Urgent! Save Hate Crimes Bill Now!

I just got a phone call from a well placed source on Capital Hill that confirmed that the hate crimes bill currently before the Senate will be added to the Defense Authorization Bill. Remember how well that worked out for us last time?

Congressmembers can use our lives to bargain for bombs and defense spending instead of simply affirming our dignity as human beings worthy of safety from persecution and violence if hate crimes are added to the defense authorization.

You need to call your Senator now and ask them to save the hate crimes bill from certain death! If it's added to the defense authorization bill it will be the death of hate crimes this year.

You can look up your Senator's direct phone number here or call [phone] and tell them to save the hate crimes bill.

Follow Bil Browning on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bilerico

Comments

[j.gold]

Why is it worse to kill outta hate then to kill because you like to kill?

Murder is already a crime.

Anyone who kills should spend the rest of their life in jail.

End of story.

[AnotherTry]

That is not the question. We already have hate crime laws protecting every other class except LGBT. That is the point. It is an equality issue.

[TRUE BLUE AMERICAN]

What about the fat, ugly or bald? Are thery protected? Where does it end?

[kps888]

You're wasting your time responding to people like that. The most interesting detail of the whole debate concerning gay issues, is that the right by no means holds the patent on homophobia and gay bigotry. Just read through the comments section on any post with gay topics. It seems hating the gays is an issue that promotes true bipartisanship.

[mat3]

How about this. Do anything to anybody other than a white male and it's a hate crime. Now that we've got that settled can we get on to more important business?

[superstition]

False. White males have been defended by hate crimes. For instance, there was a recent news story about a white male Christian who was the victim of a hate crime.

But, it is true that vulnerable minorities like gays (white or otherwise) need hate crime legislation more than the dominant majority. Oh, the unfairness of being protected from crimes!

[AnotherTry]

People don't seem to get it. Hate crime laws currently cover everyone BUT LGBT. That is the issue folks!!!!

[kfranken]

Certain death? Based on what? The article doesn't say.

Obama wasn't President last year and Dems had several fewer House and Senate members last year. 2009 is NOT 2008. Attaching the Hate Crimes bill to the Defense bill may be a faster way of getting it enacted, as the Defense bill is a must-sign bill. If the Hate Crimes bill passes this, the author of this article loses a lot of credibility.

[TRUE BLUE AMERICAN]

A crime is a crime and we have laws that cover them all. This hogwash that the gay communtiy needs special laws is stupid and is just trying to set precedent for future rulings. If I get mugged because I'm bald, fat , gay or straight has no bearing on the punishment. The mugger gets what the law states is appropriate. Done, no discussion needed.

[superstition]

You don't understand the differences between 1st degree murder, 2nd degree murder, and manslaughter?

Ask yourself why 2nd degree murder exists. Then ask yourself how attacking an entire class of people (hate crimes) is the same thing as attacking one or a few specific individuals?

Is burning a cross on a black family's yard vandalism or is it a hate crime?

[TRUE BLUE AMERICAN]

Like I said, hogwash. I mugg one person because he's a Christian , the crime is a mugging, it has nothing to do with the rest of the Christians that I didn't mugg.

[j.gold]

It's arson!

[RightWingMarine]

since hate crimes punish the perpetrators for their feelings rather than their action, how is hate crimes legislation different from thought crime legislation?

[superstition]

False. Hate crime legislation punishes people for attacking an entire class of people, which is what they do when they commit hate crimes.

Hate crime legislation punishes people for the crimes they commit, instead of pretending those crimes only target specific individuals.

[RightWingMarine]

How do we decide when the primary motive for a crime is hate rather than say monetary? Why is a crime based on hate worse than a crime commited for other reasons? How many protected classes should there be? If a home-owner is murdered during the course of a robbery is the robber/murderer guilty of hate crimes by targetting home-owners that have more? Children are notorious for targetting whomever looks different. If a kid beats up another one because the kid is poor, is that a hate crime?

[Seattle Brian]

You do realize that the law already takes motive into account? Motive is the difference between 1st degree murder, 2nd degree murder and manslaughter. You might as well be arguing that the entire justice system is already "thought crime legislation".

Hate crime laws simply recognize different motives for crimes require different punishments.

This isn't a difficult concept to grasp. Why are you having such difficulty with it?

[superstition]

And it's not just a question of recognizing motive, but the result, too. The result of hate crimes is to attack an entire class of people.

[SD Indy]

Read the individuals moniker. They want to be able to attack someone simply because the individual is a member of a group that they despise.

[superstition]

Maybe someday we'll be able to ride inside the bus.