WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The White House has threatened to veto a bill passed by the House of Representatives on Thursday that expands hate-crime laws to include attacks based on sexual orientation or gender.
Under current law, hate crimes are subject to federal prosecution only if the acts of violence are motivated by race, religion, color or national origin. Federal prosecutors get involved only if the victim is engaged in a federally protected activity, such as voting or participating in interstate commerce.
The White House says there is no need for the expanded bill because state and local laws already cover the crimes it addresses, and there is no need for federal enforcement.
In addition to allowing greater leeway for federal law enforcement authorities to investigate hate crimes, the House bill -- which was passed on a 237-180 vote --provides $10 million over the next two years to aid local prosecutions.
A similar bill has been introduced in the Senate, but no date has been set for a vote.
So, he'll veto the bill because it's redundant? I love this logic because, you see, it's very well aligned with the way we've written laws to this point. There's absolutely no redundancy in US federal and state laws.
Come on, man! Why would you veto this bill? It sets out a firm protection in the law for two additional groups of people who are targeted by others simply because they are members of these groups. That's what sets these crimes apart. Not only is an individual targeted, the group as a whole is targeted. These crimes are perpetrated to make a statement, to intimidate, and, for this reason, they should be highlighted in our laws. When we allow the actions of some to cause entire groups of people to live in fear of having similar crimes committed against them only because they are a member of the group we are allowing an egregious injustice to go on occurring. This bill would be a small step in the right direction...a codification of our moral outrage against the perpetrators of these crimes. To simply say that they will spend their lives in prison for committing these crimes is not enough, we must condemn not only the result but also the intent and the motivation of such heinous crimes.
As for this argument from Rep. Feeney (R - Fla):
"What it does is to say that the dignity, the property, the life of one person gets more protection than another American. That's just wrong," he said.
GIVE ME A BREAK! It says that we will not allow groups of people to be made targets, simple as that. We do just fine putting up the barriers the Representative is speaking about without codifying them in laws...
Mr. President, don't veto this bill.
1 comment:
I think an even more disturbing quote comes from the always-thoughtful James Dobson, via the AP. Dobson told reporters that the proposed bill was intended "to muzzle people of faith who dare to express their moral and biblical concerns about homosexuality.” He added: "If you read the Bible in a certain way, you may be guilty of committing a ’thought crime.'"
Dobson, please. This has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with the Bible. This bill extends the current hate crime coverage to homosexuals, women, transsexuals and the disabled. It does nothing to quell your legal, yet bigoted, right to "morally" (I still don't understand how it's a morally justifiable position to oppose entire groups of people because of their differences) object to homosexuality.
You can be a bigot all you want, you can spew hate, but when an injury, whether physical or mental, is incurred on your behalf, on the behalf of your terrible language and distorted way of thinking, American citizens should be protected.
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