Hatch joins Kennedy to push hate-crimes bill

The Washington Times ^ | 11/13/03 | Charles Hurt

[Rightone]

A new "hate-crimes" proposal supported by Democrats and key Senate Republicans, including Sen. Orrin G. Hatch of Utah, would vastly expand the federal government's power to prosecute such crimes committed anywhere in the country.

Opponents of one of the most contentious provisions

[Rightone]

More federal intervention with political correctness is NOT needed. This needs to be stopped.

[FormerLib]

Has Senator Hatch lost his mind? Has he not seen how similar laws in Canada have resulted in Christian ministers being investigated for hate crimes for preaching CORRECTLY that homosexual acts are sinful?

[Killborn]

Sen. Orrin Hatch sounds like a moron on many issues.

[Semper Paratus]

Bi-partisanship means republicans supporting the 'rat agenda.

[tomakaze]

worthless RINO bump

[boris]

"But, he added, he supports including prejudice based on sexual orientation."

Question, senator: Is pedophilia a 'sexual orientation'?

--Boris

[lodwick]

Jackasses in action.

[anniegetyourgun]

More evidence that Hatch must NEVER be nominated to the SCOTUS.

[Theodore R.]

I think Orrin G. Hatch lost his "mind" many years ago. It's just that UT people haven't yet figured out this "lapse."

[Theodore R.]

In the past, Democrats have enjoyed considerable support on the legislation from Republicans, including Sens. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, Norm Coleman of Minnesota, Susan Collins of Maine, Mr. Smith, Mr. Specter, John Ensign of Nevada and Olympia J. Snowe of Maine.


Well, then this issue is lost from the start. There are more than 60 votes to avoid a filibuster and enact "hate crimes" legislation.

[over3Owithabrain]

Hatch embodies all that is wrong with the GOP Senate. He's a sissy. Fathead Kennedy, the murdering drunk, runs that God-forsaken place.

[tomakaze]

re:Has Senator Hatch lost his mind? Has he not seen how similar laws in Canada have resulted in Christian ministers being investigated for hate crimes for preaching CORRECTLY that homosexual acts are sinful?
 
Oh he's aware of it - he just don't give a rats ***.
This is perfectly consistant with his past behavior, esp on Guns.
He'll talk alot of good sounding guff on the sunday talk shows, but come monday is right back in the trenches with the "go along to get along crowd".
Why the conservative folks in Utah haven't thrown him out in favor of someone with more sack is beyond me.
Orrin Hatch is the classic example of "Don't watch what he says, watch what he does".
He's the west of the mississippi version of Arlen Specter.

[FreePaul]

Hatch and Kennedy. The two best reasons that I can think of to institute term limits in all government offices.

[skeeter]

Orin is to Ted as Lloyd is to Harry.

I can understand Californians electing him, but what do the good people of Utah see in that arse?

[robowombat]

Many moons ago when Oren the Virtuous first was elevated to the Senate a coworker who was from Utah and a pretty serious LDS made clear in private conversation what a posturing jackass Oren was. Further he said that Oren would soon demonstrate his ability to garner favorable press via kissing up to the media as he had done as mayor of Salt Lake City. Over the years I have remembered this fellows words as oren has 'grown' into a very typical beltway insider. Oren as a Supream would be a complete disaster for whats left of constitutional government.

[AndyObermann]

Boortz addressed this today in his show notes (Neal's Nuze). Here's the text of what he said:

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2003 FEDERAL "HATE CRIMES" LEGISLATION IS ON THE WAY

Now we have Republican Senator Orin Hatch joining with Teddy Kennedy in pushing yet another version of a federal hate crimes bill. This bill would allow federal prosecution for any crime motivated by prejudice based things like race, ethnicity and religion, but also on gender, sexual orientation or disability of the victim.

Come on, folks. Let's call this what it is. It's "thought crimes" legislation, not "hate crimes." It allows for the federal government to step in and prosecute someone for what they were thinking when they committed a crime. Let's say this crime became law. A white person commits a crime against a black person. The white person is prosecuted in a state court and is acquitted by a jury. Civil rights warlords would then be in a position to pressure the local federal prosecutor to bring a federal hate crimes charge against the white person. The federal government could then step in and prosecute the white person not for what that person did to his victim, but because of what that person may have been thinking when he did it.

There was a trial in Atlanta recently of a group of particularly noxious young whites who attacked a group of blacks in an area known as Little Five Points. The whites were yelling racial epithets. These whites were convicted and sentenced to jail. Some local race warlords immediately started screaming to high heaven because these idiot kids didn't receive 20-year sentences. If this federal law were in place the race warlords would be able to pressure the feds to bring the federal hate crimes charges to bear. Maybe they could get their precious 20-year sentences after all.

Another scenario. I'm waking down the street with a black friend. A gang of white skinheads comes up and pounds the stew out of both of us. The skinheads are charged with assault, tried, convicted and sentenced to jail. Then along comes the federal government to file hate crime charges against the skinheads. They are going to be charged with an extra crime because they attacked the black guy. The federal government will view the assault on my black friend as one worthy of federal prosecution ... simply because of what they feel skinheads were thinking at the time. The assault on me? Not worthy of federal attention. Tell me, is the law treating me equally in this scenario? Can you honestly say that I'm getting equal treatment?

Hate may be ugly, but it is not illegal. In a free society you should be free to engage the negative emotion of hate as you see fit. You cannot legislate loving or liking someone. Thought processes should not be crime. Actions should be crimes. This federal hate crime bill, as all hate crime bills, is a bad idea.

Well put.-ANdY

[Sgt_Schultze]

The worst thing is that Hatch believes that this bill will be the end of the matter - Kennedy knows it is just a first step. Incrementalism is the rats' best friend. Republicans who fail to remember that are worse than useless because they work to assist the rat agenda.

[Rightone]

Some KEY points (and what is really scary, is this actually might pass!):

A new "hate-crimes" proposal supported by Democrats and key Senate Republicans, including Sen. Orrin G. Hatch of Utah, would vastly expand the federal government's power to prosecute such crimes committed anywhere in the country.

They are concerned that the bill would violate free-speech rights and give the Department of Justice free rein to step over local authorities to prosecute many types of violent crimes.

"It actually punishes someone for what he thinks," said one Senate staffer whose boss opposes any form of the legislation. "That's pretty scary."

"With this bill, the federal government officially condones [the homosexual] lifestyle," said another Senate staffer.

[Semper Paratus]

It actually punishes someone for what he thinks

How do you prove to a Jury what somebody is thinking?

[sasafras]

Friggin Orin Hatch is losing his mind. Utah republicans need to pull this guy back down to reality. He is sounding alot like a one-worlder and should be stopped before he takes this too far and we lose our rights in this country to think w/o reprisal.