EMERGENCY ALERT!
HATE BILL FACES VOTE THURSDAY
By Rev. Ted Pike
26 Apr 07
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced today that federal hate
crime bill H.R. 1592 is tentatively scheduled for a vote Thursday,
May 3. This, appropriately, is the National Day of Prayer.
Democrats control the House. A wide majority, which includes many
Republicans, favors the bill. Without overwhelming pressure from
the American people, this Orwellian legislation is certain to pass.
Feisty Republicans Resist Hate Bill
There is some hope. This week Republicans showed astonishing and
plucky resistance to the hate bill in the House Judiciary Committee.
For the past two days, Republican members of the House Judiciary
Subcommittee on Crime and the full Judiciary Committee doggedly argued
against H.R. 1592. They strategized to water it down through numerous
amendments.
On Tuesday in the Subcommittee on Crime, Rep. Louis Gohmert offered
a day's worth of strong objections. In the House Judiciary Committee,
during a 10-hour marathon session yesterday, no less than 11 Republicans
offered amendments.(1) They sought to strip such vague and dangerous
terminology as "gender identity" and demanded that the
bill be clearly identified as a "speech crime" bill. At
the end of the day Democrats approved H.R. 1592 unaltered, but the
Republicans presented powerful and articulate opposition to this
Orwellian, free speech-destroying legislation.
Where did all this Republican fight come from? Since 1988 when
the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith first introduced the Hate
Crimes Prevention Act I have watched Republicans blithely let it
move through Congress, confident their majority would strip it later
in conference between the House and Senate. In fact, in spring 2004
Sen. Gordon Smith, speaking to the Senate, expressed pleasure at
the lack of Republican opposition. He saw this as evidence of the
hate bill’s worth. Is it any wonder the bill passed the Senate
65 to 37? A year and a half ago, hate bill amendment 2662 sailed
through Judiciary virtually unopposed and was approved by the House
of Representatives in only 45 minutes!
Rising Concern among Republicans
I called the offices of the 11 Republicans who proposed amendments
last night and asked whether concern was indeed rising over the hate
bill. Several informed sources gave a resounding yes! One reason,
they speculate, is that Republicans are now without power to strip
the bill later in conference, so they must fight it from the outset.
It is clear from the Judiciary proceedings last night that many Republicans
today are highly educated about the details of the hate bill and
its threat to freedom.
How did they become so well informed? I believe the many thousands
of my flyer Hate Crimes: Making Criminals of Christians sent to Congress
and their legislative aides have powerfully stimulated research,
doubt and action against the hate bill.
Can We Defeat H.R. 1592?
Yet is such resolve going to defeat H.R. 1592 when it comes to
a vote, probably next Thursday? A staff member told me the Republicans
hope to propose the same amendments to the bill on the floor of the
House. The problem, another staffer informed me, is that the House
Rules Committee can limit discussion of H.R. 1592 to only one hour
and then require an up or down vote. The House Rules Committee is
in Speaker Pelosi's pocket; its nine Democrats overpower four Republicans.
Clearly, the only way to defeat H.R. 1592 is by persuading a majority
to vote against it. This is an unlikely and staggering task. Yet
our only hope, besides an act of God, is that massive protest will
convince pro-hate bill Representatives that the most politically
safe option is to vote with the people, for freedom.
It is vital that you call your House member at 1-877-851-6437 toll
free or toll at 1-202-224-3121. The message you send should be blunt:
Please don't vote for any hate crimes legislation. If you do, I
will never vote for you again.
Endnotes:
Republicans who contested H.R. 1592 by offering amendments are:
Trent Franks, Steve Chabot, Jim Jordan, Tom Feeney, Mike Pence, Steve
King, Louie Gohmert, Lamar Smith, Randy Forbes, Bob Goodlatte, and
James Sensenbrenner.
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Rev. Ted Pike is director of the National Prayer Network, a Christian /conservative
watchdog organization.
Come to www.truthtellers.org for much more information on how you
can help save free speech in America.
Let the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith teach you how they
have saddled 45 states with hate laws capable of persecuting Christians:
http://www.adl.org/99hatecrime/intro.asp.
Learn how ADL took away free speech in Canada and wants to do it
right now in the U.S. Congress. Watch Rev. Ted Pike's Hate
Laws: Making Criminals of Christians at video.google.com. Purchase this
gripping documentary to show at church. Order online at www.truthtellers.org for $24.90, DVD or VHS, by calling 503-853-3688, or at the address
below.
Go to video.google.com to watch Hate
Laws: Making Criminals of Christians, Rev. Pike's expose of
how the Anti-Defamation League has fomented Christian-persecuting
hate laws worldwide.
TALK SHOW HOSTS: Interview Rev. Ted Pike on
the threat of hate laws, both federal and state. Call (503) 631-3808.
National Prayer Network, P.O. Box 828, Clackamas,
OR 97015
