Hatch joins Kennedy to push hate-crimes bill

The Washington Times ^ | November 13, 2003 | Charles Hurt

[yatros from flatwater]

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 ; the inclusion of "sexual orientation" as a protected category ; "have got to grow up," Mr. Hatch said earlier in the negotiations.

[yatros from flatwater]

They know if you've been sleeping,
They know if you're awake,
They know if you've think "bad" or "good"
So think "good" for "goodness" sake!

[Killborn]

Sorry dude. Already posted.

[yatros from flatwater]

Make that:

They know if you've been sleeping,
They know if you're awake,
They know if you've thought "bad" or "good"
So think "good" for "goodness" sake!

[WOSG]

There is enough of this Junk passed at the state level.

Federal level? Feh!

[Bikers4Bush]

Hatch is not on our side.

[TexasGunLover]

This is so rediculous... like Bush said... hate crime laws are rediculous... all crimes are hate crimes...

[thoughtomator]

One small step for gays, one giant leap towards the elimination of Christianity in America.

[yatros from flatwater]

Where? No return on search for Hatch or hate-crime. If duplicated, let's pull it.

[BenLurkin]

Is Hatch an admirer of the Canadian way of doing things?

[monkeywrench]

""It's an issue of basic decency and fundamental rights."

"Fundamental rights" ("civil rights", "human rights") are replacing our God given Constitutional rights.

[Roughneck]

First of all, Most of the Kennedy's ARE hate crimes in action. Secondly, Orrin Hatch is, in my opinion, an anti-constitution Idiot! (Hatch seeks to change the constitution so those not american-born can become President)

"Hate Crime" bills are redundant.

[Phantom Lord]

From Neal Boortz today...

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.

Not sure it can be said any better than that.

[Killborn]

Here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1020595/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1020869/posts

Pull the two oldest threads.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

I don't remember the novel, but I do remember a couple of jewels from it.

1) so many laws are being passed that we are all criminals, they may as well arrest those who have not been arrested, for indeed they all have to be abnormal perverts.

2) Show me a large police presence and I will show you rampant lawlessness, for they both go together. With one seen, the other not.

[azhenfud]

Those "fundamental rights" are replacing all forms of "decency" too.

[jimt]

The Mormons need to excommunicate Hatch. Of course the Catholics need to excommunicate Kennedy as well.

Both of them violate fundamental principles of their religions.

[sheik yerbouty]

Orrin "booby" Hatch.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

"Sorry dude. Already posted."

So what, I did not see the other one, I did see this one. Would you deprive us of what you have seen, do you not wish to share?

[Levante]

"Hate Crimes"?

Like one FRper posted: All crimes are hate crimes.

I thought we already had laws on the books against violence.
Does this constitute double jeopardy?

[JoJo Gunn]

"Hate crimes" should never be entered into the lexicon from either side, especially in a country where there's the 1st Amendment.

Somebody please tell me why I should continue to vote Republican.