For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be
exposed. John 3:20
Warning: Every Hate Crimes "Laws" are against Jesus.
They take away free speech and give some people special rights over others. *** Please call your representatives every day
and say, "Hate Crimes laws take away free speech in America. They are against the majority of America. If you vote for
hate crime "laws", I ask for you to step down for no confidence." see www.AboutHateCrimes.com
A divided House Judiciary Committee yesterday voted to send a federal "hate crimes" bill
to the House, after free speech advocates failed to secure protection for pastors who might preach biblically-based injunctions
against homosexual activity.
In a motion almost completely ignored by the mainstream media, the Judiciary Committee
voted 15-12 to allow the hotly contested H.R. 1913, known as the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Act of 2009, to go forward.
The
measure would grant the federal government a new authority to prosecute any violent crime anywhere in the country that is
perceived to be "motivated by prejudice" against a number of protected characteristics, including "sexual orientation"
and "gender identity."
Christian leaders are particularly concerned that attempts to secure the right to speak
against the homosexual lifestyle and its normalization have failed. Among many rejected proposals for the bill was one
offered by Rep. Louis Gohmert, R-Texas, which would have included a clause ensuring ministers could not be prosecuted for
abetting a "hate crime" because they preached the Christian perspective on homosexuality.
Rep. John
Conyers, D-Mich., the Congressman who introduced the bill, claimed the bill posed no danger to Christian free speech, saying
that it "only applies to bias-motivated violent crimes and does not impinge public speech or writing in any way."
Section 10 of H.R. 1913 states: "Nothing in this Act, or the amendments made by this Act, shall be construed to prohibit
any expressive conduct protected from legal prohibition by, or any activities protected by the free speech or free exercise
clauses of, the First Amendment to the Constitution."
Yet free speech advocates have pointed out that under current
U.S. law, any action that "abets, counsels, commands, [or] induces" a perceived "hate crime" shares in
the guilt of that crime, and is therefore punishable.
The danger posed by the "hate crime" legislation
to Christian ministers was confirmed when Congress considered practically identical legislation in 2007. Then, Rep.
Artur Davis, D-Ala., admitted during a hearing on the measure that it could be used to prosecute pastors for preaching the
biblical perspective on homosexuality, given the perception that it may have "induced" a later hate crime.
"Just
passing the legislation is going to result in pastors saying, 'I'm not going to address this issue,'" the
American Center for Law and Justice's Jay Sekulow told the Christian Broadcasting Network.
Family Research Council
president Tony Perkins points out that H.R. 1913 violates the 14th amendment, which provides equal protection under the law,
"by protecting some victims more than others."
"Do we somehow care less about a victim who is violently
assaulted because of a robbery or personal dispute than we do about a victim who is assaulted because they belong in a federally
protected category?" Perkins asked.
Also, says Perkins, the bill essentially "punishes thoughts and not just
actions."
"Advocates of the bill deny this because it only authorizes prosecution of someone who 'willfully
causes bodily injury' or 'attempts to cause bodily injury,'" he said. "But such acts are already
crimes under state law. What converts the acts targeted by this bill into a federal offense are the thoughts or opinions of
the perpetrator alone.
"Since every violent crime manifests some sort of 'hate,' it makes more sense to
think of this as a 'thought crimes' law."
Matt Barber, a lawyer with the Liberty Counsel, commented:
"As has proved to be true in both Europe and Canada, this Orwellian piece of legislation is the direct precursor to freedom
killing and speech chilling 'hate speech' laws.
"It represents a thinly veiled effort to ultimately silence
- under penalty of law - morally, medically and biblically based opposition to the homosexual lifestyle," said Barber.
According
to House majority leader Steny Hoyer, the measure is due for consideration by the full House next week.
***
Please call your representatives every day and say, "Hate Crimes laws take away free speech in America. They are against
the majority of America. If you vote for hate crime "laws", I ask for you to step down for no confidence." Go
to:
www.AboutHateCrimes.com to act now.
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