April 20, 2009 11:35 AM

Hate Crimes Coming to a Vote in Congress

UPDATE: On Wednesday, April 22, the House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on so-called “hate crimes” legislation, which would give “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” the same federal protection as race. The bill was introduced by U.S. Representative John Conyers of Michigan on April 2, and a few days ago it already had 42 co-sponsors.

The problem with hate crimes legislation efforts such as HR 1913, is that they go beyond providing equal protection under the law, to adding additional penalties based upon assumed beliefs or thoughts. This can lead to discrimination against religious views, and Gary points out that this is already taking place in Canada.

Please contact the House Judiciary Committee regarding the "Hate Crimes" bill, HR 1913, at this toll-free number:
877-851-6437

Representative John Conyers
202-225-5126

LaMar Smith, the ranking minority leader can be contacted at:
202-225-4236

Contact your own representatives through the Capitol Switchboard
202-224-3121 or
202-225-3121

More information is available from Liberty Counsel at

http://lc.org/index.cfm?PID=14100&PRID=799

And also from the April 17, 2009 Crosstalk program:

http://www.crosstalkamerica.com/shows/2009/04/hate_crimes_vote_next_week.php