I COMPLETELY agree with the ACLU here! Talk about ORWELLIAN! Lara Ancientwarrior67777 wrote: > > > The Death Penalty for a Hate-Crime? > > posted by: Steve W. > <http://www.care2.com/causes/author/stevebwilliams/> 1 day ago > > // > The Matthew Shepard Act, as part of the 2010 Department of Defense > Authorization Bill that it is attached to, has now officially cleared > the Senate and is making its way toward President Obama's desk but > first must make a stop at a conference committee to reconcile the > differences between the House and Senate versions of the legislation > before final votes in September, but it does so after having had four > amendments made to it, one of which adds a death penalty provision. > * > Details on the Four Amendments Made to the Matthew Shepard Act* > Approved on Monday, three of the amendments were conceived by Senator > Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.); they accomplish the following: > > * Authorizing the possibility of the death penalty for certain > hate-crimes. > > * Extending the hate-crimes law to include "injury" against U.S. > military service members and their families. > > * A requirement that all hate-crime prosecutions adhere to > guidelines as set out by the Attorney General, and that they > operate on a "neutral and objective" basis. > > > A further amendment was then added by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) > seeking to place conditions on the application of the death penalty > provision, restricting the measure's use until the attorney general of > the state where the hate-crimes law is being applied has created the > appropriate standards for the use of capital punishment as a sentence > for a hate-crime conviction. > > All four amendments were approved, three with unanimous consent, and > the amendment to extend hate-crime protections to military service > personnel passing with a vote of 92-0. > > According to this article by the Washington Blade > <http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=26312>, > Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) explained that the amendments made to > the Matthew Shepard Act were part of a deal with Republican Senators > in order to have the hate-crimes provision clear the Senate. Leahy > also states that he supports all four of the amendments "in modified > form". > > *How Have LGBT Groups Reacted to the Matthew Shepard Act Amendments?* > Not well. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) groups have > decried the addition of the death penalty. The American Civil > Liberties Union have perhaps said it best through Christopher Anders, > ACLU Senior Legislative Counsel, when noting > <http://www.aclu.org/capital/federal/40381prs20090721.html?s_src=RSS>: > > "The expansion of the federal death penalty stands in stark contrast > to furthering the cause of civil rights in the United States" > > In a letter sent by a coalition of gay rights, civil liberties and > religious groups > <http://www.civilrights.org/advocacy/letters/2009/oppose-the-sessions.html>amounting > > to 50 sponsors in total, the addition of the death penalty was > denounced. You can read the letter here. > > The Human Rights Campaign group have called the the amendments "poison > pills" introduced by Jess Sessions, a Senator that gave a fifty minute > speech as to why hate-crimes should not be extended to include LGBTS, > to kill the bill. > > This, in itself, also infers the bitter irony inherent in a man > arguing that extending hate-crimes legislation to include LGBT > protections could endanger the liberty of moral objectors and > religious persons, then adding a federal death penalty clause. > > Personally, I think three of the amendments are ill conceived and > arbitrary. One places undue demands on the Attorney General to > redefine hate-crimes when there has long been a perfectly applicable > definition in existing law. > > The second extends protections to military personnel and their > families which, firstly, is a move poorly defined - what constitutes > "injury", or, indeed, "family" - and secondly, is unneeded due to > existing tougher penalties for attacks made on service members or > veterans already being in place. > > The death penalty provision we will come to below. > > Lastly the final amendment designed to curtail the death penalty's > enforcement is a reactionary damage limitation exercise from the > Democrats indicative of the difficulty that making concessions to the > Republican opposition has left them in. > * > What's Next for the Hate Crimes Legislation?* > The Hate Crimes legislation will go to a conference committee where > the disparities between the House and Senate versions of the bill will > hopefully be reconciled. > > One thing is clear, a Matthew Shepard Act including the death penalty > is an insult to the young man that it was named after, violating the > spirit of the legislation as it was intended and making bitter any > sense of victory or joy that could have been had from its long overdue > passage. > > The Matthew Shepard act has already been attached to a DOD > authorization bill, a move which no one really wanted. But we accept, > we adapt and we move forward. > > On the issue of the death penalty provision, though, we can not > accept, we can not move forward. Instead, we must fight for it to be > removed. There is no other way. > > Luckily, there is now such a gulf between the House and Senate > versions of the bill that there will be room to maneuver, but it is > imperative that we make Senators and Representatives mindful of the > fact that they must remove the death penalty provision from the > hate-crimes legislation whilst still making it known how vital the > nature of the Matthew Shepard Act, or what was once the Matthew > Shepard Act, is. > > *Take Action and Stop the Death Penalty Provision: > * > You can reach the capital switchboard at 202.224.3121. You will be > asked who you wish to speak to. Ask for your Senator or > Representative's office. Don't know who they are? Find out here > <http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt>, where > you'll also be able to access a list of email addresses and direct > office phone numbers if you wish to contact your representatives that way. > > Once you are in touch with your Representative or Senator's office, > reiterate your support for the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention > legislation, but also urge them to work toward removing the death > penalty provision when the bill goes to conference. > > You may wish to cite the general consensus opinion that the House > version of the bill has always been more comprehensive, better > structured and well targeted than its Senate counterpart. Reverting to > that format would allow the hate-crimes prevention legislation to > operate in the way that it was intended. > > Lastly, please pass on any emails or contact information you do have > to friends and family and spread the important message that whilst we > do want hate-crimes legislation and therein equal status, we do not > want it with the spectre of the death penalty being allowed along for > the ride. > > Read more: civil rights > <http://www.care2.com/causes/tag/civil_rights/>, death penalty > <http://www.care2.com/causes/tag/death_penalty/>, gay rights > <http://www.care2.com/causes/tag/gay_rights/>, lgbt rights > <http://www.care2.com/causes/tag/lgbt_rights/>, matthew shepard act > <http://www.care2.com/causes/tag/matthew_shepard_act/>, hate crimes > legislation <http://www.care2.com/causes/tag/hate_crimes_legislation/> > > > > http://www.care2.com/causes/civil-rights/blog/the-death-penalty-for-a-hate-crime/ > > > // > > > > */Only logical people who can see pass the fog, will understand the > truth about the future. - Lara N (7-2009)/* > > > >
-- Linda *http://freedetainees.org <http://freedetainees.org/> "If we shadows have offended, Think but this, and all is mended, That you have but slumber'd here While these visions did appear..." - William Shakespeare * --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "bangla-vision" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/bangla-vision?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
