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National
Prayer Network
ATTENTION TO HATE LAWS, AT LAST!
By Harmony Grant
27 May 09
In the past month, unprecedented attention has been given to
hate crime laws—it’s about time! Conservatives
and, surprisingly, some liberals have railed against hate laws in
general and the “Pedophile Protection Act” in particular.
They’re a wee bit late—the bill already passed the House—but
the breaking of this epically under-reported story is worth a roll
call.
Four of the eight members of the US Civil Rights Commission have publicly urged
Congress in
an open letter not to pass the hate crimes bill. Their letter makes the well-known
complaint about “the broad federalization of crime as a menace to civil
liberties.” The commissioners also point out a less-known threat: This
bill violates “double jeopardy” protections (which say a person can’t
be tried twice for the same crime). The hate bill allows “federal authorities
to re-prosecute a broad category of defendants who have already been acquitted
by state juries—as in the Rodney King and Crown Heights cases more than
a decade ago.” The retroactive nature of this bill is certainly a scary
implication.
Jewish civil liberties defender Nat Hentoff also brought up double jeopardy in
an article against hate crime laws for the Cato Institute. He explained in this
6-minute Cato video that this “dreadful legislation” is “really
dangerous stuff” that violates the Constitution’s First Amendment
(free speech), Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection of all), and double jeopardy.
Hentoff says he has covered hate crime laws for about twelve years and that they
should truly be described as “thought crime” laws. “People
can get more time in prison for what somebody said they said that might be taken
as evidence,” Hentoff explains, also describing how a person’s past
statements or consumption of certain books or newspapers will be used as evidence
against them—bringing their thought lives into court. “We are on
the edge again of having a thought crimes bill turned into law which will now
go to the Supreme Court I hope, and if I can say this, I pray that the
First Amendment will be restored.”
One of the most surprising critics of S. 909, the Senate version of the Matthew
Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, is homosexual political commentator
Andrew Sullivan. Ranked by Forbes as one of “25 Most Influential Liberals
in Media,” Sullivan was described as viewing “virtually everything
through a “gay” prism.” Nevertheless, Sullivan came
out in The Atlantic to oppose the hate crimes bill. He proclaims
it’s absolutely unnecessary for criminal justice and is a “money-making
tool” for homosexual activists.
Others say worse. A hearty Washington
Times editorial says plainly that hate laws “punish people for
what they think.” House Minority Leader John Boehner, Ohio Republican,
told their editors the hate crimes bill makes him “want to throw up.” The Boston
Globe also
ran a column against hate crime laws. Economist and prominent columnist Paul
Craig Roberts wrote incisively about how this legislation will be expanded
to shatter freedom of speech. He says, “An eventual likely outcome will
be that speaking against members of specially protected classes will itself become
a violent act of inciting violence.” Townhall.com and Human Events published
a sage column about hate crime laws by David Limbaugh. He is the author of Persecution:
How Liberals are Waging War against Christianity. Limbaugh writes
so truly, “Far too many people, including certain well-meaning Christians
laboring under the belief that Christians must eschew politics, are failing to
stand up to this intimidation. This failure could eventually lead to the unintended
consequence of their loss of the very freedom to evangelize.” Actor and
conservative activist Chuck
Norris also wrote about the hate laws’ dangers.
There is the negative press as well, which demonstrates how loud this protest
has become. Politifact.com—a Pulitzer Prize-winning site of the St.
Petersburg Times—drew attention to the “Pedophile Protection
Act” by calling
that characterization a “Pants on Fire” lie. Crooks and Liars also
tried to call out Sean Hannity for his opposition to the bill, calling him
(what else?) a liar for repeating that the bill would protect pedophiles. Hannity
isn’t the only one. Many public figures have shared this truth—that
hate laws protect deviants while exposing Christians to prosecution for speech.
In a sober video
message, Dr. James Dobson warns, “I'm convinced that if God's people
do not seek His blessing and mercy, the Church will be tested severely, as if
by fire, over the coming weeks and years.” He then describes the hate crimes
bill and its non-protections of Christians. He even fleetingly mentioned the
Anti-Defamation League and “various Jewish groups” who welcomed denial
of Rep. Steve King's amendment to exclude pedophiles!
How many people have the courage to actually detail the ADL’s role as creator
of this evil legislation? Very few. Evolutionary psychologist Prof.
Kevin MacDonald was one. And, of course, the ADL itself.
On May 13, ADL joined the Human Rights Campaign, the NAACP and others to demand
that the federal government interfere in the prosecution of a 2008 murder of
an immigrant. At their press conference, ADL also urged passage of S. 909. While
conservatives shipped boxes of identical form letters to Washington to protest
the bill, ADL and others showed up in person to demand its passage.
Opponents to the hate bill may feel swamped and over-taxed by various assaults
on liberty and conservative values flooding from the Democrat majority. But they
should be assured: No other issue is as pressing. Without freedom of speech,
we can’t fight any other battles.
It’s a good thing the hate bill story has broken out. But we also need
far more decisive calls to action. If you love freedom, then pick up
your phone and call the Senate.
Call all Senators, 1-877-851-6437 toll free and 1-202-225-3121, available
on the action page of www.truthtellers.org. Especially call the 19
members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Give this message: "Please
don't vote for the pedophile-protecting hate bill S. 909. If the Senator
does, my friends and I will never forgive or forget!"
Also, encourage staffers to watch the alarming 9-minute video on the home
page of www.truthtellers.org, "Stop
the Pedophile-Protecting Hate Bill!"
Harmony Grant is a writer for National Prayer Network. To greater
understand the illogic behind hate laws, read her article “Top
Eleven Reasons You Should Fight Hate Laws.”
Watch the dynamic
10-minute educational video, Stop the Pedophile-Protecting Hate Bill!,
at www.truthtellers.org which explains
how the hate bill, S.909, ends freedom. Please tell the offices of members of
Congress to watch it! Also at www.truthtellers.org, watch our gripping 82-minute
documentary Hate
Laws: Making Criminals of Christians.
Let the Anti-Defamation
League teach you how they have saddled 45 states with hate laws capable of persecuting
Christians, and spearhead attempts to pass the federal hate crimes bill: http://www.adl.org/99hatecrime/intro.asp.
National Prayer Network, P.O. Box 828, Clackamas,
OR 97015
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