Senate Democrats Sneak "Hate Crimes" Bill into Crucial Defense Bill

LifeSiteNews.com ^ | July 13, 2007

[monomaniac]

Would hold US troops fighting "War on Terror" as hostages in exchange for sweeping "hate crimes" legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 13, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Senate Democrats will hold US troops fighting the "War on Terror" as hostages in exchange for sweeping "hate crimes" legislation if the Senate votes this week, perhaps as early as Monday, to include it in the defense spending bill.

Instead of introducing the legislation giving sexual orientation "hate crimes" protection as a separate bill, Senators Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) opted to introduce the "Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act" as one of hundreds of amendments to the Defense Reauthorization bill requested by President Bush.

"There's no question this is an attempt to sneak the bill in under the most shameful circumstances because they are attaching it to the defense of our military troops," Mat Staver, founder of the Liberty Counsel told LifeSiteNews.com.

Sens. Kennedy and Smith's strategy, Staver said, forces the President into a terrible dilemma: President Bush must either approve "hate crimes" legislation or veto the entire spending bill thus leaving US troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan without new support and dwindling resources. Since the President has no line-item veto, approval of the defense bill is an all or nothing deal.

"This is an underhanded ploy by liberals in the Senate to try to force Bush to sign dangerous hate crimes legislation into law," said Matt Barber, policy director for cultural issues at Concerned Women for America (CWA). "I would suspect that [Bush] would send this back to the Senate and say 'quit playing games with the lives of our troops' and have them send a clean bill to his desk to get these troops taken care of."

In May, the US House of Representatives passed H.R. 1592 the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, a bill similar to the Senate version proposed by Sens. Kennedy and Smith, that would insert "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" into existing hate crimes provisions, and give the federal government unprecedented involvement in local law enforcement.

The President had promised to veto any "hate crimes" legislation, calling the bill "constitutionally questionable." A statement from the White House said, "There has been no persuasive demonstration of any need to federalize such a potentially large range of violent crime enforcement." http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/may/07050302.html

Conservative groups have charged that "hate crimes" equals "thought crimes" and carries major implications for the religious freedom of Christians and other religious groups who preach homosexual behavior is intrinsically disordered and immoral. Such fears were confirmed when Rep. Artur Davis, a supporter of the bill, admitted that under this law a pastor could be charged with the crime of incitement if the he preached against homosexuality and a person in the congregation left church and committed a crime against a homosexual. http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/apr/07042601.html

CWA's Barber told LifeSiteNews.com that pro-family advocates must tell their respective senators to vote against the "hate crimes" amendment. "The grassroots, people of faith, people of conservative values and principles must be contacting their senators and let them know that any hate crimes legislation is unacceptable and they need to do whatever they can to fight this legislation," he said.

CitizenLink provides a page to find contact information for elected officials:

http://vocusgr.vocus.com/GRSPACE2/WebPublish/controller.aspx?SiteName=FOTF&Definition=Home&XSL=Home&SV_Section=Home

See related coverage by LifeSiteNews.com:

Democrats Refuse Religious Freedom Amendment to Hate Crimes Bill

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/apr/07042601.html

CWA Claims Fake "Hate Crimes" Being Used to Force Legislation through Congress

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/apr/07041107.html

US House Passes Gay Hate Crime Bill

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/may/07050405.html

President Bush Promises to Veto Homosexual Hate Crime Bill if Passed

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/may/07050302.html

[LibLieSlayer]

Some FReepers put their brains into storage for the summer.

LLS

[LibLieSlayer]

NO, Republicans poured in Tax Cuts and business incentives for small business into it... and then voted for it.

LLS

[jimfree]

And the Matthew Shepard case was a fraud.

[Arrowhead1952]

Scumbag whale swimmer from the socialist taxachusetts state ping.

The swimmer is becoming the poster boy for term limits now, if not before.

[AFreeBird]

Are aborted babies the victim of a "hate crime."

Would seem so.

Are the American people victims of hate crimes?

Hate from the MSM (NYT, WaPo et al), Code Pinko's, Pelosi, Reid, Kennedy, Democrats (Congress?)...

I see lots of hate out there, but nobody is proposing anything to protect the American people from it.

[Smokin' Joe]

Why do they do this? Why?

Because a disproportionate number of them and their staffers are faggots.

I figured I'd better say it before I had to go to rehab or get crucified or something.

[PGalt]

Thanks for the ping. Marxist/collectivist method-of-operation BUMP!

[Mrs.Nooseman]

Thanks for the ping.

Oh and the good Senator Gordon from my State had his hands in it.

That dumbsh!t should be voted out of office,he has gone to the darkside in the last few years.Come to think of he may have already been there before he was voted into office.

[Mrs.Nooseman]

Don’t the two A-Holes realize that this will further hurt our troops.

What a bunch of losers.

Hate crime against whom?The Terrorists?

[Arrowhead1952]

Good morning Mrs.M again. I guess it’s time to light up the switchboards and fire off some emails again. Both my senators are getting an email this morning.

[Mrs.Nooseman]

You got that right.

Gordon Smith has gone over to the darkside.

[MrLee]

So, Democrats are putting the death-style of homosexuality and it’s promotion as normal above the safety of our men and women on the front lines in the battle against islamic terrorism. Hmmm...

How’s the stock market doing.....

[Mrs.Nooseman]

Good morning Arrowhead.

No kidding.I am fixing to do the same.
This really ticks me off that they always try to hide some other bill in the Defense bill or any other bill for that matter.

Well I better fire off my mails and then I have to head out to work.

Have a nice day.

[newfreep]

Ted Kennedy is becoming the greatest danger this country has faced since WW2.Is there no end to his liberal, treasonous, America hating work?

Liberals=Communists!

We need to constantly expose their Godless, anti-American goals.

[GodBlessUSA]

Good Morning,
I contact my senators...for what it's worth.... Hillary and Schumer. Blech. No changing their tunes. Usually I contact other senators too just hoping for some possible help. I agree Arrow. I do not understand why there are not calls by more for term limits. They are corrupt career politicians.

[zendari]

Haven’t they already tried and failed this once?

[Arrowhead1952]

I feel sorry for people like you who have to deal with to liberal senators. The only ones worse in my books, are the swimmer and the “Did you know I was in Vietnam?” loser from in the 2004 elections, both from MA.

[jazusamo]

Outrageous! Shenanigans like this cannot be allowed to stand.

[blam]

"Why do they do this?"
"Why?

Because they recognize that you're not smart enough to know what's best for you.

[Obadiah]

What I find totally ironic is that the Democrats scream bloody murder about the supposed unconstitutionality of Bush wire tapping the bad guys, yet have no qualms inhibiting free speech through hate crimes.

It is the tactic of Lenin, Stalin, and Mao to control speech, to control thought, and to create FEAR in what people might say. The intent of these people is evil.