tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6812763.post-15198305426055586792007-05-04T09:16:00.000-05:002007-05-07T09:22:25.796-05:00The House voted yesterday in favor of H.R. 1592. 237 voted in favor of the bill while 180 voted against. The bill would add "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to the list of groups protected by the federal hate crimes bill. The bill sounds inocuous enough, but in reality it would regulate what people say about homosexuality. It would essentially put a limitation on our freedom of speech to teach from the Bible that homosexuality is morally wrong from God's perspective. There is similar legislation working it's way through the Senate and if it's approved President Bush says he will veto the bill.<br /><br />Here are some quotes from people opposing the bill.<br /><br />Dr. James C. Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, warned that the true intent of the bill was "to muzzle people of faith who dare to express their moral and biblical concerns about homosexuality." If you read the Bible in a certain way, he told his broadcast listeners, "you may be guilty of committing a 'thought crime."'<br /><br />The White House issued a "Statement of Administration Policy" shortly before the vote indicating that President Bush might veto the legislation, if it passes the Senate and is sent to his desk.<br />"The Administration favors strong criminal penalties for violent crime, including crime based on personal characteristics such as race, color, religion, or national origin," the statement said. "However, the Administration believes that H.R. 1592 is unnecessary and constitutionally questionable. If H.R. 1592 were presented to the President, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill."<br /><br />"This unconstitutional bill would effectively give the federal government authority to punish American citizens for 'thought crimes' — a concept that has Big Brother written all over it. There are already state and local laws on the books that punish violent crime against any and all Americans," said Boehner, R-Ohio.<br /><br />"Our criminal justice system has been built on the ideal of equal justice for all," said Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, top Republican on the Judiciary Committee. "Under this bill justice will no longer be equal, but depend on the race, sex, sexual orientation, disability or status of the victim." “For example, criminals who kill a homosexual will be punished more harshly than criminals who kill a police officer, a member of the military, a child, a senior citizen or any other person,” he said. “All victims should have equal worth in the eyes of the law.”<br /><br />The White House said state and local criminal laws already cover the new crimes defined under the bill and there was "no persuasive demonstration of any need to federalize such a potentially large range of violent crime enforcement."<br /><br />What do you think about this issue?Creitznoreply@blogger.com