year, did not burden the state in the same way. Should Mr. Shepherd's killers receive justice? Absolutely. And they did. But Kristin's case should be at least as important and disturbing.

"Hate crime" tabulation can be quite misleading. Even though crimes based on religion constitute the second-highest category, according to the FBI, many such crimes go unreported. Some property crimes against churches are listed merely as "vandalism," not as "hate crimes."

In Tulsa, for instance, someone wrote the words "kill" and "death" on the walls of a Catholic elementary school. According to civil-rights attorney Leah Farish, the perpetrator also wrote "messages referring to devils and to sex with Christian girls. Pentagrams and the number 666 appeared as well. But the police said, 'It is not a hate crime per se. In order for it to be a hate crime, it has to be an act of malicious intention.'"

In Cleveland, Farish notes, shots were fired at a synagogue, "but these were not reported as hate crimes either." Can you feel the love yet?

A "hate crimes" law can lead to "thought crime" as is found in totalitarian countries and increasingly in Western nations that have fallen into the trap.

In Canada and Sweden, it is now a "hate crime" to criticize homosexuality in any fashion. Canadian broadcasters are forbidden to air any critical discussion of homosexuality. Private citizens and public officials have been hauled before "human rights" commissions and threatened with fines and jail time. In Sweden, a pastor was arrested at his church after he read Bible verses about homosexuality.

The "gay" lobby is frank about its desire to persecute Christians in America in just the same way, and this "hate crimes" bill is a key step in that strategy.

During the Supreme Court hearings in 2000 on the Boy Scout case, pro-life Rev. Rob Shenk was sitting in the audience next to the White House liaison for "gay" issues. Thinking the pastor was a fellow liberal, the woman whispered, "We're not going to win this case, but that's OK. Once we get 'hate crime' laws on the books, we're going to go after the Scouts and all the other bigots."

This isn't a slippery slope; it's a luge ride toward totalitarianism.

If you value the freedom to speak our minds, you might want to let public officials know in no uncertain terms how you feel about politicians who aid and abet the effort to create "thought crimes."

Robert Knight is director of the Culture and Family Institute, an affiliate of Concerned Women for America.


TOPICS: Religion & Politics
KEYWORDS: hatecrimes
The author is right......."if we value the freedom to speak our minds.."

If we don't, we'll lose that freedom.

1 posted on 09/08/2004 8:00:03 PM PDT by Cedar
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To: Cedar

This story makes me appreciate the (mostly conservative) immigrants that pour into this country every day. Most of them have no stomach for this sh!t.


2 posted on 09/08/2004 8:24:13 PM PDT by Tuco Ramirez (Ideas have consequences.)
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To: Cedar

"Nobody in America should live in fear."

I disagree entirely.

People who support legislation like this should live in fear. Fear that their neighbors are going to kick their @sses if they don't shut up and leave people alone.


3 posted on 09/08/2004 9:27:10 PM PDT by dsc
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To: Tuco Ramirez

"This story makes me appreciate the (mostly conservative) immigrants that pour into this country every day."

As long as they are not ILLEGAL immigrants.


4 posted on 09/08/2004 9:33:46 PM PDT by Cedar
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To: dsc

I sure hope there are many in Congress who will fight this legislation.

This article probably should have been posted in News instead of Religion...think it's alright to re-post it there? Or would it get zapped?


5 posted on 09/08/2004 9:43:06 PM PDT by Cedar
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To: Cedar

I don't know. I don't have any confidence in my ability to predict what the mods will do.


6 posted on 09/08/2004 10:37:11 PM PDT by dsc
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To: Cedar

Why does Hatch keep getting reelected?


7 posted on 09/08/2004 10:40:49 PM PDT by ladyinred (John Kerry reporting for "SPITBALL" duty!)
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To: ladyinred

"Why does Hatch keep getting reelected?"

I can't imagine.

Maybe he's promising lots of benefits to his home folks (since he has a certain amount of pull).

I just wish they could get a real conservative in his place.


8 posted on 09/08/2004 11:01:19 PM PDT by Cedar
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To: ItsOurTimeNow; little jeremiah

Federal Hate Crimes Law Ping!


Has this Bill already been dropped/failed, or is the House yet to vote on it? If no one else looks first, I'll check the thomas.loc.gov and roll call sites later today. Believe it or not, this post didn't get any real attention. Along with the other Bill item (for forced mental evaluations on all US kids), this Bill must fail or else. We shouldn't even have to waste time complaining about these kinds of bills to our legislators, as they know what "conservative" and "Constitution" mean.

May 19, 2004

Smith Introduces Hate Crimes Amendment


Smith Introduced Amendment to Expand Federal Law to Include Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Disability

Washington, DC – Today, Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) announced that he and Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) introduced the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2005 (S. 2400).
"The first duty of government is to protect and defend its citizens," said Smith. "As hearts in America have changed, so have minds and our nation is ready for a hate crimes bill to help our government do its duty. If passing it as an amendment to another bill is what it takes, let's do it and put our government behind potential victims of hate crimes."
Since 1969, 18 U.S.C. §245 has permitted federal prosecution of hate crimes motivated by race, religion, national origin, or color, if the victim was engaging in one of six "federally protected" activities. It has become clear that the statute needs to be amended. To this end, Senators Kennedy and Smith introduced the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act. The legislation would broaden federal jurisdiction to include hate crimes that cause death or bodily injury and add sexual orientation, gender, and disability to the covered categories of hate crimes.
"Hate crimes legislation sends a signal that violence of any kind is unacceptable," said Smith. "When someone is targeted because of who they are, it is an attack on their entire community, and the values of tolerance that we, as a nation, hold dear."
Senator Smith first sponsored the bill with Senator Kennedy in 1999 and again in 2001 and 2003. It was also introduced and passed as an amendment to the Commerce, Justice, State appropriations bill in 1999 and the Defense Department authorization bill in 2000 but removed in conference committee for each bill. In 2003 it was introduced as an amendment to the Foreign Relations Authorization Act but did not pass due to a procedural vote.

###


9 posted on 09/09/2004 1:50:58 AM PDT by familyop (Essayons)
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To: Cedar

This legislation does more than infringe on your rights to voice your beliefs. It makes you a perpetual victim of their beliefs. Last year I went to a concert where I was hit upon continuously by a militant lesbian. Had this been a man I would have been free to defend myself from the unwanted advances. Such advances from a man would have been considered sexual assault. The security guards thought it was funny. I was helpless. Because it was a lesbian, I could do nothing to defend myself nor could my husband without the fear of being charged with a hate crime. This will be abused and used to persecute Christians and heterosexuals, and they will be helpless to defend themselves or their children.


10 posted on 09/09/2004 7:49:33 AM PDT by militantmama
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To: Cedar

I got this in an email from American Family Association.

Dear ____________

A couple of days ago we sent an alert about a "hate crimes" amendment that passed the U.S. Senate and could soon be offered in the House. Our call to action inadvertently included a link about "The Federal Marriage Amendment" which caused confusion. Please accept our apology for the error.

If you have not already done so, please call your U.S. Representative through the capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. Ask your member of Congress to oppose The Local Law Enforcement Act or any other federal "hate crimes" amendment. This "hate crimes" legislation does not presently have a number but is likely to be offered as an amendment to an active bill. The amendment which passed the Senate was called "The Local Law Enforcement Act."

"Hate Crimes" legislation that includes sexual orientation is one more step in the campaign to legitimize homosexuality in our culture by treating it as a protected class along with race, gender, and religion. In the long term, the goal is to create one more platform from which to silence those who hold an orthodox biblical view of homosexuality.

Government officials already feel free to ostracize and demonize those who are bold enough to speak the truth in love about homosexuality; the amendment will undoubtedly pave the way to legislation that will make thinking biblically about homosexuality a “hate crime.”

Please read this excellent article about this issue from Robert Knight of The Culture and Family Institute - 'Hate crimes' bill: Prescription for tyranny.

Please call your Representative today!


11 posted on 09/09/2004 8:45:14 AM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Salvation
U. S. House of Representatives
12 posted on 09/09/2004 8:46:10 AM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Cedar

What gets me is that all the "right-thinking" beautiful people in the media and on college campuses think this is perfectly acceptable, and that to even object to such restrictions on free speech, religion and association is bad form and makes one an extremist. Civil liberties only apply to the Left apparently.


13 posted on 09/09/2004 9:00:53 AM PDT by Unam Sanctam
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To: Salvation

Thanks! From the editorial (dated 6/2004) it wasn't clear where this had ended up... while it certainly will have a tougher time in the House than in the (too liberal) Senate, we definitely need to take action to keep this from going any farther.


14 posted on 09/09/2004 1:13:50 PM PDT by tigerteam_ab
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To: Cedar

Given the matter at hand, I don't even care. On the other hand, the illegal ones can't vote.


15 posted on 09/09/2004 2:17:28 PM PDT by Tuco Ramirez (Ideas have consequences.)
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To: militantmama

"This will be abused and used to persecute Christians and heterosexuals, and they will be helpless to defend themselves or their children."

Sounding more and more like Sodom and Gomorrha.

People better wake up and be prepared for persecution. As Christians, we still have to hold to the truth of God's Word, regardless of what the rest of the world does.


16 posted on 09/09/2004 3:26:40 PM PDT by Cedar
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Comment #17 Removed by Moderator

To: morpheus2004

'Also, in the Supreme Court ruling of Bob Jones University vs. Simon, "the beliefs of any tax-exempt religious organization must be "approved by public policy" in order for an organization to retain tax-exempt status."'

That's the exact reason friends of mine who pastored a church would never file for tax-exempt status....they said it gave the government a certain amount of control over the church.

Christian pastors need to be willing to let go of their tax status. If their members don't like it, then the members need to find another church (a lukewarm church :)

As the apostle Peter said, "It is better to obey God rather than man."


18 posted on 04/03/2005 8:45:09 PM PDT by Cedar
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