I think Fact Check deconstructed this meme pretty thoroughly:
http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/would_the_hate_crimes_bill_make_it.html
-- Ernie P.
On Jun 27, 2009, at 11:31 AM, [email protected] wrote:
It is likely that parts of the following essay are over the top.
That is, exaggerated, unqualified about various particulars,
and less than totally objective. It was placed in Human Events
for a fee. Clearly it reflects a conservative agenda.
Nonetheless, Human Events is reputable and will not publish
anything deemed untrustworthy. This being the case, even if
we discount as much as a 1/3rd of the following paper ( no real
reason to discount a third, but for the sake of argument ). we
are still left with a massive indictment of Obama social policy.
Will the MSM as much as report about this ? Not likely.
The death of Michael Jackson is "too important." the death
of a child abuser matters too much.
Let me be candid, when news of Michael Jackson's death was announced
I could not help myself. Spontaneously, I cheered, with enthusiasm.
The death of
someone who has done as much to damage American culture as anyone
alive
was good news, indeed.
Alas, the same kind of warped mentality that now is in evidence
everywhere
in numerous tributes to Jackson will, in all probability, work to
censor
the news which the Human Events article discusses.
Billy Rojas
========================================
Human Events
June 26, 2009
JUDICIARY HEARING CONFIRMS "PUNISH PASTORS, PROTECT PEDOPHILES."
WITNESSES BIASED: 4 FOR "HATE CRIMES," 2 CONSERVATIVES ALLOWED.
The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings Thursday from 10 am on
the "Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act," (which is better
known to conservatives as the "Pedophile Protection Act,"), but did
not vote on S.909 as a stand-alone bill, and did not yet forward to
the full Senate, giving us a few more days to act. The bill broadly
defines many "sexual orientations" requiring protection by federal
prosecutors, endangering free speech.
The pro-homosexual, anti-faith bill, is sponsored by Senator Ted
Kennedy (D-MA) and 43 Democrats (and 2 Liberal Republicans from
Maine), and is pushed hard by President Obama's Administration, but
it faced such strong resistance by conservatives (including threat
of filibuster or faith-protecting amendments by pro-faith Senator
Jim DeMint, R-SC), so instead Democrats had announced they would try
to hide the bill as an amendment to another "must-move" bill,
denying committee hearings, and completely side-stepping the
Republicans right to debate and amend. But now thanks to your
participation in fax campaigns like this one, our public pressure
forced a minimal 2-hour public debate, which exposed more anti-
Christian bias, but Democrats so far have not permitted amendments.
Only 2 conservative testimonies were permitted at the hearings,
versus 4 pro-gay liberals.
* Attorney General Eric Holder linked the bill to illegal immigrant
rights, but "national origin" is already protected by 1994 law, and
75% of Hispanics oppose gay marriage. Holder also admitted Christian
pastors would not be protected if assaulted by violent homosexuals.
* Janet Langhart Cohen, wife of former SECDEF Wm Cohen, supported
the pro-hate bill.
* Dr. Mark Achtemeier, a liberal theology professor made homosexual-
friendly statements.
* Gail Heriot, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 6 of 8 leaders
members oppose hate bill.
* Brian W. Walsh, The Heritage Foundation, a good legal voice
opposing the hate bill.
* Michael Lieberman, counsel for the Anti-Defamation League,
originator of the hate bill.
* Senator Leahy tried to link the bill to a shooting at the
Holocaust museum, but "religion" is already protected by the 1994
hate-crimes bill, and shouldn't be tied to homosexual rights.
* Senator Feinstein hailed Matthew Shepard's case, but ABC News
20/20 quotes the lead investigator: "sexual orientation certainly
wasn't the motive in [Shepard's] homicide."
547 SEXUAL DEVIANCES TO BE PROTECTED BY FEDERAL MARSHALS
Even if mark-up amendments are permitted (which can be easily
deleted in conference), the forthcoming S.909 will mirror a House
bill H.R. 1913, already passed 249-175 along strict party lines,
which makes "sexual orientation," "gender," and "gender identity"
into federally-protected classes under the law, and codifies federal
protection of up to 547 types of sexually deviant behaviors,
including:
* Incest - sex with one's offspring (a crime, of course)
* Necrophilia - sexual relations with a corpse, also a crime
* Pedophilia - sex with an underage child, another crime
* Zoophilia - a crime in numerous states
* Voyeurism - a criminal offense in most states
* Fronteurism - a man rubbing against an unknown woman's buttocks
* Coprophilia - sexual arousal from feces
* Urophilia - sexual arousal from urine
Attempts by House Republicans to add amendments stating "pedophilia
is not protected as a sexual orientation" were specifically blocked
and defeated by House Democrats. Lesbian Congresswoman Tammy
Baldwin (D-WI) expressed opposition to excluding pedophiles from the
bill, and Democrats voted with her to strike any child-protection
amendment. She claimed that pedophiles would not be defined within
"sexual orientation," but wouldn't put that in writing, and refused
to define that phrase "sexual orientation," which Congressman Steve
King (R-IA) said will include all 547 sexual deviances listed in the
American Psychiatric Association's DSM-III manual of clinical
psychoses, including pedophilia, so now thanks to most Democrats,
child molesters will be protected by federal law. In response on
the House floor, Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-FL) not only admitted
it would, but defended that all 547 psychoses SHOULD be defended by
this new law, saying, "This bill addresses our resolve to end
violence based on prejudice and to guarantee that all Americans
regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual
orientation, gender identity, or disability or all of these
'Philias' and fetishes and 'isms' that were put forward need not
live in fear because of who they are. I urge my colleagues to vote
in favor of this rule."
QUOTING THE BIBLE IN CHURCH WILL BE PUNISHED
Not only will sexually deviant behaviors gain legal protection,
this legislation also lays the legal foundation to investigate,
prosecute and persecute pastors, youth pastors, Bible teachers, and
anyone else whose speech and thought is based upon and reflects the
truths found in the Bible. How will this legislation over-rule the
First Amendment?
PASTORS NOT PROTECTED BY FIRST AMENDMENT
S. 909 broadly defines "intimidation," thus a pastor's sermon could
be considered "hate speech" if heard by an individual who then acts
aggressively against persons based on any "sexual orientation." The
pastor could be prosecuted for "conspiracy to commit a hate crime"
or for "inciting violence against gays" simply by quoting the Bible
in church. And the First Amendment won't automatically protect
pastors, since speech accused of "inciting violence" is not
protected, and is punishable, under precedent of Supreme Court
rulings. In 1993 Wisconsin v. Mitchell, the U.S. Supreme Court
upheld a "hate speech" law providing enhanced punishments for
violent crimes based on racial motives as revealed by speech of the
accused, (which would now apply broadly to punish any "anti-gay
motives" in the speech of accused pastor "co-conspirators.") But
pastor, if a crazy person in your audience commits a crime against a
heterosexual, don't worry, you'll get a comparative discount in your
prison time.
IS PRAYER IN JESUS' NAME A "HATE CRIME?"
Any public prayer against the sin of homosexuality could be
construed as "inciting violence" by easily offended listeners,
especially if those prayers are offered "in Jesus name." When I
served our country as a former Navy Chaplain, for example, I was
told in writing by Chief of Chaplains Rear-Admiral Louis Iasiello,
that "any chaplain's continued insistence on ending public prayers
'in Jesus' name'...could reasonably tend to denigrate those with
different forms of faith." His policy prohibiting prayers "in Jesus
name" was enforced against me at court-martial, before it was later
rescinded by Congress in 2006. But this year I've already been
falsely accused of "inciting violence" because I quoted verbatim
from Psalm 109 in my public prayers, (for which secular activist
Mikey Weinstein literally requested an FBI investigation against
me!) Just imagine more anti-Christian aggression by law enforcement
officials AFTER this hate-crimes bill becomes law.
IS PREACHING AGAINST SIN A HATE CRIME?
As a former Navy Chaplain who was punished (in writing, three times)
for quoting the Bible in chapel during optionally-attended worship,
I know exactly how they'll come after us. The enemies of religious
liberty will simply declare certain gospel phrases "hateful" and
"offensive" like my commanding officer who punished me for quoting
John 3:36 in chapel, and was supported by government lawyers for
"protecting" easily offended listeners from the "offensive" gospel
of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX) agrees with me, saying pastors,
rabbis, or imams could be charged with encouraging or inducing a
"hate crime" if they preach against homosexuality. "Every preacher
of the gospel, unless you cut out parts of it; every imam who
mentions anything with regard to sexual immorality - they could be
pursued, and in other countries they have been," says Gohmert.
(Congressmen Gohmert is my personal advocate, with whom I preached
last year at a pro-faith rally in Texas...and we both agree the
gospel of freedom from sin really is "love speech" not "hate speech.")
FREE SPEECH SUPPRESSED IN NORWAY
Hate crimes laws protecting homosexuals from criticism are already
silencing pastors in Norway, where these dangerous laws specifically
empower law enforcement officials to prosecute "intimidation" of
homosexuals. For example, Congressman Gohmert warned "I was talking
to a guy from Norway who was telling me that people are even afraid
to say Mary was a virgin, because just bringing up sexuality at all
can raise problems with law enforcement."
FREE SPEECH CRIMINALIZED IN SWEDEN
In Sweden, Pastor Ake Green received a one-month jail sentence last
year under a Swedish "hate crimes" law that forbids criticism of
those who participate in homosexual behavior. The Goeta Appeals
Court later overturned the decision. The government demanded the
pastor be punished by appealing the case to the Swedish Supreme
Court, which ruled the law unconstitutional. Yet here in America,
the Reid-Kennedy-Obama trio is pushing to pass and enforce this same
type of "anti-free speech" law, despite their acknowledgment that
any such enforcement would be unconstitutional in America too. (They
why pass the bill in the first place?)
FREE SPEECH CRIMINALIZED IN CANADA
In Canada, where "hate crimes" laws already passed, the Alberta
Human Rights Tribunal actively forbid evangelical pastor Stephen
Boisson from expressing his moral opposition to homosexuality. The
tribunal also ordered Boisson to pay $5,000 "damages for pain and
suffering" and apologize to the "human rights" activist who filed
the complaint. His crime? In 2002, the pastor wrote a letter to the
editor of his local newspaper in which he denounced the homosexual
agenda as "wicked" and stated that: "Children as young as five and
six years of age are being subjected to psychologically and
physiologically damaging pro-homosexual literature and guidance in
the public school system; all under the fraudulent guise of equal
rights." The Canadian government tribunal ordered the Christian
pastor to "cease publishing in newspapers, by email, on the radio,
in public speeches, or on the internet, in future, disparaging
remarks about gays and homosexuals." (This "re-education
commission" reminds me of Big Brother from Orwell's 1984.)
FREE SPEECH CRIMINALIZED IN PENNSYLVANIA
Can't happen in America? It already has. In 2004 my friend Michael
Marcavage was arrested along with ten other Christians (including
two elderly grandmothers), and charged with violating Pennsylvania's
"hate crimes" laws, because they carried signs conveying God's love
at a Gay Pride rally. One member of "The Philadelphia Eleven,"
Arlene Elshinnawy, 75 year-old grandmother of three, was holding a
sign: "Truth is hate to those who hate the truth," before she was
hauled off to jail by police officers. They were literally
threatened with 50 years in jail for preaching the Gospel of Jesus
Christ on a public sidewalk, because it offended gays. That hate
crimes law was so outrageous it was later found unconstitutional by
the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, but now Ted Kennedy and Barack Obama
want to pass essentially that same discredited law nationwide.
WE CAN STILL DE-RAIL THIS TRAIN
But together, we can still stop them. We've identified 16 Democrats
below, who are NOT YET committed as co-sponsors of S. 909, so please
call them today, asking to OPPOSE AND FILIBUSTER any amendment to
any bill that resembles S. 909. Sadly two Republicans (Olympia
Snowe and Susan Collins, R-ME) have joined 43 Democrats by co-
sponsoring this pro-homosexual bill, so call them too, and ask them
to switch.
x Blanche Lincoln D- AR 202-224-4843
x Byron L. Dorgan D- ND 202-224-2551
x Herb Kohl D-WI 202-224-5653
x James Webb D- VA 202-224-4024
x Jon Tester D- MT 202-224-2644
x Kay Hagan D- NC 202-224-6342
x Kent Conrad D- ND 202-224-2043
x Mark Pryor D- AR 202-224-2353
x Mark Warner D- VA 202-224-2023
x Max Baucus D- MT 202-224-2651
x = undecided Democrat.
x Michael Bennet D- CO 202-224-5852
x Robert C. Byrd D- WV 202-224-3954
x Russ Feingold D-WI 202-224-5323
x Ted Kaufman D-DE 202-224-5042
x Thomas Carper D- DE 202-224-2441
x Tom Udall D- NM 202-224-6621
y Olympia Snowe R-ME 202-224-5344
y Susan Collins R-ME 202-224-2523
y = co-sponsoring Republican.
Thank you for reading our lengthy analysis............
God Bless you, in Jesus' name,
Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt
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