WASHINGTON The U.S. Congress attached a contentious hate crimes bill to a must-pass defense spending bill encompassing the Iraq War on Thursday in an attempt to pressure President Bush to pass the amendment.
(Photo: AP Images / Charles Dharapak)President Bush, right, and first lady Laura Bush, left, and newly engaged daughter Jenna Bush, seen at rear, walk from Marine One helicopter towards Air Force One at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007.
Supporters of the measure argue it is appropriate to attach it to legislation funding the war because both combat terrorist behavior. However, opponents counter it is inappropriate to delay funds for Iraq including a pay-raise for troops in wartime in order to solve a special interest bill.
I think its shameful were changing the subject to take care of special interest legislation at a time like this, said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), according to The Associated Press.
The hate crimes measure seeks to add violence against individuals based on sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and disability to the list of federal hate crimes. If passed, the federal government would be more involved and have greater power to investigate hate crimes.
At first glance the bill seems harmless, but opponents say it threatens the right of faith leaders and believers to speak out on the sin of homosexuality.
See, the bill is not about crime prevention or even civil rights, wrote Chuck Colson in a column on the hate crimes legislation. Its about outlawing peaceful speech speech that asserts that homosexual behavior is morally wrong.
Colson is founder of Prison Fellowship and former top aide for then President Richard Nixon. He has dubbed the legislation the Thought Control Act of 2007.
The evangelical leader noted that hate crimes can be defined to include verbal attacks and peaceful speech. He also pointed to hate-crime laws in England, Sweden and Canada where the Thought Police have already prosecuted Christians for breaking these laws.
Furthermore, 11 Christians in Pennsylvania were prosecuted under the state hate crimes law shortly after sexual orientation was added as a victim category. According to reports, the ten adults and one teenager were singing hymns and carrying signs peacefully at a homosexual celebration in Philadelphia when they were arrested.
The Hate Crimes Act will be the first step to criminalize our rights as Christians to believe that some behaviors are sinful, Dr. James C. Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family Action, said in a message for a petition to oppose the bill.
Pastors preaching from Scripture on homosexuality could be threatened with persecution and prosecution, he noted.
The bill sponsors Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) contend that federal involvement is necessary to help local law enforcement officials deal with the amount of hate crimes against homosexuals/transgender.
Focus on the Family, however, said a report by the Traditional Values Coalition rebuts these claims and uses FBI statistics to show that theres no epidemic of hate against homosexuals, cross-dressers or transsexual.
In fact, most of the alleged hate crimes against these individuals amounts to name-calling or pushing. This hardly calls for federal legislation, the group wrote in an action alert email.
President Bush has vowed in the past to veto the hate crimes amendment. The White House says the bill is not needed because it is redundant of state and local laws. Continue >>









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