Same way that McLame-FeinSwine got passed.
On September 28, the U.S. House voted 213-186 to pass a procedural motion encouraging the House conference committee to approve hate crimes legislation in the final version of the Defense Authorization Act. This proposed amendment provides special protections for homosexuals.
Take Action!
Contact these conference committee members and encourage them to oppose the hate crimes amendment (Senate Amendment 3183) in the Defense Authorization Act of 2005 (House Bill 4200 and Senate Bill 2400).
For a list of conference committee members from the U.S. House, please click here.
For a list of conference committee members from the U.S. Senate, please click here.
How Did We Get to This Point?
As the Senate was considering an appropriations bill for the nation's Department of Defense -- the Defense Authorization Act of 2005 -- Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) proposed an amendment to the omnibus legislation that sought to offer special protections and rights to homosexual crime victims. Quietly, the measure passed in the Senate by a vote of 65-33.
When this same legislation was brought before the full body of the U.S. House, the hate crimes amendment was omitted from the final version of their bill. Thus, conference committee members were appointed from both the House and the Senate to reach a compromise on the final details of the legislation. The final decision will now be left up to the 54 committee members from both houses.
The Dangers of This Legislation
Pro-family advocates believe that this law could be used by activist judges or political ideologues to blur the line of religious liberty. The Bible unequivocally denounces the homosexual lifestyle as an abomination. Under this proposed legislation, an activist judge could conceivably rule that biblical language and beliefs constitute violence against homosexuals.
Law Clearly Violates 14th Amendment
Dubbed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, the law would offer special protections for homosexuals under federal hate crime laws, thus allowing the federal government to provide assistance for the investigation and prosecution of perceived "hate crimes."
By offering special protections for one class of people, this legislation violates the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which promises, "...nor shall any state... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
Dr. Gary Cass, executive director of the Center for Reclaiming America, stated, "This legislation could set a very dangerous precedent. This law implicitly conveys that a crime against a homosexual man is more egregious than a crime against an 80-year-old grandmother."
"This legislation violates the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution," Cass concluded.
Bob Knight, director of the Culture and Family Institute, believes that if this legislation is passed, it will undoubtedly be used to “muzzle public discussion of homosexuality and even some day silence pastors.”
World Community Provides a Preview
Many nations in the world community have already passed similar legislation, providing special protections to homosexuals, and these same nations are now muzzling Christians.