THANKS TO 'IDZRUS 'AND PERI FOR SENDING!
Take Action! Tell Congress to:
Uphold equal protection for all Americans by voting NO on H.R. 1913!
April 27, 2009
The liberal House Leadership has scheduled a floor vote on H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, for this Wednesday, April 29th. Sponsored by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), H.R. 1913 will make a hate crime -- a crime in which the victim is intentionally selected based on his or her race, religion, ethnicity, gender, etc. -- a federal offense.
The bill seeks to accomplish this by mandating federal criminal prosecution for state offenses, with the possibility of life imprisonment, for crimes motivated by the "actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of any person." H.R. 1913 will also establish homosexual and transgender persons as a protected class of victims by adding the words "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to Title 18 of the U.S. criminal code.
Make no mistake, H.R 1913 is a dangerous and unprecedented proposal which will transform the criminal justice system and threaten religious liberty:
- Violates the First Amendment by infringing upon the constitutional guarantees of religious expression and freedom of speech.
- Violates the Fourteenth Amendment by deliberately compromising the principle of equal protection under the law for all Americans.
- Seeks to silence and punish all opposing viewpoints.
- Targets those who hold traditional beliefs on homosexuality.
- Grants more government protection to certain classes of people, particularly homosexuals.
In fact, in analyzing FBI statistics even further, it is clear that violence as a result of anti-religious bias and racial bias occurs more frequently than sexual orientation bias. Compared to the 1,521 bias crimes against LGBT individuals, 4,956 racial incidents occurred in 2007 -- 908 were anti-white; 3,424 were anti-African American; and the rest were bias crimes against other races. Out of 1,628 anti-religious crimes, 1,127 were against Jewish people; 142 against Muslims; 70 against Catholics; 67 against Protestants; and the rest against other religions.
Not only is H.R. 1913 unconstitutional, it is also unnecessary. The underlying offense, whether it is murder, assault, or any other crime, is already fully and aggressively prosecuted in all 50 states. We do not need a new law; rather, we need strict enforcement of existing laws. All violent crimes are hate crimes and all violent criminals should be severely punished. Elevating particular groups of victims above others and awarding them a special status is not the answer to decreasing crime in America.
TAKE ACTION!
The House will vote on this bill on Wednesday, April 29th. Please begin calling, emailing, and faxing your Representatives and tell them you expect them to oppose H.R. 1913!
Addendum: Please keep in mind that an identical bill was passed back in 2007 under the Democrat Majority by a vote of 237 to 180 ( House Roll Call 299). Also, last week, H.R. 1913 was reported out of the House Judiciary Committee by a vote of 15 to 12. Republican Members of the committee offered amendments to provide equal protections for other groups, such as veterans, the unborn, and Americans who are frequently victims of violence perpetrated by illegal aliens; however, these amendments were either denied debate or voted down.
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
Further Reading: Faking the hate, by John Leo
HOW TO CONTACT CONGRESS
The right to "petition" government in this
manner was secured by our Founding Fathers.
As Sam Adams famously wrote, "It does not
require a majority to prevail, but rather
an irate, tireless minority keen to set
brush fires in people's minds." What the
limited-government movement needs are a
few good pyromaniacs.
If you want to contact Congress on any
issue, you can do so toll-free by calling
either (800) 862-5530 or (866) 220-0044.
When the Capitol operator answers, simply
ask to be connected to a particular
congressman or senator.
