WASHINGTON – The House voted Thursday to expand federal hate crime categories to include violent attacks against gays and people targeted because of gender, acting just hours after the White House threatened a veto.
The legislation, passed 237-180, also would make it easier for federal law enforcement to take part in or assist local prosecutions involving bias-motivated attacks. Similar legislation is also moving through the Senate, setting the stage for a possible veto showdown with President Bush.
The vote came after fierce lobbying from opposite sides by civil rights groups, who have been pushing for years for added protections against hate crimes, and social conservatives, who say the bill threatens the right to express moral opposition to homosexuality and singles out groups of citizens for special protection.
But expressing moral opposition is not what they’re even arguing here. If they were out to express moral opposition to something, they’d be preaching sermons against murder, or robbery, things that are clearly Biblical sins, rather than something they have to comb Leviticus to even find a reference to. Or they would be preaching sermons against sins that their own believers might commit, like adultery. No homosexual person in their right mind would go to one of these crazy churches. These Christian social conservatives are arguing for the right to defame and demonmize a group of other people, to perpetuate their prejudice, and they’re asking that the law of the country actually support it. They can moralize all they want, but that’s not enough. They want to legislate this morality. In their view, their right to promulgate prejudice trumps the homosexual’s right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in a society intolerant of Hate Crimes.
And President Bush is going to veto legislation to give them what they want so they’ll vote for Republicans? This is not Conservativism. It’s institutionalized bigotry and electioneering. We "single out groups of citizens for special protection" against the people who "single out groups of citizens for special prejudice." They’ve become the very Roman crowds that used to throw the Christians to the lions…
[TRex on Firdoglake offers another version]
Watch an openly gay member of Congress announce the final tally 🙂 There is still hope for America.
This subject makes my blood boil. It’s offensive in so many ways. It infuriates me that these few homophobes can take a text that is sacred to millions and turn it into something so against the love and caring that Jesus talked about. Perhaps if they were more focused on that part of the Bible they wouldn’t have time to come up with such absurdist arguments to protecting the citizens of this country against violent attacks. Making sure that our citizens are protected from violence is our governments job at every level- local, state and Federal. If the words these people are using end up turning into violent actions against others then those that commit the crime should be punished. Period. That doesn’t keep anyone from speaking their mind no matter how vitriolic it may be. It does allow for punishment to those that don’t stop at talking.
Next they’ll be saying that offering these protections to homosexual men and women is an affront to all those people who came by their minority status by birth. Well, I’ve got an opinion and rant on that one, too.
Thanks Peg. A nice moment in an otherwise dreary era…
Smmochie – it’s just amazing that he’ll do this. They can’t even make up a good excuse for him to veto this bill. The only reason is to appease the Religious Right. It’s hard to imagine that we have a “pro-Hate Cime” President.