Smoky Mountains Sunrise

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Free Speech Concerns Ignored as "Hate Crimes" Bill Passes Fed. Judiciary Committee


From LifeSiteNews
By Kathleen Gilbert

A divided House Judiciary Committee yesterday voted to send a federal "hate crimes" bill to the House, after free speech advocates failed to secure protection for pastors who might preach biblically-based injunctions against homosexual activity.

In a motion almost completely ignored by the mainstream media, the Judiciary Committee voted 15-12 to allow the hotly contested H.R. 1913, known as the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Act of 2009, to go forward.

The measure would grant the federal government a new authority to prosecute any violent crime anywhere in the country that is perceived to be "motivated by prejudice" against a number of protected characteristics, including "sexual orientation" and "gender identity."

Christian leaders are particularly concerned that attempts to secure the right to speak against the homosexual lifestyle and its normalization have failed. Among many rejected proposals for the bill was one offered by Rep. Louis Gohmert, R-Texas, which would have included a clause ensuring ministers could not be prosecuted for abetting a "hate crime" because they preached the Christian perspective on homosexuality.


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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

So if I write an article in my local paper and have a go at gays or something.I can be sued.Or someone like Michael Savage who calls them sodomists.He can be drug into court like Brigette Bardot..right?
If normalcy ever returns can this be repealed?

Daniel J. Cassidy said...

We can see in Canada and Europe, Anon, what this sort of legislation leads to -- the prosecution of Christians for simply proclaiming the Gospel.

This particular legislation is not yet law. It has been reported out of the House Judiciary Committee but must yet be approved by the House and Senate. Hopefully, it will be amended, amended to make it objectionable to its supporters, tabled, or defeated. Christians need to let their Representative and Senators know what they think of this effort to muzzle free speech.