Congress Passes New Thought Crime Legislation
Posted on October 22, 2009 by Brian
Well, we knew it was coming, and you can be certain The One will sign it:
The Senate passed groundbreaking legislation Thursday that would make it a federal crime to assault an individual because of his or her sexual orientation or gender identity.
The expanded federal hate crimes law now goes to President Obama’s desk. Obama has pledged to sign the measure, which was added to a $680 billion defense authorization bill.
President George W. Bush had threatened to veto a similar measure.
The bill is named for Matthew Shepard, a gay Wyoming teenager who died after being kidnapped and severely beaten in October 1998, and James Byrd Jr., an African-American man dragged to death in Texas the same year.
“Knowing that the president will sign it, unlike his predecessor, has made all the hard work this year to pass it worthwhile,” said Judy Shepard, board president of the Matthew Shepard Foundation named for her son. “Hate crimes continue to affect far too many Americans who are simply trying to live their lives honestly, and they need to know that their government will protect them from violence, and provide appropriate justice for victims and their families.”
Several religious groups have expressed concern that a hate-crimes law could be used to criminalize conservative speech relating to subjects such as abortion or homosexuality.
Attorney General Eric Holder has asserted that any federal hate-crimes law would be used only to prosecute violent acts based on bias, as opposed to the prosecution of speech based on controversial racial or religious beliefs.
I’ve said this I don’t know how many times, so bear with me while I repeat myself yet again. I don’t care what a person’s sexual orientation is, what sex they are, where they are from, or anything like that. If someone assaults them, regardless of what the reason is, then that person should be arrested and have the full weight of the law brought to bear against him. This type of legislation is, basically, saying that some assaults/murders/whatever are worse than others and penalties should vary accordingly.
I think that’s a load of crap. A murder victim isn’t any more or any less dead because of his race or sexuality. A person who was beat to a pulp for his shoes isn’t any more or any less hurt than a person who was beat up because he likes other men. Think about it, people.
All this stuff is, basically, is attempts at thought and speech control by the far left. If they can make it more of a crime to kill someone because he’s gay, then that means they can also make it less of a crime to kill someone because he’s a Republican. Don’t laugh, because there are some far-left bloggers who’ve said as much over the last several years of my blogging “career”. To them, it’s absolutely horrible to them that a gay man is killed (whether or not his sexuality played a role in his death), but it’s fab-freakin’-tastic when a conservative assumes room temperature.
Determining motive already plays a role in our justice system. But this goes far beyond that, and should be seen for what it is: pandering to the far-left, crybaby, “I want it NOW” kooks that have taken control of the Democrat Party and pull its strings.
Filed Under Crime And Punishment, I Told You So, Left-Wing Extermists, Liberals