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Remove Religion from Federal hate crime laws?
The Religious Right has argued against everything from local anti-bullying laws to Federal hate crime laws, and everything in between, when expanded to include sexual orientation. They argue that they're unnecessary and will result in increased litigation and bogus accusations, and that it would give special status and protection to gays and lesbians
Given the fact that religion- clearly a lifestyle choice- is already given this special status, and that by their own arguments the inclusion of religion is redundant and encourages litigation, and that unlike sexual orientation, I am aware of no incidents in the U.S. where a person was assaulted, and where local authorities failed to act or prosecute appropriately, due to a person's religious beliefs except when they were inciting a riot. Hate crimes laws permit Federal authorities to step in and offer assistance in instances of a hate crime, which can be more difficult to solve due to its tendency to be a random act by a stranger.
I guess the question is- where was the Religious Right when Religion was inserted in the first place, and why do they not now support the repeal of such a special class of protection, since Religion- unlike race- is a "lifestyle choice"?
Barefoot- I agree with you 100%. The difficulty is that, particularly in the South and other socially Conservative areas, there is a demonstrated history of failing to investigate and prosecute crimes based on race and sexual orientation on the same level as other crimes, or crimes against white heterosexuals. The "gay panic defense"- he looked at me, so I beat him up- is still being employed in such jurisdictions, and allowed to be used as a mitigating factor in jury deliberations and sentencing. And a sheriff up for re-election may be disinclined to properly investigate an attack against a gay person, as they were similarly disinclined when the KKK used to burn crosses on the front lawns of black families. Until sheriffs, prosecutors, and judges cease to be locally elected politicians, I see it as an essential safeguard against local corruption.
6 Answers
- barefoot_yankLv 41 decade agoFavorite Answer
The only thing I don't understand is why we have hate crime laws in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I'm a far left liberal....live and let live. But to me, if someone is beating someone up and yelling, "I'm beating you because you're a Jew", that's no different than someone beating someone else up and not yelling anything. You still have some violent idiot beating someone up. (and extrapolate...beating, murdering, etc) The crime is the same, the motivation is the only difference. For crying out loud, it's wrong to beat or hurt people, period.
- 1 decade ago
I agree. Religion is a choice and should not be protected by federal hate crime laws.
Source(s): I'm pleased to read questions like yours. It gives me hope. - ?Lv 44 years ago
My understanding of racial profiling differs from yours. Racial profiling (contained in the united kingdom a minimum of) is in accordance to an diagnosis of crimes committed through the race of the perpetrator and then concentrating aspects on that ethnic team. An celebration might want to be: higher percentage of black adult males thinking street knife crime, for this reason provide up and search for added black adult males. it really is, for sure, self-pleasing - in case you provide up a higher occurrence of youthful asian adult males or youthful white adult males, then the percentage of that team thinking wearing a knife will enhance expotentially. If, on the different hand, the police have a document of a cutting-edge housebreaking committed through a 6 foot narrow black male, and they provide up and search for a chain of 6ft narrow black adult males contained in the instantaneous section, which could not racial profiling - it really is merely appearing on an outline of the criminal.
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- Anonymous1 decade ago
UPDATE: The U.S. House of Representatives passed federal "hate crimes" bill H.R. 1592 by a vote of 237 to 180 today, Thursday, May 3, 2007. However, the White House issued a statement prior to its passing, stating that President Bush would veto such legislation if it gains Senate approval and heads to his desk.
"We must continue to pray and raise our voices against all thought crimes legislation, and also work to repeal similar state laws," Repent America director Michael Marcavage stated upon hearing of the vote and veto declaration. "Those who hate God are working to criminalize those who love Him, and they are making great strides to see that it happens. We must not remain silent as our liberty to freely speak the Word of God and the Gospel message is being threatened by those who are framing mischief by a law," Marcavage concluded.
LIFT UP THY VOICE AS THE FIRST AMENDMENT NEARS DEATH 4/27
PHILADELPHIA – Repent America (RA) is urgently calling Christians not to exercise their "right to remain silent" as the federal "hate crimes" bill proposal, H.R. 1592, heads for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, May 3, 2007.
"H.R. 1592 is an unnecessary, unconstitutional, and un-American bill, which, with the aid of homosexual-friendly prosecutors, will be used to criminalize Christians for their thoughts, beliefs, and speech," stated Repent America director Michael Marcavage. "The silence of the American church, together with the unrelenting rage of the ungodly, will soon result in the widespread incarceration of true believers," said Marcavage.
In October of 2004, eleven Christians with RA were arrested while ministering and preaching the Word of God and the Gospel message on the public streets and sidewalks of Philadelphia during a taxpayer-funded celebration of homosexuality. After spending 21 hours in jail, the District Attorney’s office charged the eleven under Pennsylvania’s hate crimes law, along with a host of other felony and misdemeanor charges. These charges were later dismissed, but if convicted, the Christians would have faced up to 47 years in prison and $90,000 in fines each.
"If H.R. 1592 is passed and signed into law, it will go beyond the state’s anti-‘hate’ arsenal, and supply federal prosecutors with the ammunition to police our thoughts, beliefs, and speech with even much broader applications," Marcavage said. "The First Amendment is already on life support, particularly as it applies to religious liberty. Christians must diligently work to revive our liberties by working to stop the homosexual agenda and its allies from pulling the plug. Otherwise, preparations should be made for the funeral, but this time without the preacher," Marcavage concluded.
"Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? … Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?" (Psalm 94:16, 20)
- Anonymous1 decade ago
This was literally one of the most well thought out posts I have ever read!
If you have not choosen your career path yet consider politics or law.
AMAZING POINT!