- Recently some readers complain, "I look at hate
bill HR 256 and I don't see anything about stealing freedom from Christians
or punishing people who counsel hatred. Why are you saying this bill will
end freedom of speech?"
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- This week, Robert L. Knight-former LA Times editor and
Stanford fellow, current author and expert on "anti-hate" laws
and conservative issues who contributes on TV, radio and online-wrote an
excellent explanation. Published on Townhall.com, this article warns that
the "federal hate law would imperil civil rights."
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- Knight explains that HR 256, the David Ray Hate Crimes
Prevention Act of 2009, will add homosexuals to the list of protected classes
and "create penalties on top of criminal convictions, based on the
perpetrators' perceived beliefs, and create a federal slush fund for hate
crime prevention programs for juveniles at the state and local level."
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- He calls the bill "profoundly dangerous" and
says it will "build the legal foundation" for violations of our
freedoms of speech, association and religion.
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- "The proposed law, in effect, would make federal
cases out of name-calling," says Knight. "Legitimate opinion
and free speech are thus recast as "hate speech" that can be
suppressed via creeping judicial activism. "Hate crime" laws
are already being used to silence people who speak publicly against homosexuality
in the United States and Canada."
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- Our point, exactly.
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- But readers are right: HR 256 doesn't contain all the
threatening language we describe. To see that language, simply refer back
to the original 1968 law (U.S. Code: Title 18, 2(a) and Title 18, 245).
This "anti-hate" bill now in Judiciary simply amends its "anti-intimidation"
provision which was bad news in itself but lacked the teeth needed for
the expansive federal enforcement that was its purpose. The current bills
will expand the original language, adding homosexuals as a protected group
and enhancing the federal government's power to invade states' rights in
law enforcement against violent hate crimes.
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- The 1968 law was like a permission slip for a killer;
these bills are the FedEx delivery of his weapon.
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- Mr. Knight's article was followed by bright and articulate
comments, most of which were supportive and expressed full understanding
that hate crime laws will take away freedom of speech and empower the feds
to punish our beliefs and thoughts.
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- But one reader objected bitingly, "I presume, then,
that the author and all of you who don't support this law also want to
repeal the existing law which provides further penalties for crimes committed
due to animus against the victim's racial, national origin, gender, disability
and religion? What, no? Oh, that's right. The arguments you make you want
to apply only to keep out the part about homosexuals."
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- He's wrong-we want the old law gone too!
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- Another reader quickly replied, "As a matter of
fact I DO want to repeal the existing law which provides further penalties
for crimes committed due to animus against the victim's racial, national
origin, gender, disability and religion. If someone should physically assault
you it is their ACTION I object to. I don't care if they do it because
they hate some aspect of who you are, or if they just want the $5 in your
wallet."
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- And there, friends, is a good argument! The hate laws
already on the books, both federal and state, should be struck down. The
government should punish actions never beliefs.
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- We have had a bad federal hate law (without much teeth
in it) since 1968! But right now it's more important to stop the weapon
being shipped to the federal government than to revoke the permission slip
for their killing spree of First Amendment rights.
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- And that weapon is seriously in the mail. Yesterday House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi told journalists that expanded hate laws and ENDA
are Democrats' top priorities on the gay rights agenda.
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- She said, "the priorities have been hate crimes
and ENDA, fully inclusive legislation in those two areas, so we'll have
to have our strategy work around on how we can get those passed..."
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- As speaker of the House-and with Pres. Obama's and the
Democrat majority's support-Pelosi has power to make this a reality. It's
time NOW to protest these dangerous and powerful bills. Call toll free
1-877-851-6437 or toll 202-225-3121. Tell your members of Congress: "Please
don't vote for the hate crimes bills HR 256 and HR262."
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- Also tell them, "Please watch a powerful 10-minute
video online which explains how these hate bills threaten freedom. Watch
it on the home page of www.truthtellers.org."
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