More Outrageous Legislation . Did You See What House Bill H.R. 1592 And Senate Bill 1105 Are About ?

Question

Well , I got sent a copy of this and if it can be proven to be false , then I'm listenin . But if true , it states that statements concerning homosexuality , such as " Calling the practice of homosexuality a sin , from the pulpit , would be considered a 'hate crime' punishable by law ".
So that's free speech and freedom of religion to a liberal ? Tell priests, pastors and preachers that they can't say what they believe in the Bible ? What ?

Who has heard of these bills ?

What do you think ?

Answer 1

Good morning Earnest!
I have heard of them and I think they are LUDICROUS!!!

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Unconstitutional Legislation Threatens Freedoms

May 7, 2007

Last week, the House of Representatives acted with disdain for the Constitution and individual liberty by passing HR 1592, a bill creating new federal programs to combat so-called “hate crimes.” The legislation defines a hate crime as an act of violence committed against an individual because of the victim’s race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. Federal hate crime laws violate the Tenth Amendment’s limitations on federal power. Hate crime laws may also violate the First Amendment guaranteed freedom of speech and religion by criminalizing speech federal bureaucrats define as “hateful.”

There is no evidence that local governments are failing to apprehend and prosecute criminals motivated by prejudice, in comparison to the apprehension and conviction rates of other crimes. Therefore, new hate crime laws will not significantly reduce crime. Instead of increasing the effectiveness of law enforcement, hate crime laws undermine equal justice under the law by requiring law enforcement and judicial system officers to give priority to investigating and prosecuting hate crimes. Of course, all decent people should condemn criminal acts motivated by prejudice. But why should an assault victim be treated by the legal system as a second-class citizen because his assailant was motivated by greed instead of hate?

HR 1592, like all hate crime laws, imposes a longer sentence on a criminal motivated by hate than on someone who commits the same crime with a different motivation. Increasing sentences because of motivation goes beyond criminalizing acts; it makes it a crime to think certain thoughts. Criminalizing even the vilest hateful thoughts--as opposed to willful criminal acts--is inconsistent with a free society.

HR 1592 could lead to federal censorship of religious or political speech on the grounds that the speech incites hate. Hate crime laws have been used to silence free speech and even the free exercise of religion. For example, a Pennsylvania hate crime law has been used to prosecute peaceful religious demonstrators on the grounds that their public Bible readings could incite violence. One of HR 1592’s supporters admitted that this legislation could allow the government to silence a preacher if one of the preacher’s parishioners commits a hate crime. More evidence that hate crime laws lead to censorship came recently when one member of Congress suggested that the Federal Communications Commission ban hate speech from the airwaves.

Hate crime laws not only violate the First Amendment, they also violate the Tenth Amendment. Under the United States Constitution, there are only three federal crimes: piracy, treason, and counterfeiting. All other criminal matters are left to the individual states. Any federal legislation dealing with criminal matters not related to these three issues usurps state authority over criminal law and takes a step toward turning the states into mere administrative units of the federal government.

Because federal hate crime laws criminalize thoughts, they are incompatible with a free society. Fortunately, President Bush has pledged to veto HR 1592. Of course, I would vote to uphold the president’s veto.

Answer 2

These bills are the real deal! If they pass forget free speech! Almost all talk radio, political and religious web sites would be shut down. Get mad and call your neighbor a name and do serious prison time for it! These bills are sponsored by ultra left (Make communists look conservative!) Zionist scumbag ADL! This is a hate speech as I do hate these scum! I don't know how these hate spreading scum are allowed to have so much power in our country but, no mistake, they certainly do! Not that it has anything what so ever with their being Jewish, I have no idea if they all are but I do know they are Zionists a completely different thing!
Understand these bills are far more than they seem as they allow the fed to have legal jurisdiction in the several states with the states becoming subordinate in these matters. This is a very serious erosion of state sovereignty. The bureaucracy that will be created to support this is truly awesome! It will cost billions and where will the money come from? I don't have a clue. Read a lot more about it in Ted Pikes web site Sign up for his news letter so we all can fight this huge pending erosion of our most basic rights!

Answer 3

Here is some more stuff about it - note "physically violent"

Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007

LLEHCRA would expand hate-crimes coverage to include physically violent crimes in which the perpetrator was motivated by hatred of the victim's sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability.

*A simple google search for "h.r.1592" would have spared me the trouble.

Opposition to the bill:

Some social and religious conservatives are opposed to the bill because they feel it will criminalize religious hate speech on the topic of homosexuality. A second reason is that it would treat sexual orientation in the same protected group of classes as religion, and race.

Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition, a fundamentalist Christian group, said:

"It's on a very fast track. ... This bill begins to lay the legal foundation and framework to investigate, prosecute and persecute pastors, business owners, and anyone else whose actions are based upon, and reflect, the truths found in the Bible."

Sen. Gordon H. Smith, (R-OR), a sponsor of the Senate bill, disagreed, saying that it would not restrict freedom of speech. He said:

"Unless they believe part of their religion is the practice of violence against others, they should not be affected by this bill,"

Answer 4

Motive and intent should always be weighed when determining the evils of crime. the judge will determine if it is a hate crime or not, and will act accordingly. Only in an uncivilized justice system, would two men getting into a fight, because of a dispute, be sentenced to the same punishment as someone who beats up a woman, just because she is a woman, or attacks another man, just because of his sexual preference. There is no legislation of thought here. Once thought is transferred to action, it is no longer a thought, but an action based on a particular motivation. There are many acts of violence committed out of love, simply for the fact when a person loves and is betrayed they lose their head. this is why it isn't considered premeditated. Should a person who temporarily loses their sanity out of grief suffer the same consequences as a person who calculates every move and plans every action leading up to the death of another? We haven't thought so, as a society, yet. Should someone recieve the same punishment for losing their head, when coming home to find their spouse cheating on them, as they would if they perpatrated the same act of violence on someone just because they are jewish, or black, or white? We haven't thought so, as a society, yet. So there shouldn't be any reason, that we shouldn't think as a society that greater punishment for a motive that causes the greatest amount of crime, and is based on bigotry, shouldn't be punished much harsher.

Answer 5

I was just reading about that myself.

I heard a clip about it on the news a few days ago too.

It ranks right up there with "family" and "marriage" equaling hate speech!

We are in big trouble Earnest. BIG trouble.

I don't have a particular care about the sin of the matter . . . that I leave to the JUDGE of all . . . I am very much worried about our Freedoms of Speech being violated from every direction.

I worry that we stand on the brink of "1984."

We can NOT stand for this.

This is socialism turning into communism/fascism in our own lifetimes.

Answer 6

I could not find the HR bill the SB did not make any sense at all. I emailed your Questions and the first part of the bill to Senator Bingaman, Jeff- (D - NM) asking for clarification. He is a liberal but he has always given me straight up answers on things like this. I don't always like the answers; but they are always the way it is.

Answer 7

Remember the church that lost their tax exemption because the Pastor had campaign literature on a table in the foyer that was against Clinton and his stance on abortion when he was running for his second term. Hillery went after them with the I.R.S. They weren't the only ones. Special rights. It is the right is wrong and wrong is right. It is the attack of those that do not want anyone to have a belief or morals that differ from theirs. Earnest, look at the so called questions that degrade people of faith on this site. There is no tolerance for those that prefer to live their lives in a moral fashion.

Answer 8

I have heard rumors of this bill looks like I am going to do time for hate crime, That is what dissent is all about and I dissent on the immigration bill. Thamks E for being my friend but keep in mind the Liberals are not happy in liberal land because our folks in congress are gridlocking their slush fund for Liberal piggys read about earmarks

Answer 9

It is a great bill just got done reading it.

Hate speech against homosexuals can also be the same hate speech against Christians.

So according to this bill if liberals say anything against lets say Pat Robertson that can be define as hate speech and can face jail time.

So thank you liberals for give a law to conservative Christians to come after liberals speech.

Good job.

Answer 10

H.R. 1592 permits prosecution of those who encourage or commit violence due to many things, including sexual preference. It also prohibits use of TV, radio and other public media from broadcasting hate speech.

If you read the last chapter, you will see this:

SEC. 8. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

Nothing in this Act, or the amendments made by this Act, shall be construed to prohibit any expressive conduct protected from legal prohibition by, or any activities protected by the free speech or free exercise clauses of, the First Amendment to the Constitution
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S.1105 permits prosecution of those who actually commit such crimes.

I don't have a problem with it, do you? And WHY?