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by Alan Sears, President
Alliance Defense Fund
Is Congress protecting the wrong victims, or pursuing the wrong enemy? Maybe both, with the so-called “hate crimes” bill passed this week by the U.S. Senate, under the vigorous urging of Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy (D).
On the surface, this new legislation purports to offer federal protection of those individuals most likely to be endangered by their fellow citizens. But the bill’s prime movers have a severely limited view of what constitutes “hate,” American style.
House Democrats allowed as much before the bill even left their Judiciary committee.
They ignored the fact that federal law already prohibits acts of violence against individuals on the basis of race, religion, color, or national origin. They ignored the many state laws that already allow for the aggressive prosecution of such “hate crimes.”
They spurned efforts by Republicans to expand the bill’s protections to embrace such perennially high-profile targets of violence as pregnant women, senior citizens, police officers, and U.S. military personnel.
So, if this legislation is not about stopping “hate crimes” (no law can accomplish that) –
– and it’s not about creating needed laws (where the laws are needed, they already exist) –
– and it’s not about extending the existing laws to protect the broadest possible array of likely victims (Democrats in committee nixed that idea) – what is this “hate crimes” law about?
Primarily, it’s about punishing people of traditional faith who dare oppose homosexual behavior.
They won’t succeed. Some courts may play along. Some Christians may be intimidated. But in the end, these politicians’ problem is with God. And God won’t be gagged.
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