'PHILLY 11' STILL VICTIMS OF HATE LAW INJUSTICE
By Rev. Ted Pike
31 Jan 07
The "Philly 11" Christians were infamously arrested in
2004 for the "hate crime" of peaceful witnessing during
a large homosexual rally in Philadelphia. Jailed for 21 hours, six
men and five women (including a 17-year-old girl) faced 47 years
in prison and a $90,000 fine each for displaying Bible verses critical
of homosexuality and singing, "Blessed be the name of the Lord."
During several hearings, the Philadelphia District Attorney's office
attempted to prove the incredible -- that Michael Marcavage, their
leader, had been motivated by bias to use his megaphone as an "instrument
of crime" to bludgeon delicate homosexual emotions. (See, Philadelphia
pursues "Hate Crimes" Charges Against Christians) After
three months, the beleaguered Christians were finally acquitted by
a higher court.
They were free but also had a whopper of a wrongful arrest and
imprisonment case against the Philadelphia city government and Philadelphia
D.A. Lynne Abraham, who authorized their persecution. Shockingly,
their case was denied this week. A federal judge upheld Abraham’s
right to arrest the Christians!
Back in 2004, the Philly 11 case scared and shocked Americans.
But too few understood the dark conspiracy behind the arrest or the
way unjust “anti-hate” laws can be used in still broader
ways to punish Christians and conservatives who dare to express their
beliefs. If more Americans understood, public pressure might have
prevented Abraham from getting away with this outrage.
But the American public is also uninformed about an even greater
danger looming over us at this very moment. The
David Ray Hate Crimes Prevention Act is now before the House Judiciary Committee. If it’s
signed into federal law, the Philly 11 incident won’t be a
freak injustice of American history. Instead, it will be the unheeded
first raindrop of a downpour of anti-Christian arrests and lawsuits
submerging Christianity in the years ahead.
What Really Caused Arrests of the Philly 11?
During the summer of 2004 Kerry and Bush hammered each other while
the far right could think of little but the "whodunnit" behind
9/11. ADL, having passed their federal hate bill by a spectacular
vote of 65 to 33 in the Senate, was supremely confident of victory
in conference with the House that fall. Yet all summer I warned on
dozens of talk radio shows of the hate bill’s imminent passage
and threat to freedom. My message reached thousands who flooded congressional
offices with calls. This support, largely from alternative talk radio
and the evangelical right, encouraged Republican conferees in the
House to defeat the hate bill just as they had done three times since
1998.
ADL was furious that victory was again snatched from them, largely
by the religious right. They went on rampage. Their instrument of
revenge was Philadelphia district attorney Lynne Abraham. Abraham,
Jewish, is a national board member of ADL, one of the ruling elite
of ADL policy making and strategy. She used ADL's Pennsylvania hate
law, enacted during the late 1990s, to put a noose around 11 innocent
Christians.
Abraham had the Christians arrested Sunday, October 10, two days
after ADL's humiliating defeat in conference the previous Friday.
Did she think she could get away with it? Absolutely! As a veteran
prosecutor, she would not have arrested the Christians under such
exorbitant charges unless she had been sure that powers behind the
corrupt Pennsylvania court and appeals system could influence judges
to protect her from a backlash indictment.
It must have been a shock to her, then, when federal judge Lawrence
Stengel on May 26, 2006 issued a 17-page opinion denying a motion
by the promoters of OutFest, Philly Pride, to dismiss the case. Judge
Stengel wrote, "In this case plaintiffs (the Philly 11) have
pleaded sufficient facts to infer a conspiracy between the Philly
Pride defendants and the other defendants (the City of Philadelphia).
The complaint alleges a number of facts sufficient to support an
inference of a conspiracy to deprive plaintiffs of their constitutional
rights." (Press release of June 2, 2006, www.repentamerica.com, "Philly
11 Wins Round One," page 2)
Yet last week, in a startling reversal, this federal judge took
the opposite point of view, ruling that since Philly Pride had obtained
a permit they had the right to exclude all criticism of themselves
within the 15-block, tax-funded activity. Thus, according to Stengel,
Abraham was justified in arresting and imprisoning the lawbreaking
Christians. The Philly 11 were wrong in exercising free speech in
what had become a no-free-speech zone. (Press release of January
22, 2003, www.repentamerica.com, "Federal Court Rules against
Philly 11," page 3)
Clearly, Judge Stengel had been gotten to. There is little doubt
that it was ADL who influenced Stengel to pervert justice. Otherwise,
Lynne Abraham, national executive board member of ADL, would have
probably gone to prison.
The truth is, Abraham, not the Christians, should be indicted and
convicted as the hate criminal she is. (See, Philadelphia
D.A. Lynne Abraham: 'Hate Criminal')
This perversion of justice was possible because the people of Pennsylvania,
like those of 45 other states in the Union, allowed ADL to shackle
them with very threatening state "anti-hate" laws. Unless
we act now, this outrage will be followed by a stampede of injustices
even worse. A much more dangerous hate law than Pennsylvania's is
perilously close to passage in the new Democrat-controlled Congress.
The David Ray Hate Crimes Prevention Act, H.R. 254, now in the House
Judiciary Committee, lays the foundation for a hate gestapo which
would eventually allow government "thought police" to push
aside states' rights in law enforcement. Such laws would allow federal
indictment of Christian "haters" in every state of the
Union, possibly simultaneously in multiple states. Ultimately, it
would become a federal crime, punishable by triple penalties, to
show bias against protected groups, particularly Jews and homosexuals.
However, deviant groups such as witches, Satanists, pedophiles, abortionists,
and even "sinners" could quickly catch a ride on the bandwagon
of federal protection from the "hate" of biblically oriented
criticism.
H.R. 254, if passed, will create a radically new bias-motivation
legal system for America, similar to Canada's. Our traditional, time-proven
English system of law requires demonstrable physical evidence of
crime before an arrest can be made. Yet under Canada's bias-motivation
legal system, the only criteria of guilt in a hate crimes case is
whether the feelings of a member of a federally protected group have
been hurt. If they have, the critic is guilty as charged. Average
penalty for first-time offense is $5000. Truth is not allowed as
a defense in Canada's hate crimes tribunal system.
Does this sound like the kind of America you want, where you’ll
live in fear lest expression of your conscience or Biblical beliefs
might incur the wrath of Jews or homosexuals? Do you relish the thought
of a nocturnal arrest and trip to the police station to answer interrogation
about whether you are motivated by bias?
The saga of the Philly 11 is a reminder that ADL's federal hate
law will create an Orwellian police state -- if you let it happen.
How do you let federal hate laws take over America? Simple. Don't
call toll-free 1-877-851-6437 and protest to your members of Congress.
