WHAT'S SO WRONG WITH HR 256?
By Harmony Grant
5 Mar 09
Recently
some readers complain, “I look at
hate bill HR 256 and I don’t see
anything about stealing freedom from Christians
or punishing people who counsel hatred.
Why are you saying this bill will end freedom
of speech?”
This week, Robert L. Knight—former LA
Times editor and Stanford fellow, current author and expert on “anti-hate” laws
and conservative issues who contributes on TV, radio and online—wrote an
excellent explanation. Published on Townhall.com, this article warns that the “federal
hate law would imperil civil rights.”
Knight explains that HR 256, the David Ray
Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, will add homosexuals to the list of
protected classes and “create penalties on top of criminal convictions,
based on the perpetrators’ perceived beliefs, and create a federal slush
fund for hate crime prevention programs for juveniles at the state and local
level.”
He calls the bill “profoundly dangerous” and says it will “build
the legal foundation” for violations of our freedoms of speech, association
and religion.
“The proposed law, in effect, would make federal cases out of name-calling,” says
Knight. “Legitimate opinion and free speech are thus recast as “hate
speech” that can be suppressed via creeping judicial activism. “Hate
crime” laws are already being used to silence people who speak publicly
against homosexuality in the United States and Canada.”
Our point, exactly.
But readers are right: HR 256 doesn’t contain all the threatening language
we describe. To see that language, simply refer back to the original 1968 law
(U.S. Code: Title 18, 2(a) and Title 18, 245). This “anti-hate” bill
now in Judiciary simply amends its “anti-intimidation” provision
which was bad news in itself but lacked the teeth needed for the expansive federal
enforcement that was its purpose. The current bills will expand the original
language, adding homosexuals as a protected group and enhancing the federal government’s
power to invade states’ rights in law enforcement against violent hate
crimes.
The 1968 law was like a permission slip for a killer; these bills are the FedEx
delivery of his weapon.
Mr. Knight’s article was followed by bright and articulate comments, most
of which were supportive and expressed full understanding that hate crime laws
will take away freedom of speech and empower the feds to punish our beliefs and
thoughts.
But one reader objected bitingly, “I presume, then, that the author and
all of you who don't support this law also want to repeal the existing law which
provides further penalties for crimes committed due to animus against the victim's
racial, national origin, gender, disability and religion? What, no? Oh, that's
right. The arguments you make… you want to apply only to keep out the
part about homosexuals.”
He’s wrong—we want the old law gone too!
Another reader quickly replied, “As a matter of fact I DO want to repeal
the existing law which provides further penalties for crimes committed due to
animus against the victim's racial, national origin, gender, disability and religion.
If someone should physically assault you it is their ACTION I object to. I don't
care if they do it because they hate some aspect of who you are, or if they just
want the $5 in your wallet.”
And there, friends, is a good argument! The hate laws already on the books, both
federal and state, should be struck down.
The government should punish actions never beliefs.
We have had a bad federal hate law (without much teeth in it) since 1968! But
right now it’s more important to stop the weapon being shipped to the federal
government than to revoke the permission slip for their killing spree of First
Amendment rights.
And that weapon is seriously in the mail. Yesterday House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
told journalists that expanded hate laws and ENDA are Democrats’ top priorities
on the gay rights agenda.
She
said, "the priorities have been hate crimes and ENDA, fully inclusive legislation
in those two areas, so we'll have to have our strategy work around on how we
can get those passed...”
As speaker of the House—and with Pres. Obama’s and the Democrat majority’s
support—Pelosi has power to make this a reality. It’s time NOW to
protest these dangerous and powerful bills. Call
toll free 1-877-851-6437 or toll 202-225-3121. Tell your members of Congress: “Please
don’t vote for the hate crimes bills HR 256 and HR262.”
Also tell them, “Please watch a powerful 10-minute video online which explains
how these hate bills threaten freedom. Watch it on the home page of www.truthtellers.org.”
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.” At www.truthtellers.org you
can also find two 10-minute videos which powerfully explain these
most recent hate crime bills.
National Prayer Network, P.O. Box 828, Clackamas,
OR 97015
