"Speech and Thought Crimes" Plan

        There seems to be no limit to the arrogant abuse of power among some members of Congress. Using the terms “sexual orientation” and “gender identity,” a whole range of sexual activities will being given special federal civil rights “protected” status just as race and gender are today. And they're tacking it onto a defense bill. What are they thinking?

        Efforts to criminalize any condemnation of homosexual activity passed the U.S. House last May, in spite of an outpouring of opposition (see "Congress denying equal protection"). The House roll call vote can be seen here. The legislation would undermine the equal protection of heterosexual and traditional marriage advocates, whether students, teachers, or administrators by creating federally-protected minority group status for practitioners of all forms of sexual behavior. President Bush has warned the Senate that he will veto the bill if they send it to him.

        In response to the veto-threat, Sen Ted Kennedy (D-Mass) has shamelessly announced that he intends to add the hate crimes bill to the defense spending bill -- to tie the inalienable rights of free speech about what is right and wrong to funding for our national defense.

        In our schools, students are being bombarded with the message that promote homosexuality and more. Last April, some schools suspended students who objected to the pro-homosexual advocacy of the Day of Silence. (See "Boycott Day of Silence," and " Students punished for opposing 'gay' advocacy"). This legislation is a move to harshly silence dissent among our teachers and our youth.

        Is hate crime legislation harmless to free speech, as the ACLU claims? Here are some real life examples of how existing state hate crimes legislation has already violated free speech (from Janet Folger, WND columnist).                

• Madison, Wisconsin. David Ott, a former homosexual, was arrested for a "hate crime" for sharing his testimony with a homosexual at a gas station. He faced a $10,000 fine and one year behind bars. Seven thousand dollars in legal fees later, [he] was ordered to attend re-education classes at the University of Wisconsin conducted by a lesbian.
• St. Petersburg, Florida. Five Christians including two pastors were arrested at a homosexual rally for stepping onto the public sidewalk instead of staying caged in their officially designated "free speech zone."
• Elmira, New York. The Elmira police arrested seven Christians for praying in a public park where a homosexual festival was getting started.
• Crystal Lake, Illinois. Two 16 year old girls are facing felony "hate crime" charges for the content of their flyers.
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Arlene Elshinnawy, a 75-year-old grandmother of three, and Linda Beckman, a 70-year-old grandmother of 10 (along with nine others), were arrested for sharing their faith on the public sidewalk.

         "Intimidation" is a hate crime in this bill. No actual act of violence is required for a person to be prosecuted. They only need to "feel" intimidated. Chuck Colson writes:

This bill would give the federal government jurisdiction over local criminal offenses believed to be "motivated by prejudice." Not just any prejudice, mind you, but prejudice based on "race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of the victim." Watch those phrases sexual orientation and gender identity, because they tell you which groups are pushing hardest for this bill. The committee rejected amendments that would include other groups, like veterans, the homeless, and senior citizens.

         Hate crimes "criminalizes speech and does nothing to prevent violent crimes," according to Mathew Staver of Liberty Counsel in an interview with WorldnetDaily. "All crimes are motivated by hate. Hate crimes laws will not be used to punish the perpetrator, but will be used to silence people of faith, religious groups, clergy, and those who support traditional moral values."

        Do laws against assaults on people and property already exist? They do. In fact, crimes against homosexuals in the United States constitute far less than 1 percent of the cases of aggravated assault.

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