“Hate crimes” part 10


“‘I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest….’” Isaiah 62: 6 (NIV)

“Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” James 4: 17 (NIV)

I posted the following (along with the complete article) on May 8th, 2009. Tonight, I’m posting the “Download this half-sheet flyer” linked in that post. The link should still be good. The original link:

“IFI E-Alert: ‘Hate Crimes’ Bill Moves to U.S. Senate
by Kathy Valente, Policy Analyst—Illinois Family Institute

Federal issue

On April 29th, the U.S. House of Representatives approved and passed H.R. 1913 by a 249-175 vote (I posted the roll call vote of the House of Representatives for that bill on May 12th—my addition.). The ‘Hate Crimes’ bill, if signed into law, would allow courts to prosecute any crime ‘motivated by prejudice’ against protected characteristics, which include ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity.’

Take ACTION: 1.) Download this half-sheet flyer and distribute it to everyone you know in Illinois, including your church. 2.) Click HERE to send an email or a fax to our U.S. Senators, Dick Durbin and Roland Burris.” (Using the “Click HERE” link should give you an opportunity to email any U.S. Senator and not just the two Senators from Illinois—my addition.)

The half-sheet flyer put into my format:

“Urgent! Call U.S. Senators Durbin & Burris
Oppose S. 909—Hate Crimes Bill (In the House of Representatives it is H.R. 1913. The “S.” in S. 909 stands for “Senate”—my addition.)

H.R. 1913 passed out of the House of Representatives (The original copy said “Congress” but that is wrong. Congress is both the House and the Senate. The bill DID pass in the House of Representatives—my addition.) on April 29th and will be heard in the U.S. Senate, now being called S. 909. It will allow the federal government to prosecute 2 identical crimes differently if one victim is a homosexual, cross-dresser or has a different gender confusion disorder.

It’s Unconstitutional!

The 14th Amendment Guarantees ‘Equal Protection’ NOT ‘Special Protection’.

Christians and pastors in Sweden, England, Canada, and Philadelphia have already been prosecuted under hate crime laws for expressing disapproval of homosexual behavior and even sharing the Gospel. In some jurisdictions ‘hate crimes’ have been defined as hate speech, intimidation, and verbal assault. This shows contempt for the moral views of millions.

It Infringes on Freedom of Speech and Religion.

Miss California, Carrie Prejean, could have been charged with a ‘hate crime’ for her views on same-sex marriage if S. 909 was already law. What could constitute a ‘hate crime’ under this bill is a homosexual man or woman claiming they were discriminated against and hurt by what was said. (This section is weak since it speculates about future interpretations of the “law” and I personally would have included other material rather than this. See all my posts on this issue starting with my May 5th post. I’m posting the flyer in its entirety without trying to edit out the weaker portions of the text—my addition.)

It Punishes Thoughts, Not Actions. (It punishes perceived thoughts, which is even worse, since no one can know with certainty the thoughts of an individual as he is committing a crime—my addition.)

Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), a judge (He was a judge. Of course, when he became a Congressman, he gave up his judgeship—my addition), claims that no matter what proponents of the bill are saying now, no one can predict how it will be interpreted by future courts. (Unfortunately, this is absolutely true. We now have mothers MURDERING their unborn babies by Court edict and the sin of homosexual behavior allowed as a “right” by Court fiat—my addition.)

All criminal actions must be vigorously prosecuted. All victims must be treated equally. The U.S. Senate must reject S. 909

Call Senator Durbin (202) 224-2152 and Senator Burris (202) 224-2854.

For more information (read all of my posts—my addition), go to http://www.illinoisfamily.org/ or call IFI (Illinois Family Institute—my addition) at (708) 781-9328.”