- After Wednesday's hearing on the cyberbullying bill (HR
1966) in the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, internet media, including
The New York Times, has lost little time expressing skepticism even
mockery of the Anti-Defamation League's internet hate bill.
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- Popular Science says HR 1966 "leaves reason at the
door" as it "attempts to criminalize cyber-bullying with vague
language that butts up against free speech rights in a wide range of ways."
But it derisively believes Congress will probably pass the bill since "we
can trust Congress to make the craziest, least practical choice."(1)
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- In an article entitled "Dangerous Opinions Ahead,"
ECN Magazine says that, in a rare instance, both the left and right stand
opposed to HR 1966. "Make no bones about it-the proposed legislation
is a serious assault on first amendment rights...overreaching an ambiguous
piece of legislationTheoretically, the law would prevent about 99% of political
discourse-anyone feeling offended could claim "emotional distress."
This is a steep infringement of first amendment rights. We cannot hope
to legislate how people think." (2)
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- The New York Times editorial "Vague Cyber-Bullying
Law" comments: "Lawmakers should enact laws that can withstand
challenge to give prosecutors tools to go after bullying of all kinds.
What prosecutors cannot do is stretch federal law to label run-of-the-mill
Internet activity as criminal." (3)
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- Wired.com says 1966 "was met with little enthusiasm
by a House subcommittee on WednesdayFrom the outset of the 90-minute hearingcommittee
members from the left and the right said they thought the measure was an
unconstitutional breach of free speech. "We need to be extremely careful
before heading down this path," Bobby Scott, a Democrat from Virginia
and the committee's chairman, said during the hearing's opening moment."
(4)
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- What America saw in the House committee hearing on Wednesday
was the torpedoing of the cyberbullying bill (and probably the AWARE bill)
by expert Constitutional authorities. I believe both these bills are now
burning, listing badly, and likely to go down. My opinion is shared by
the Judiciary expert of one of the most powerful House Republicans. He
said, "I hate to make predictions, but any bill that receives as cool
a reception in the crime subcommittee is probably doomed."
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- We may be experiencing a great victory not only over
the cyberbullying bill but also its companion, AWARE, HR 3630, which would
fund to the tune of $125 million over five years the cyberbullying bill's
message to schoolchildren in America: Any "intention" to criticize
homosexuality over the internet that causes "substantial emotional
distress" to homosexuals is criminal, worthy of two years in prison.
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- This initial negative response also dooms ADL's Safe
Schools Improvement Act, HR 2662, which was scrubbed from Wednesday's hearing,
replaced by the more subtle AWARE bill. HR 2662 would criminalize "repeated
and persuasive" criticism of homosexuality in the public school system,
describing it as "violence."
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- Three ADL hate bills possibly down! --- and this after
Dr. James Dobson turned off the Christian/conservative resistance this
spring, pronouncing that nothing could be done to defeat hate crimes legislation,
except pray!
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- In fact, the religious right, neutralized by Dobson and
Family Research Council in the hate bill fight and directed instead toward
healthcare protest and revenge on the Democrats at midterms next year,
remains virtually oblivious even to the existence of these dangerous bills.
Result: It has done next to nothing to oppose them. Only the National
Prayer Network has been in the forefront of opposition to them, marshaling
encouragement to Republicans this week through heavy calling.
-
- Are we done fighting? We have only begun to fight and
win! Stay tuned for my next weekend article in which I explain how each
of us can endeavor to repeat this success again and again in the upcoming
hearings against ADL's monster hate crimes law for the workplace: ENDA.
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- Footnotes:
- 1. www.popsci.com/entertainment-amp-gaming/article/2009
- -10/dueling-cyber-bullying-bills-showdown-house
- 2. www.ecnmag.com/article-cyberbullying-bill-100109.aspx
- 3. www.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/opinion/08tue2.html?_
- r=1&scp=1&sq=cyber-bullying&st=cse
- 4. www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/09/cyberbullyingbill
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- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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-
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- Let the Anti-Defamation League teach you how they have
saddled 45 states with hate laws capable of persecuting Christians, and
spearhead attempts to pass the federal hate crimes bill: <http://www.adl.org/99hatecrime/intro.asp>http://www.adl.org/99hatecrime/intro.asp.
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- TALK SHOW HOSTS: Interview Rev. Ted Pike on this subject.
Call (503) 631-3808.
-
- The freedom-saving outreach of Rev. Ted Pike and the
National Prayer Network is solely supported by sale of books, videos and
your financial support. All gifts are tax-deductible.
-
-
-
- NATIONAL PRAYER NETWORK, P.O. Box 828, Clackamas, OR
97015
- <http://www.truthtellers.org>www.truthtellers.org
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