The American people stand by as their liberties are entering into a slaughterhouse. Funny how the German people did the same thing, they sat back and watch as Hitler restricted liberties and once OBAMA gets complete control its all over for America the FREE!

This law honors our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender brothers and sisters whose lives were cut short because of hate," Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese said in a statement released Wednesday. "Today's signing of the first major piece of civil rights legislation to protect LGBT Americans represents a historic milestone in the inevitable march towards equality."

But the bill has come under fire by conservatives because of language they say targets clergy and others who oppose homosexuality on religious grounds and who might express those beliefs publicly.

In a statement released Wednesday, Rep. Mike Pence, R-Indiana, blasted Obama for implementing a "radical" agenda" and putting his "liberal social priorities ahead of an unambiguous affirmation of our men and women in uniform."

To loud applause, Obama hailed the hate crimes measure in the bill as a step toward change to "help protect our citizens from violence based on what they look like, who they love, how they pray."

Several religious groups have expressed concern that a hate crimes law could be used to criminalize conservative speech relating to subjects such as abortion or homosexuality. However, Holder has said that any federal hate-crimes law would be used only to prosecute violent acts based on bias, not to prosecute speech based on controversial racial or religious beliefs.

We already have laws that deal with abuse, assaults, and murder, so why have a hate crime bill that affects our speech! It's unconstitutional!


http://www.foxnews.com/politic...icy/?test=latestnews

Thought police around the corner. Last time I checked if you kill someone it was already a crime.

Get a grip. It isn't about speech at all. It is an enabling act to recruit the good looking kids and set the ugly, fat, and lame ones into the work camps.

Now I can marry my dog, just like they do in France!

Whee!

Too bad they did not have the internet in the early 1960s -- this backwoods lot would have had a field day on the forums denouncing the Communist Civil Rights Acts.

Why don't you do what Cheney suggested Leahy do to himself on the Senate floor?

quote:

Originally posted by Aude Sapere:
Get a grip. It isn't about speech at all. It is an enabling act to recruit the good looking kids and set the ugly, fat, and lame ones into the work camps.

Now I can marry my dog, just like they do in France!

Whee!

Too bad they did not have the internet in the early 1960s -- this backwoods lot would have had a field day on the forums denouncing the Communist Civil Rights Acts.

Why don't you do what Cheney suggested Leahy do to himself on the Senate floor?

LOL

quote:

Originally posted by Aude Sapere:
Get a grip. It isn't about speech at all.

yet

It's exactly about free speech, and the restriction thereof.

quote:

Originally posted by diddle:

quote:

Originally posted by Aude Sapere:
Get a grip. It isn't about speech at all. It is an enabling act to recruit the good looking kids and set the ugly, fat, and lame ones into the work camps.

Now I can marry my dog, just like they do in France!

Whee!

Too bad they did not have the internet in the early 1960s -- this backwoods lot would have had a field day on the forums denouncing the Communist Civil Rights Acts.

Why don't you do what Cheney suggested Leahy do to himself on the Senate floor?

LOL

That's what Obama is doing to us now.

Of course, libs like it.

Count me as a liberal who doesn't like hate crime laws. I believe the goal of minority groups should be full equality under the law, not special treatment from the law, and in my opinion hate crime laws help entrench a mentality of victimhood that's not helpful to anyone.

Anyway, so now if you assault a gay person, shouting gay slurs while you do it might get you a hate crime charge. I'm so sorry that your rights are being infringed.

Not true. Have you deep practitioners of recliner and beer-in-hand law actually read the bill?

I have. I found it in about 5 secs. I have a link here and the provision that specifically exempts any abridgment of free speech within interpretation of the statute. Who would have thunk it, that an act of congress does not, cannot, and probably only rarely ever has tried to usurp the black letter portions of the Constitution?

SEC. 10. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

For purposes of construing this Act and the amendments made by this Act the following shall apply:

(1) RELEVANT EVIDENCE- Courts may consider relevant evidence of speech, beliefs, or expressive conduct to the extent that such evidence is offered to prove an element of a charged offense or is otherwise admissible under the Federal Rules of Evidence. Nothing in this Act is intended to affect the existing rules of evidence.

(2) VIOLENT ACTS- This Act applies to violent acts motivated by actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability of a victim.

(3) CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTIONS- Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit any constitutionally protected speech, expressive conduct or activities (regardless of whether compelled by, or central to, a system of religious belief), including the exercise of religion protected by the First Amendment and peaceful picketing or demonstration. The Constitution does not protect speech, conduct or activities consisting of planning for, conspiring to commit, or committing an act of violence.

(4) FREE EXPRESSION- Nothing in this Act shall be construed to allow prosecution based solely upon an individual's expression of racial, religious, political, or other beliefs or solely upon an individual's membership in a group advocating or espousing such beliefs.


http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.909:

Express your misgivings, but why do you feel compelled to lie?

The main provision is providing federal status to various crimes that would have been local crimes in the first place, not creating new definitions of new crimes that would not have been previously criminal.

The text seemed pretty basic to me. But I have been able to read for 45 years more or less and try to so do daily, and not just the box scores or lines or NewsMax.

quote:

(2) VIOLENT ACTS- This Act applies to violent acts motivated by actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability of a victim.

Perceived huh?

So this means that a rape that was "perceived" to be committed because the victim was, say, female, would be a hate crime?

Or what about a guy who gets mugged for his money, and not for the color of his skin? His crime is "less" hateful and deemed worthy of lesser punishment?

No one has ever been able to answer those kinds of questions for me, and until they do, "hate crimes" shall remain redundant and un-Constitutional.

An act of violence should be punished for its infringement upon the social contact we all live under EQUALLY.

quote:

Originally posted by Ronnie P.:
Thought police around the corner. Last time I checked if you kill someone it was already a crime.

RP, You are absolutely right. So called hate crime laws are nothing more than pandering.

These crimes now fall under the jurisdiction of the federal prosecutors and investigators. That relieves the state, county, city of any ill will towards the victims.

There is a reason that Bobby Kennedy fought the Klan. Think Jefferson County cops and prosecutors in the late 50s and early 60s.

It is quite simple, don't go out looking for people you imagine to be gay and then commit assault upon them to prove your virility. Then you don't have to worry about the FBI coming for your sorry butt.

quote:

It is quite simple, don't go out looking for people you imagine to be gay and then commit assault upon them to prove your virility.

At the same time, don't go out and make public statements of the nature of "Homosexuality is not a positive lifestyle choice" to prove your political incorrectness. The thought police will be upon you.