In the war of ideas those who believe only they have Truth on their side often find they provide the best ammunition for their opponents. This is certainly true in the hysterical reaction on the extreme religious right’s opposition to hate crime legislation. They worry that prohibiting the encouragement of violence against certain groups will have a "chilling effect" on religious free speech.
Majority Leader Harry Reid has reaffirmed his plans to have the Senate take up a so-called hate-crimes bill before Congress' August recess.
In a Monday news conference, Reid, D-Nev., called hate crimes "a unique brand of evil."
"A violent act may physically hurt just a single victim and cause grief for loved ones," he said. "But hate crimes do more. They distress entire communities."
In response, Ashley Horne, federal policy analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said Reid has it backwards. A hate-crimes law, she said, could distress entire communities – particularly Christian churches.
"As we've seen in other nations where such laws are passed, they can have a chilling effect on the free speech of those who would simply share from the Bible God's views on issues such as homosexuality," she explained. "Hate-crimes laws are unnecessary in a civil society like ours based on the rule of law.
"All crimes are hate crimes," she added, "To give special status to certain groups of people allows courts to reach beyond punishing people for the illegal acts they commit and judge them for what they may or may not be thinking as they commit those acts."
As for Reid's pledge to push for a vote on a hate-crimes bill before the end of summer, Horne said its old news.
"That's nothing new," she said. "What we do see here is that Democrats in Congress who are pushing this legislation forward really just have a solution looking for a problem."
The religious right seems to believe that opposing hatred of gays may remove the stigma they wish society to brand on certain individuals. In a bizarre video found here, Gary Bauer explains that hate crime laws are fronts for advancing the “homosexual agenda”. He even trots out a black minister who explains that in the race to be oppressed gays have nothing on African-Americans. It would appear that American fundamentalist right wing Christians have added an 11th Commandment: Thou shalt hate gay people above all others.
Comments
We need to call "hate crimes" what they are, which is domestic terrorism. By definition, a terrorist act is a random violent attack on a member of a target population intended to terrorize all of them. That's exactly what "hate crimes" are, and until we start labeling them properly we'll never deal with them properly.
My problem with "hate crime" legislation is that we are making thought in essence, a crime. Laws punish action, not motivation. No one is obligated to like anyone else, but they do have to respect their rights like everyone else. I don't care if the KKK does'nt like me; it DOES have to respect my rights. Are the acts of the previous adminstration right because of their "motivations" or wrong because of their actions? The actions of a sociopath and the racist have the same result, their motivations are irrelevant. Terrorist acts are covered by laws under "murder","sabotage" and all other provisions within statutes. These new laws will only serve to bring an element of ambiguity that was not originally present that will make prosecutions unecessarily complicated and add a dimension of deliberaton to juries that may add more confusion.
Why are these types of Christians so worried about some "homosexual agenda" anyway? Do they not read the words that the man they call thier "Savior" had to say about loving others? Of course not- they instead turn to the Old Testament, which promotes violence and killing, to justify thier hatred of anything and anyone not like them. They all need to toss the Old Testament out the window, and pay more attention to what thier Christ had to say- they DO claim to be CHRISTians, after all.
Angelo, if someone attacked you on the street, and mugged you for your wallet, that is a crime, plain and simple. But, what if someone breaks your windows, sprays swastikas on your car, rapes your wife and daughter, and hangs you from a tree outside your home, all in an effort to show others like you that you are not accepted, and never will be? The first example is a crime, but the second was motivated by a hatred sostrongthat the perpetrators cannot even accept that you are a human being. Unfortunately, most who commit crimes like the latter one do so under the guise of "protecting" thier own
"race" or "religions" so-called beliefs. Crime targets randomly, hate crimes target an entire segment of society.
I think you're right on Kitty. Domestic terrorism is the proper way to label these acts of violence intended to strike fear in a particular population.
Amazing how the so-called "christians" (lower case intended) always refre bck to the Old Testament instead of embracing Jesus' words like " do unto others as you would hve them do unto you," love thy neighbor as thyself", and of course."Let he who be without fault cast the first stone". This is not about limiting thought or free speech, it is about stopping violence motivated by hate! If were about free speech, they'd shut down Fox news for yelling "FIre" in a crowded theater! (I wish).
While the newest organizing principle of the so called Christian right is targeted on hating homosexuals, it seems like what they hate above all else are the beatitudes.
These protest by the so called religious right show their moral or i should say lack of moral character.Hate speech leads to hate crimes.The fundamentalist church use to be the backbone of the KKK.This more then anything promotes violence and instills fear preventing free speech.one of the goals of Fundamentalist leaders is to overthrow the US government and make us a theocracy.We need laws to control these terrorist because that is what they are,although they consider themselves twisted Christians
Angelo: "The actions of a sociopath and the racist have the same result,"
Angelo sounds Latino, are you and all of your relatives here legally? Would you mind showing us your green card? Can you prove that you are not carrying TB or some other third world illness that will infect "Real" Americans? Some dirty folks cross illegally you know. Have you heard the plight of Good sister Shawana Forde? She's being persecuted in Arizona on some trumped charges invovling her good work keeping "Undesirable" Latinos out of this country. Hopefull Angelo, you just one of those Mafioso EyeTalians and not one of those wet..Latinos.
Anyway, hate crimes differ in that they are meant to intimidate an entire class of people. That's why News programs make a point of letting us know that a murder or crime was not random. So we can feel assured that there aren't random killers out to get us. Hate crimes are the opposite. Folks in the class, race, whatever, attacked are meant to know that CAN be attacked!
The Religious Right is neither. They are a group of sheeple who don't think on their own, have little true spiritual sense, and have lost their ability to find the real truths that come from being in touch with our heart. Yet this group should not be hated for their limited thinking but be treated with compassion as a truly spiritual person would do.
Hate is only for those that are ignorant of higher human wisdom.
joseph at www.explorelifeblog.com
"The tendency to claim God for our partisan value and ends, is the source of all religious fanaticism." --Reinhold Neibuhr
Ron,
Great article... what's the source of the anti-Semitic poster image? Far too droll for the anti-hate crimes folks to appreciate.
I see the Religious Wingnuts are standing firmly in solidarity with their Brother Fred Phelps.
"As we've seen in other nations where such laws are passed, they can have a chilling effect on the free speech of those who would simply share from the Bible God's views on issues such as homosexuality,"
-- Ashley Horne, quoted in article
With that statement. Ashley Horne is admitting that the bible is hate speech.
Angelo, I'm still thinking this one over (for unintended consequences) but doesn't intent, or "motivation" as you put it, already come into play in jury deliberations?
First-degree murder vs. second-degree murder etc.?
I HATE PEOPLE WHO HATE PEOPLE!!!
But I just love ironing out the irony.
If you take away the religious right's right to hate, what do they have left?
There's only one fundamental difference between the right wing evangelical christians and muslim terrorists...the muslim terrorists are a million times more intelligent...
We have laws that attenuate sentences for crimes. A person that kills someone in a fight usually gets a lower sentence than someone that planned a murder.
A crime committed against a person simply because of his race, religion or sexual orientation should carry a heavier sentence.
A hate crime law would not prohibit a person from spewing hateful speech. A physical threat lodged against others during that speech is already illegal.
I am sure Ashley Horne would want the harshest punishment possible for a hate crime against herself, her friends or her church.
This is utterly lacking in moral value...
In my country, Jesus is against hate.
I find it impossible to believe that ANYONE could come out against this kind of legislation. There is nothing uglier than someone being a target for violence or simply discrimination because he/she practices a religion, loves the wrong adult, or was born either darker or lighter than someone else.
To allow this kind of hateful and hurtful crime to continue speaks volumes about those out there who are just fine with the status quo. It says there must be high levels of hatred in those protesting this anti-hate bill.
Lastly, I've seen the most ludicrous argument on this site. Angelo feels this is a thought crime bill. It is NOT. It is a bill in defense of the persecuted. This is a bill that protects against those who would infringe upon the civil rights of another based upon something related to a group of people, not simply a hatred of an individual. This is a special kind of crime.... A hate crime. Please, open your eyes.
These so called Christians need to keep the "focus" on their own damn family(s). We don't need their brand of hateful religion.
I would like Ashley Horne to divulge the names of these "other countries" where this type of legislation has allegedly gone so wrong.....
Uh, ya see, the problem is that the bible is hate literature and should be opposed.
The pretend christians, those mentioned in the article just to name a few, need hate and fear to bilk their congregations of fools out of the money they beg for daily. Their congregations of fools are insulted, called foul names by the phony preachers calling themselves christians, who then beg for money from those just insulted and the fools give them money. It's on TV and fear and hate are the prominent topics. These TV programs are the showcases of American gullibility and ignorance, something not overlooked by the politicians and business communities who foster fear and hate starting with TV ads to creating unnecessary wars, all meant to bilk Americans out of their money. It's institutionalized co-dependency really, which gives it legitimacy. Co-dependency is a mental illness when people take on the problems of others because they lack a self identity so their identity is provided for them such a patriot, christians, Klansman, and so forth.
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