Posted on 02/20/2005 9:25:57 AM PST by DirtyHarryY2K
(Still, One Group Concerned by Dembe's Comparison with KKK, Nazis)
The Philadelphia judge who on Thursday dismissed "hate crime" charges against a group of Christians is being praised for her decision. But one pro-family group in that state is a bit miffed by a statement the judge made in explaining the rationale behind the ruling.
Calling the charges against the group of Christian demonstrators "ludicrous" and an "abuse of power," family advocates are expressing their pleasure about this week's developments in the "Philly 5" case. Four members of the Philadelphia-based group Repent America who had been arrested in October faced charges that they had violated a state "hate crime" statute by peacefully protesting at the pro-homosexual "Outfest" event. But on Thursday morning (February 17), Common Pleas Judge Pamela Dembe dismissed the charges, saying the protestors' action were protected by the First Amendment and that they committed no criminal act by reading aloud from the Bible and singing worship songs at the outdoor rally.
Similar charges against a 17-year-old girl who was among those arrested are expected to dropped as well.
An attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund says Dembe's ruling was the proper reaction. "The judge saw this case for what it is," says ADF senior counsel Joe Infranco. "This was the right response to an outrageous abuse of power to silence speech that some people didn't like. What took place [during the arrest in October] was a government crackdown on disfavored speech."
In a similar vein, the chief counsel for Concerned Women for America commends Dembe. "The judge wisely pounded a gavel against the most egregious form of the 'Heckler's Veto' -- a criminal prosecution of protected speech," says attorney Jan LaRue.
The City of Philadelphia, in spite of video evidence to the contrary, continued to pursue its "hate crimes" charges against the Christians. That fact has incensed several pro-family leaders, who are now calling on state lawmakers to repeal the portion of state law that includes "sexual orientation" as a protected class. One of those calling for the change is Bob Knight, who directs the CWA's Culture and Family Institute.
"When Pennsylvania lawmakers added 'sexual orientation' to the law in 2003, pro-family leaders warned that it could be used against Christians to suppress freedom of speech, religion, and assembly," Knight states. "Their fears came to life last October, when prosecutors threw the book at a group of Christians from Repent America who were peacefully sharing the gospel in a public area."
"Now we hope lawmakers will take a second look and pass a bill removing that portion of the hate crimes act," he adds. Knight contends that the "Philly 5" case shows how hate crime laws can "easily be abused by overzealous liberal authorities."
Louis Sheldon of Traditional Values Coalition echoes those comments. "These Christians should never have been charged in the first place," Sheldon says in a press release. "This case is a clear example of the danger that hate crime laws pose to religious freedom and free speech when Christians can be charged with a felony for preaching from the Bible."
While they are expressing concern over application of the Pennsylvania hate crime law to silence the five members of Repent America, these same groups say they are "pleased," "grateful," and "expressing relief" the charges have now been dropped. But all is not well with every pro-family group.
'Bigoted Comparison' The American Family Association of Pennsylvania, like other conservative advocacy groups, is applauding Judge Dembe for her decision. But that group is taking issue with a statement the judge made in her ruling. That statement, says the PA group, compares the actions of the Repent America members to that of white supremacy groups.
"We are one of the very few countries that protect unpopular speech," the judge stated. "And that means that Nazis can March in Skokie, Illinois .... That means that the Ku Klux Klan can march where they wish to. We cannot stifle speech because we don't want to hear it, or we don't want to hear it now."
AFA of Pennsylvania president Diane Gramley is demanding an apology from Judge Dembe for what Gramley describes as a "hateful and bigoted comparison."
"In light of all that these Christians have been through in the last few months, to have the judge compare what they did in October to the demonstrations of two of the most notorious white supremacist hate groups in American history is unbelievable," says Gramley.
Instead of making that statement, Gramley suggests Dembe should have mentioned the law enforcement officials whose actions during the arrests were "more reminiscent of a police state."
Exactly! As you can see in the video
the fat police captian that was in charge at the event had a red arm band on. How appropriate.
Where Dembe's ruling were correct, her comparison of Christians rights to free speech to the KKK's an Nazi's was appalling.
See also:
U.S. attorneys complicit in arrest of Christians?
Excerpt:
Homosexual attorneys from the U.S. Justice Department Civil Rights Division not only attended a large homosexual event in Philadelphia last year, but they advised police on the scene who arrested 11 Christian protesters, says a source within the agency.
If you want on/off the ping list see my profile page.
Ping
Need Federal Civil Rights charges against the Philadelphia officials who persecuted them ...
I thought hate crime laws were about violence against specific groups of people, not speech. Beating up or murdering someone because he is gay is a hate crime. Reading the Bible to him is not.
The way things are going, it will be unless Christians go more on offense and less on defense.
Time to file the lawsuits against the City and cash in big.
These men and women of Repent America are better people than I. I was just hoping someone with a softball bat would have came through there and cracked some heads. That temporary satisfaction would have been detrimental, sure. But how could something like this happen in broad daylight in America?
Beating up and murdering someone is murder. Hate crime is newspeak for thought control.
That is just words. That is not a crime. I am talking about violence.
She was pointing to the extremes that we have, and that those Christians were well within them. It wasn't a "comparison."
Perhaps, but imagine if someone made the same contrast with homosexual activist groups; do you really believe that they would not have been all over it?
Well, you are right on that score. My daughter teaches at a Christian school. She went to a teachers' conference recently. One speaker was a professor from Colorado. He is a Christian. He told them about a young professor who did not have tenure. He had invited a religious speaker in to speak to his class. Some students complained. He was fired. The professor speaking at the conference said he did the same thing. He was tenured. There were complaints, but he had tenure and they could not fire him. He said that the sad thing was that no one spoke up for him or the young professor who was fired. He said there were many Christians there, but no one spoke up for them. Yet hundreds speak up for Ward Churchill. He has so many followers. This professor said that if Christians, who have been taught that the meek will inherit the earth, do not begin to speak up, they will lose their freedom of religion and speech.
They might have cried, too. Maybe you could have shared a box of tissues.
IT IS ONE REASON WHY SUCH LAWS ARE SO BAD.
Both entitled to our opinions, but there is no debating that the judge did not compare their right to free speech with civil rights activists et al, she compared their rights with 2 of the vilest groups imaginable whose veiws are tolerated and percieved to be out of the mainstream. I find it interesting that where no personal negative statements were directed at you, you find it necessarry to respond with snide and sarcastic remarks?
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