I got word a few minutes ago from a friend who works on the the Hill that H.R. 1913 titled Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, the so-called hate-crimes bill, passed in the House 249 to 175. (You can read it here.) While this bill primarily addresses violent crime, it marks the beginning of criminalizing speech and thought. Remember when abortion was allowed for the hard cases? Rape and incest were the wedges that led to Roe v. Wade and abortion on demand.
H.R. 1913 offers bait (i.e., grant money) to get local governments to call crimes against certain groups "hate crimes." They can collect hundreds of thousands of dollars to "help" them in their investigations. What does that mean? I think it will do two things: first, encourage local governments to designate more crimes as "hate crimes" (Guess who will be demanding that?), and, second, get them to put more effort into investigating the crimes that are eligible for grants. (Remember, "Love of money is the root of all evil.")
Think about it. If your six-year-old or your grandmother is kidnapped and murdered that won't qualify as a "hate crime" (unless Granny is a lesbian or little Tommy is attending gay pre-school). But if a homosexual is beaten up and robbed, the gay community will demand it be designated a "hate crime" even if the robber mugged the guy in the dark down the street from the Dairy Queen.
This is a totally unnecessary bill. It is already criminal to commit acts of violence. The law already takes motivation into account by charging the accused by degrees. First degree murder is not treated the same as manslaughter, for example.
But that is irrelevant because this bill is really all about the next step which is criminalizing speech condemning homosexual behavior. We've already seen gay activists attack those who supported Proposition 8 in California as hate-mongers. Any woman who disagrees with them is a "dumb b****" as misogynist gay activist Perez Hilton so eloquently informed us. The gay community wants legislation to shut their opponents up and prevent any criticism of their agenda. This bill moves the law a giant step in that direction.
We already have the template for what this means - Canada. Preachers there have been fined and imprisoned for quoting the Bible. A Canadian acquaintance emailed me that she has to be very careful about what she puts on her blog. There is no free speech on homosexuality in Canada.
Don't think it can happen here?
Wake up!
N.B. Two years ago a similar bill was vetoed by George Bush. Read about it here. You can see the text of that bill here.
I'd like to say there is an undercurrent of rage and fear and "chip on shoulder" in your post. But I can't. It's a swollen palpable anger at the world as it is instead of how you wish it were. Your by-line of "from a Catholic perspective" is offensive; there is a line of lock-stepped Catholics to which you belong. However, there is also a large population of Catholics who believe that God is love-- we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, love our enemies and cast no stones until we are without sin. Your selective understanding of these words is more in keeping with the rabid fundamentalism that is dragging this country into the muck.
ReplyDeleteAs a Lutheran Christian, PathGeek, I find neither rage nor fear in Les Femmes's post. I also believe in a God of love, who loved us so much that He crucified His own Son for the forgiveness of our sins.
ReplyDeleteTo suggest that love can be had apart from justice is simply unfathomable. God does not leave us in the muck of our sins, but pulls us out and washes clean in the waters of Baptism so that we can love our neighbor. That's exactly what Les Femmes is doing. Too bad you can't see through your own subjectivism to experience it.
Robert at bioethike.com
The problem of course is that "hate-speech" is just another Democrat, liberal-left demonization technique. Moreover, it's a judgment about things that generally can't be objectively discerned. So it begins the process of criminalizing free speech. Welcome to Pravda and the thought-police.
ReplyDeletePathGeek thinks that love is without judgment and that's a quite popular and entirely fallacious understanding. I'm curious what "rabid fundamentalism" has been dragging us down? A slam without substance.
The left certainly doesn't show much love, is that the standard? Oh yeah, standards are bad. Have a flower ...
So, by "Catholic," you mean "cunt?"
ReplyDeleteHey, that's just free speech, and the hate part is just a reciprocation of the bigotry and hate in you.
When you lose the argument the left always resorts to insults!
ReplyDeleteGod bless you!
WoW... I'm really starting to get tired of religion being pushed in the mix of everything in this nation. Have we all forgotten that along with the freedoms that were mentioned, we also have the freedom of choice... or was that one of the ones Bush took away from us? At any rate, To the simple mind, it's nice to know people will be held accountable for their actions when it comes to hate and it's basically telling parents to start teaching tolerance to their children. Everyone has an opinion and they are all with merit (from learned behavior growing up). If you have ever spent time in any town of Texas you will find that our public offices and District Attorneys offices really do not agree with any lifestyles other than what their conformed to and so many people who happen to love someone of the same sex get lost in the system or disregarded because of it. Open your minds and hearts and forgive yourselves for holding any negative or hate fueled thoughts... then you will truly grow as a nation!
ReplyDelete"choice" is not a right, it's a decision. We are all free to chose whatever we wish if we are also willing to take the consequences associated with our choices.
ReplyDeleteWe're also all free to "love" whomever and whatever we like. We don't have the right to rub other peoples' noses in our perversions.
Social harmony demands that we be respectful of other people's sensibilities. What most of this is about is social dissolution interpreted as a right. How dare you criticize my lifestyle ... here let me rub it in your face.
David wrote,"Everyone has an opinion and they are all with merit" .
ReplyDeleteA more ignorant statement has never been written.
LOL@PathGeek Thou doth protest too much. Hmmmmmmm
ReplyDeleteDavid said:
ReplyDelete"it's nice to know people will be held accountable for their actions when it comes to hate and it's basically telling parents to start teaching tolerance to their children."
And he also said:
"Open your minds and hearts and forgive yourselves for holding any negative or hate fueled thoughts..."
Comment on the first quote: David, is this to say that YOUR parents taught you "tolerance"? You are displaying it how, exactly?
Comment on the second quote: Is this to say that YOU are displaying an open mind and heart? Are you forgiving yourself for holding any negative or hate fueled thoughts. If so how?
Physician, heal thyself.
This law is against the First Amendment:
ReplyDeleteCongress shll make no law respecting an establisment of religion,or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press: or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble,and to petition the Government for a redress of grievences.
Such a law is an infringement of a person's right to disagree...apa
HR 1913 will violate the basic rights of certain groups, while protecting others from any prosecution for their crimes.
ReplyDeleteJust like VAWA, where a male is always prosecuted and destroyed even when he's the victim, it will violate and destroy more than help.
Why is it that it's NOT considered a hate crime when a homosexual rapes, tortures and murders a child, but if a straight person just voices the fact that they don't condone homesexuality it IS considered a hate crime?
More senseless stupidity that will breed more hate and violence as more people get fed up with being violated by our own government (just like VAWA)!
This country is sick- and getting sicker!
We're on a very slippery-slope into communism!
For those not familiar with VAWA it's the Violence Against Women Act which was passed in the mid 90s and has been reauthorized ever since. The act has led to numerous false allegations of abuse according to critics, particularly in the case of "sham" marriages with foreign nationals who want a green card and can skip immigration quotas by marrying an American.
ReplyDeleteVAWA becomes a vehicle for these uncrupulous individuals to stay in the U.S. without having to live in the sham relationship. See http://familyrights.us/news/archive/2009/march/Immigration_Marriage_VAWA_Fraud_101.html.