U.S. Congress - S.909 Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act
S.909 - Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act
A bill to provide Federal assistance to States, local jurisdictions, and Indian tribes to prosecute hate crimes, and for other purposes. view all titles (3)
All Bill Titles
- Official: A bill to provide Federal assistance to States, local jurisdictions, and Indian tribes to prosecute hate crimes, and for other purposes. as introduced.
- Popular: Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act as introduced.
- Short: Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act as introduced.
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Displaying 301-330 of 457 total comments.
Kim… you are basing your fear of this bill on the words of people whom are ripe with an agenda. When you say they fear that the threat to free speech is real… if you read what what many of these people follow that with you come to realize they are trying to scare you. For example most follow that with talk of canadian laws or european laws. This law is a hate crimes acts law, not a speech law like the canadian law is… I have read both s 909 and the canadian hate speech law… no similarities at all… but they know the average christian won’t do that, so they get away with inflaming the masses. Don’t be a blind mindless sheep … read and research the actual bills themselves.
Kim… this bill has been brought out by way more than just just the homosexual population… so to say that we support it as the first step to silencing the christians is ludicrous… especially given that the vast majority of homosexuals in this country happen to be christian. I am actually one of the few that I know who are not. So why would they be trying to silence themselves? Secondly they went to the trouble to actually address the issue of freedom of speech in the bill and to include religion as a protected class. As I have said gay people are not the only group mentioned as a protected group. Virtually all people are included if it can be shown that the criminal attacked them purely out of hate.
Kim… you are right juries by the way would ultimately be deciding the mens rea (intent) of the criminal in these cases. attornies would simply be stating the evidence that supports and refutes what the intent of the criminal was.
Hating someone is not a crime and is not punishable under any current law or this law, however, targeting a victim simply because of their race, religion, gender identity.. etc and then physically attacking them is. Eric Holder summed it up nicely friday night when he said that this bill is ment to provide help for those who have historically been persecuted in this country for no other reason than for who they are. Now I realize that many white americans feel that any time a minority group is granted any help that you are discriminating against them. If you actually are not educated in the realities of this culture by now then let me enlighten you.
One of my friends from back home in the south just stated to me last night how some lady came up to her and said " You shouldn’t come out in public like that, somebody someday is going to beat you up." This lady didn’t even know her and she didn’t know them. Now let me ask why would some stranger make a comment like that. Especially if gay people aren’t targeted. Another example I was recently a part of getting national sponsorship pulled from the Rob, Arnie, and Dawn radio talk show in Sacramento California, because they felt it was appropriate to spend the bulk of a two hour radio show advocating both violence and harrashment toward transgendered children in schools
The shows content centered around the elementary transgendered student in Omaha Nebraska. No, gay people aren’t being targeted unfairly. This was a child for gods sake. I was recently in Washington state doing battle with christian right in regards to referendum 71 which is an attempt to reverse domestic partnership rights. (not marriage because they don’t have that yet) Oh no the GLBT population is not being unfairly targeted
When was the last time your right to marry was under attack, your were told I wouldn’t go out in public as a female, cause someone might beat you up, or three disc jockeys in a state 2000 miles away from you advocated violence against you personally let alone you as a child. So you don’t see a need and you call yourself a christian??? I don’t see christian groups organizing to strip rights from heterosexual adulterers, or liers (I mean preachers) and both of those acts break one of the cardinal top ten rules of christianity.
Oh and while i’m on it I will note that a lot of so called christians called in to support Rob and Arnie for their comments. As I have stated before I won’t lower my soul to the current US christian churches band neither would Jesus
And finally Kim… Try living a month as a transgendered female in rural america…. then you can come back here and refute me on the need for hate crimes laws.. that is if your still living. Most from those settings have to move to escape to escape serious harm … try it if you don’t believe me. I realize it would be hard for u given you are already female… so have your son do it if you have one…. I mean you don’t feel there is any threat to these people … so what would be the risk.
When I was teaching at a catholic high school in lousville ky, I can tell you that the abuse that this young gay ninth grader took from her classmates was unbelievable and then to hear some of the comments parents and teachers made.. wow… ya I wouldn’t lower my soul to the christian label.
Krystal, I am trying to follow every one of your comments so please forgive me if I miss one of you points.
1 why would they try to scare me? what would be the point in that?
2 You said “targeting a victim simply because of their race, religion, gender identity.. etc and then physically attacking them is.” If you comit a crime against someone why does it matter what motivated you to do it? It is the attack that should be punshed not what motivated you to attack.
3 You said” why would some stranger make a comment like that. Especially if gay people aren’t targeted” I never said “gay people” are or are not targeted. My question was if there is already legislation on the books to deter crime why do we need additioal legislation that tries to determine what motivated the person to comit the crime
4 I have not heard the “Rob, Arnie, and Dawn radio show” so there is no way I could comment on that. If you have a website with the broadcast I would be glad to listen
1 I do not believer in “domestic partnership rights” Marriage is a union between one man and one woman. I’m sorry if you don’t like that, but I don’t like gravity either because any time I transfer out of my wheel chair I am subjec to falling because of gravity that’s just the way life is
2 My marriage have never been under attackk I have never been told if I go out dressed like a man I may be beat up (because I have never even thought to do that) and I don’t know if anyone has or has not suggested violence against me for any of the many reasons you could hate me, but what I do know is that if someone committed violence against me if they were caught they would be prosecuted and the reason why they did it should not be a factor. And the answer to that question is no I don’t see a need for additioal punnishment for what motivates a person to comit a crime.
7 What do you mean by your comment “don’t see christian groups organizing to strip rights from heterosexual adulterers, or liers (I mean preachers) and both of those acts break one of the cardinal top ten rules of christianity.” Exactly what right would be stripped from you if this bill does not pass?
8 Since you were on Rob and Arnie I can not tell you if I support their possition or not because I have never heard them
9And finanaly I would never try and live a month as a transgender in any place in the world because that goes agains evey law and all of nature, but I do try to live every day as a christian and John 15:8 and 1 John 3:13 says If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. And Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.. I actualy expect to be hated because of God’s word, but I do not see the need for a law that would increase the pentalty for someone who attacked me for my belief.
Tina I am assuming that I am the MsMamm you were speaking to on July 20. I read thru all of our dialogue and have never once referred to 1st Corinthians 5:26 but If you’ll give me a date I will go back and look.. As far as Leviticus 18:22 that was an example where the act of homosexuality is in the bible. Your words dated July 17 2009 state “I never found the word homosexuality in the Bible”. That statement gives the impression to anyone who has never read the bible that God has nothing to say about the act of homosexuality(which I proved by Leviticus and Romans it does). As I stated on July 19th I agree with the whole bible. This includes the 10 commandment and it also includes 2nd Timothy 3:16. The key words in 1st John 3:9 are born of God Are you suggesting because I quoted scripture to you that proves your statement was mileading the I am somehow sinning?
Kim, the bible still dose not say the word ‘Homosexual,’ and should be considered arbitrary, simply because back in the day, Soldiers who were away from their homes took unto themselves boys and slaves for personal gratification, while they had wives and children back home waiting for their return.
The Bible dose not discuss the individual naure of every individual, you only assume you know.
What comes natural to you dosen’t mean that is what comes natural to your neighbor. You can say what I said was misleading if you want, but the Bible is very contradictory to it’s self. We all have mountains to climb and disabilities to overcome. May God Bless you with knowdedge, understanding, and great wisdom.
Lastly you state 1 John 3:11 which has to do with loving one another. I never said I did not love anyone and never said a malicious word about any sinner ( including homosexuals) all I have stated are bible versus that prove the act of homosexuality is forbidden in the bible. Don’t be angry with me I did not write. I just believer every word in it is true
Kim, Don’t think you are the only voice of the religious right. I was responding to another person who intended to riddle this site with her Bible verses. But your words and sentences truely indicate you hate gays -lesbians – Transgenders, and suffer from honophobia and transphobia. I am not angry with you, I just pitty you, because while you spue Biblically base verses, you fail to show love for your fellow population, and you foolishly fear legislation that would protect you and your church based on imiginary scenarios far reaching from this bill. GOD said, “I did not give you a spirit of fear, but one of love and understanding.” Prove it.
1). The religous right make inflamatory statements daily that are intended to drive their congregations to political action against this bill and they use blazin lies to get that result. Like this is a pedaphile protection bill, or your pastor could go to jail for preaching against homosexuals… etc. None of which is true and they know it. Besides where were all of you at during the early 1990’s when the original hate crimes bill was passed… this version is simply an update to the original with the addition of sexual orientation, and gender identity. Why weren’t you screaming back then. Hmm maybe because it didn’t include the GLBT population.
Kim.. I will first say that the topic of domestic partnership has no real tie to s 909 and I only brought it up to support the notion of the type of attacks levied at the GLBT population. But, since you countered it I will throw my two cents in. I feel your attempt to compare marriage and gravity make absolutely no logical sense and yes I understand that you were not trying to make a direct parallel, but you were trying to say that the two are similar in that they are both universal constants. However the law of gravity is a mathematical relationship that describes the physical pull between two objects that have mass. It is well know that gravity is a constant between all objects in our universe and no matter what legal laws are passed by a government their will be no effect on the function of gravity .. period.
Kim and gravity cont… Your biblical notion of marriage between one man and one women is not a physical constant of the universe. It is simply a belief based on your biblical scripture which I truely believe that you completely believe in, however I and many other US citizens don’t share in your die hard belief in the christian bible. It is merely a comic book to me and if you want to base all of your actions and beliefs on your comic book that is perfectly fine and legal, but has no bearing on US law regarding marriage. I nor any member of the gay community are pressing for christian churches to have to marry a gay couple in their church and that is totally fine. as a matter of fact I wouldn’t want it any other way, for you see I believe in freedom of religion and in the separation of church and state.
You currently have every right to practice your faith and your beliefs with no interference from me… period. Who I marry and choose to spend my life with is honestly none of yours or your christian bretherens business. I’m staying out of yours, so keep out of mine. A civil marriage under the state has no connection to your church…. period, and that is whether you like it or not. I can assure you that if my husband were in a coma in hospital … you nor any human alive would stop me from visiting him. I would kill anyone who tried, especially if they were doing so out of the malice of religion. (If the FBI is reading this…. good… you wouldn’t stop me either)
Enough said on gravity!
Kim … you also comment on how going out as a transgender violates all laws of nature. Hmmmm that’s strange given that I’m a masters degree level biologist and currently looking to get into a phd program and I sure don’t recall any laws pertaining to going as as a transgender. Secondly I am genetically intergendered by birth with the genetic makeup of both male and female (XXY Klinefelters syndrome) which by the way is way more common than one might think (conservatively 1 in every 750) And I can tell you for a fact that hermaphroditic organisms dominate in nature, not the opposite. Secondly, if marriage is a universal constant like you attempted to claim earlier, why is it that no other species on the earth follow that other than a few birds who mate for life… but they are subject to gravity by the way. (Oh could that be that gravity really is a universal constant and marriage is not?)
To me it seems the only reason you would make that statement is that being transgendered violates your law of the norm. I know you will throw up the fact that two of the same gender can’t procreate…. so what that still falls under is your belief in marriage and its purpose. I couldn’t have procreated anyway given that 95% of all intergendered people are sterile. I guess that would mean I wouldn’t have been able to marry in your church anyway. Sure is good US laws are not made by only christians, given that their bible automatically excludes us biologically intergendered people….. Hmmmmm
kim…now as to your comment about stripping rights… I was refering to rights like marriage, taxes, rights to hospital visitation… etc. You are right not passing this bill does not strip any of my rights… we agree on something.. wow.
Now on to your last comment regarding the need for additional legislation above and beyond current laws. I will first agree with the comments I have already stated by US attorney general Eric Holder regarding providing additional layers of protection for historically discriminated against groups. It took federal intervention into the southern states to force both current laws of integration and to prosecute white defendants who were openly victimizing african americans without fear of prosecution by the good old boy law enforcement agencies of the time. Now I will state here for the record that virtually every national law enforcement agency in the US is supporting this bill, but they also are aware that often in rural america prosecution can depend on the percieved value of the victim and often members of these groups listed in the bill are not fully given equal access to fair treatment.
by the way if you look back on my previous comments I have even agreed with you on this notion of the need for this bill over current laws and have asked the public for help here…. but usually the next blogger goes into a biblical tiraid about my going to hell and all.
even without s 909 …the answer is simple by the way…. the christian right will have to come to the understanding that all of us have rights in this country to be productive members of our society and not all of us will be exactly like them. they may have to work and live with and around people who are drastically different then themselves. simply because your coworker may be someone like me an IS/TS, doesn’t prevent you from doing your job, nor does it force you to change your personal religous beliefs. It might force you to come to the reality that people like us exist and we are not here to damn you to hell, but why is that bad. Jesus would have walked with me and you know it.
In regard to Rob, Arnie, and Dawn just go directly to there site and then audio archives from the end of may into early june….. Oh and to Rob and Arnie if you are reading this by any chance…. I’m still after your corporate sponsors
Check out:
http://libertyontrial.com/2009/07/09/2009-hate-criminal-a-1984-redux-in-other-words-honey-we-blew-up-the-constitution/
and
http://fisticuffsandhippies.com/2009/07/09/hate-crime-laws-hate/