From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A "hate crime" can take two forms: "hate crime" generally refers to criminal acts which are seen to have been motivated by hatred of one or more of the listed conditions. The second kind is hate speech, which is speech defined as crime. While hate crimes are rarely debated, the hate speech concept is controversial, as criminalizing speech can be seen as impugning freedom of speech. Incidents may involve physical assault, damage to property, bullying, harassment, verbal abuse or insults, or offensive graffiti or letters.
The same politicians who court and pander to these protected classes will bow before the people who really hate us here in America. We should have representatives who know the difference and should work on punishing those who are obviously out to kill those of us who do not believe as they do. The irony in all this is that the groups who are being courted outside our society kill members of some of these protected groups in their own society, and they also kill those who speak out against their actions. Help us stop this ridiculous legislation, and get the laws relating to it already off the books.
by Jennifer Mesko, editor
SUMMARY: 'In order to crack down on hateful behavior, thoughts and
expression must also be targeted.'
The U.S. House Judiciary Committee is expected to vote Thursday on
legislation that would create a new class of crimes based on the
victim's "actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender
Under "hate-crimes" laws like H.R. 1913, pastors could be
prosecuted for preaching the biblical view of homosexuality. Similar
laws have been used to prosecute religious speech in the U.S. at the
state level and abroad.
"The homosexual activists' mantra is no longer tolerance --- it's
embrace and promote," said Ashley Horne, federal policy analyst at
Focus on the Family Action. "Anything less will be silenced.
Christians must speak up."
John Whitehead, founder and president of The Rutherford Institute, said
the legislation is riddled with problems.
"The problem, which few want to acknowledge for fear of being
labeled politically incorrect, or worse homophobic, is that in order to
crack down on hateful behavior ... thoughts and expression must also be
targeted --- which runs diametrically counter to the First Amendment's
protections for free speech and expression," he wrote in a
The legislation is also unnecessary.
Whitehead cites FBI stats showing that of the nearly 1.5 million
violent crimes in the U.S. in 2007, just 1,460 were reportedly based on
"Hate-crime laws are redundant," he writes. "There are
already a host of stiff penalties on the books for those who commit
acts of unspeakable horror."
Please e-mail and/or call your U.S. representative and request a vote
against the hate-crimes bill (H.R. 1913). You can find contact
information through our Action Center.