‘Tenther’ Oklahoma Lawmaker Considering Bill To Opt Out Of Hate Crimes Act
‘Tenther’ Oklahoma Lawmaker Considering Bill To Opt Out Of Hate Crimes Act
A common right-wing objection to federal health care legislation is that it’s unconstitutional. So-called “tenthers” argue that the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution never explicitly gives the federal government the right to regulate health care, leaving that power exclusively in the hands of the states. To that end, officials in various states have raised the possibility of passing legislation to exempt their residents from federal health care reform if it passes.
Oklahoma state Sen. Steve Russell (R) is proposing to use the same argument and tactic to try to exempt his state from the recently-passed Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act — which extends hate crimes protections to gays and lesbians — because he claims it infringes on freedom of speech:
Russell said because the government has decided to intervene on issues of morality, he is worried that religious leaders who speak out against any lifestyle could be imprisoned for their speech.
“The law is very vague to begin with,” Russell said. “Sexual orientation is a very vague word that could be extended to extremes like necrophilia.” [...]
Russell said Oklahoma can opt out of the law on the basis of the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
“The bill gives the federal government power that was not given to them in the Constitution,” Russell said. “I am aware of the supremacy of the federal government over state governments, but the federal requirements are vague enough for us to make actions. We just have to be very careful on how we proceed.”
Hate crime protections have been on the books since 1969, but Russell seems to object to only those which protect gays and lesbians. Moreover, Russell and the other tenthers have flimsly legal basis for their claims. The Constitution gives Congress broad power to “provide for the common defense and general welfare,” but as Ian Millhiser noted, tenthers “insist that these words don’t actually mean what they say.” The right-wing fringe believes landmark federal programs such as Medicare, Social Security, the federal highway system, and rules regulating airplane safety are unconstitutional.
Other right wingers have echoed Russell’s concern about the new hate crimes bill: Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) said on the House floor that the measure would lead to Nazism and the legalization of pedophilia and necrophilia. But as Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) said, “Nothing in this legislation diminishes an American’s freedom of religion, freedom of speech or press or the freedom to assemble,” because the law “targets acts, not speech.” These acts need to be targeted. In 2007 — the most recent year for which data is available — 16.6 percent of all hate crimes reported reported to the FBI “resulted from sexual-orientation bias.”
When asked about whether the state of Oklahoma should reject the $5 million in federal funds that the federal government would give to law enforcement agencies to help prosecute hate crimes, Russell said he thought about finding a way to pass his law while taking the money, but said it would be a compromise in the values of his bill. “I understand the state could use all the money it can get, but we can’t compromise our values for some quick cash,” Russell said.
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We all know that money is the same thing as speech. Why won’t the liberal establishment realize that assaulting and murdering a person based solely on their sexual orientation is protected speech, too?
Methinks Sen. Russell would also like Oklahoma to opt out of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. Also the 16th. Not really a fan of the 19th either. Hell, why not just opt out of every amendment other than the 2nd and the 10th? Oklahoma can be like the Wild West again!
November 18th, 2009 at 10:54 amI’m just dumbfounded and speechless.
November 18th, 2009 at 10:55 am“Americans have asked for an international tourism BOYCOTT of Oklahoma.”
November 18th, 2009 at 10:55 am~~~Paris Business Review
Oklahoma! Where the wind blows right through a Republican’s ears. If you listen close you can hear it whistle out their pie hole.
November 18th, 2009 at 10:55 amSome days, I figure that the GOP just put all their gripes and magic key words in a hat, throw a dart at a seating chart for the Congress, then draw words and gripes until their have their argument against legislature proposed by Democrats.
Today, the words “tenth amendment”, “necrophilia” and “Matthew Shepherd” must have been drawn.
November 18th, 2009 at 10:58 amDo these numbskulss even think before they open their mouths? And to think, some yahoos are going to actually agree with this demagogue.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:00 amRussell (translated) –
Constitutional amendments? Constitutional amendments? We don’t need no Constitutional amendments!
If the original Constitution was good enough for our founding fathers, it darn well’s good enough for us. I say “throw them all out. Opt out of all of ‘em . . . except maybe for that second one. That one’s pretty good.”
November 18th, 2009 at 11:00 amI think in all those years since resigning Congress in shame, Newt came up with the GOP Random Word Generator. Press a button, and you get a randomly selected GOP buzzword or phrase.
“Government-run healthcare” “tax cuts” “tort reform” “traditional marriage” “Democrat party”
String ‘em together and it’s like madlibs for Sarah Palin’s next speech:
Keep your “government-run healthcare” off my “traditional marriage”, you “tax cut” “Democrat Party”-ing “torm reform”
(And the crowd goes wild with applause)
November 18th, 2009 at 11:02 am“The law is very vague to begin with,” Russell said. “Sexual orientation is a very vague word that could be extended to extremes like necrophilia.”
– - But in Oklahoma, incest begins in the home and is a family affair.
(#4 Hoodathunk, ya beat me to it.)
November 18th, 2009 at 11:04 amAnd then, of course, there’s the GOP Random Word Generator (version 2.0) invented by Sarah Quaylin . . . back-asswards, bullcrap, real Americans, drill baby drill, you betcha, etc. As an added feature, it also includes gestures to give emphasis . . winks, waves, blinking, smirks, deer-in-the-headlights gazes, etc.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:07 amThe “R” after this yutz’s name stands for “Retarded.”
November 18th, 2009 at 11:07 amInfringe upon the freedom of speech to beat the living crap or actually murder someone just because for whatever deep rooted reason, you disagree with their skin color or lifestyle?
WTF????
November 18th, 2009 at 11:08 amOklahoma state Sen. Steve Russell (R) is proposing to use the same argument and tactic to try to exempt his state from the recently-passed Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act — which extends hate crimes protections to gays and lesbians — because he claims it infringes on freedom of speech:
Would someone please ask this dipshit when murder was considered an act of “freedom of speech” ?
November 18th, 2009 at 11:08 amHow’s that secessionist movement coming along?
Are they there yet?
By the way, I would like to opt out of paying for these goddamned useless wars that accomplish nothing but make the fat cats even fatter.
I don’t think that those screwed-up holy rollers in Oklahoma would take to kindly to my proposal, would they?
November 18th, 2009 at 11:09 amSo according to this biot Steve Russell ….it’s within his “moral” rights to physically act out his hate and physically attack those he doesn’t agree with. What a piece of human waste. Typical rethuglican “christian compassion”
November 18th, 2009 at 11:10 amPerhaps we should look into whether the 10th Amendment could apply to perpetual stupidity.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:13 amSee, it’s a slippery slope to the point of not being able to show your hate for anyone. How can we be a Christian Nation if we can’t physically show our hate?
November 18th, 2009 at 11:15 amIt is funny how these people can pervert the constitution to back whatever they want. I do believe that if they try to pass a bill like that, then there own state supreme court would most very likely overturn it on constitution grounds.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:15 amSo by opting out of the hate crimes bill, this means he’s in favor of people committing hate crimes?
November 18th, 2009 at 11:16 amThe Constitution gives Congress broad power to “provide for the common defense and general welfare,” but as Ian Millhiser noted, tenthers “insist that these words don’t actually mean what they say.”
RUSSELL: Those words don’t actually mean what they say, unless it suits my agenda.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:17 amThis type of thinking is just plain insulting.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:20 amFrom one of the links above:
Russell supports hate crimes being committed against people who vote, go to school, apply for a job, or attend the County Fair (or any other public thingy).
November 18th, 2009 at 11:20 amThe R’s know they can talk smart about things like this leading towards all sorts of deviant sexual behavior because they know livestock can’t talk.
Its also why they are afraid of science. Gots to keep them dumb down on the farm.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:20 amWhere are the trolls today? One would think this thread would attract them like a dab of honey on a bit of flypaper.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:21 amAt its core, this has nothing to do with hate crimes, per se. What this is really about is the notion that the law affirms, officially, that homosexuality is acceptable. For the theocracy set, this is end of world.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:24 amPlease do. Opt out of America and take you believers and Texas with you!!!
November 18th, 2009 at 11:24 amHe looks very pretty.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:25 amDon’t these guys have to wear sunglasses all the time? After all living under a rock and only coming out to spew hatred has gotta be hard on the eyes!
November 18th, 2009 at 11:26 amHe has crazy Bachman eyes. Looks like he’s in a trance.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:26 amThis comment has been voted down. Click to read.
huh. … just what IS this fascination with necrophilia…?
maybe their wives need some reason to want to move around more
and prevent their confusion…?
just sayin’… it’s very curious…
November 18th, 2009 at 11:28 amRep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) said on the House floor that the measure would lead to Nazism
Oh yes, Rep. Gohmert is no doubt referring to the famous Nazi hate crimes law Hitler enacted to protect minorities in Germany from violence and persecution.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:29 amOur political process is doing a really bad job at weeding out people with a fundamental misunderstanding of our system of government.
Sheesh! These people would be hard-pressed to get even a ‘gentleman’s C’ in a high-school government class. That should disqualify them from serving in Congress.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:31 amun-fcuking believable
November 18th, 2009 at 11:31 amNo surprise that Anita Bryant now resides in OK. They have some problems. A few months ago, a conservative think tank did a study that found that only 23% of OK high school students knew who the first President of the US Was. 40% could not identify the body of water on the east coast of the US. Only one in ten knew the term of a US Senator.
So keep on dumbing them down and pretty soon the average azalea will be brighter.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:31 amQuery precisely how a state government can “opt out” of a federal law that is enforced by a federal law enforcement agency (FBI) and is prosecuted in the federal courts by the U.S. Attorney. Will the Oklahoma state police be dispatched to interfere with the duties of the federal court system? In 1995 the federal building in Oklahoma City was attacked by a terrorist. Now it appears at least one member of the Oklahoma Republican Party wants an encore.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:31 am30. Audit,
Why stop there? Let’s let states opt out of paying for interstate highways, FEMA, and the military! A tornado cuts across Oklahoma and levels 3 dozen towns? Hope you’ve got some charities that will step in to rebuild the community and house the survivors. Terrorist attack? Need the national guard to restore order? Too bad! Get a few mall cops, that’ll get people in line while they’re bleeding to death.
Go away, confederate.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:37 amThis “tenther” shit is going to bite a lot of Congress people in the arse one day soon.
Can’t wait…
November 18th, 2009 at 11:38 amRussell seems not to understand what the Hate Crimes Act is.
It doesn’t legalize crime. Murder, rape, assault, pedophilia, etc. are all still illegal. As they should be.
It doesn’t prohibit free speech. Religious leaders can still say certain lifestyles are sinful. Teabaggers can still protest the government. Klansmen can still stand on street corners and bellow “I hate n****rs!” at the top of their lungs. Not everyone will agree with what they say, but they are permitted to say it as long as it doesn’t violate libel and slander laws, or is the equivalent of shouting “fire!” in a crowded theater.
All it does is make hatred or bigotry a “special circumstance” when a CRIME is committed, enabling stiffer sentencing.
Russell appears to have as much grasp on hate crimes legislation as Emily Litella has on any issue. The only difference is that we are unlikely to get a “never mind!” out of Steve Russell.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:39 amHe looks very pretty and special.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:39 amWhy are all comments in bold? Or is it just my computer?
November 18th, 2009 at 11:39 amAnd beating people to death for being black or gay or Hindu are Oklahoma’s “values”?
That’s weird.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:43 amWE ARE ALL VERY BOLD
November 18th, 2009 at 11:44 amAUDIT THE FED
I thought you and palen believed in abstinance only for birth control….
November 18th, 2009 at 11:44 amWhy do jackasses like Russell hate their fellow Americans so much? And why is it that Repubs only find the gays/lesbians part of this bill so anti- freedom of speech (which it isn’t)? Obviously it’s because they want to keep screaming hatred at gays & lesbians. The Repubs are a hateful lot, blocking anything that might curb that hatred.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:45 amWe’re bolder than the Tank Guy at Tienamen Square.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:47 amBeating and killing a gay or lesbian person is protected speech in the eyes of this moron!?!
Makes me wonder who’s the bigger moron actually. Senator Russell… or the idiots who elected him to office in the first place.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:48 am“I understand the state could use all the money it can get, but we can’t compromise our values for some quick cash,” Russell said.
Your values? Like leaving hundreds of open toxic sites, when the oil ran out? Those values? I think that’s the main reason Okies are so stupid: the oil-byproduct toxins have leached into the aquifer, and into their drinking water.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:49 am#44 – Fred says:
———————————————————
“AUDIT THE FED
I thought you and palen believed in abstinance only for birth control…”
November 18th, 2009 at 11:44 am
Right-whiners also believe in trickle-down economics. You know, that economic experiment that failed miserably in the 90’s and again under Pres. Bush when he geared almost all his tax cuts towards the rich and big corporations.
Basically, anything that is totally and completely false, they believe in it.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:50 amwhen i think about OK, i picture people wearing shorts and cowboy boots. with a football helmet on.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:50 am#45 – dasm says:
——————————————————-
“The Repubs are a hateful lot, blocking anything that might curb that hatred.”
November 18th, 2009 at 11:45 am
The party of hate built their foundation on hate for American values, so why should they change horses when they’re beating a dead horse already?
November 18th, 2009 at 11:51 am“Audit the Fed,” can you explain the significance of the link you provided. It looks to me like an article stating that since over-population increases the rate of global climate change, the WHO is going to start handing out condoms in third world countries to help mitigate the population problem.
What does this have to do with the Democratic Party’s health care proposals?
November 18th, 2009 at 11:53 amWill Rodgers must be spinning in his grave like a dynamo. Perhaps they could run a line down to him, and tap into a new source of power.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:53 amOK – not OK
November 18th, 2009 at 11:54 amWhy do all these fundamentalist loudmouths trying so hard to protect their right to hate look so gay?
(not that there’s anything wrong with that)
November 18th, 2009 at 11:55 amThat business about ‘legalizing necrophilia’ may just be wishful thinking on Russell’s part. He and Gomer Gohmert are probably a couple of disgruntled mortuary ex-employees, fired for showing a little too much fondness for certain corpses.
In the meantime, since OK seems to be off it’s meds, as evidenced by the maniac stupidity of Senators Inhofe and Coburn, I think the state should be put under direct Federal control.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:57 amWe have a saying here in Ok among progressives:
Will Rogers never met Steve Russell.
For context, Will Rogers once said that he’d never met a man he didn’t like.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:59 amFred, there are quite a few public figures these days who would have changed ol’ Will’s mind on that.
November 18th, 2009 at 12:02 pmMen like that obsess constantly on male/male sex and rape.
They always think that their butts will be the main course at a gay male orgy
gang-bang.
These fantasies much torture these guys morning, noon and night.
They always have such a hair-trigger response to these hate-crimes protections.
November 18th, 2009 at 12:12 pmTrolls all around, but not here. Hmmmm, wonder why? :-D
November 18th, 2009 at 12:16 pmdang – i was kinda diggin that extra-bold-ness…
November 18th, 2009 at 12:19 pm#60 – Zooey says:
———————————————————–
“Trolls all around, but not here. Hmmmm, wonder why? :-D”
November 18th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Because it’s too easy for us to destroy their “talking points” on this particular issue.
I’m surprised that Bitbit isn’t here to claim he speaks for God! It’s a topic about gays, and Bitbit cannot control his hatred for anyone who admits that God made them gay! What’s up with that?
November 18th, 2009 at 12:25 pm“Sexual orientation is a very vague word that could be extended to extremes like necrophilia.” [...]
Let’s take your argument at face value. I would agree to the extent that I find necrophilia rather repulsive.
But does that mean I can take someone who I **suspect but dont’ know for sure** if they engage in necrophilia, chain them up to a fence post, beat them to near death, and leave them to die of exposure ?
Or should I take my suspicions through civilized means ?
Is this the image Oklahoma wants ?
November 18th, 2009 at 12:27 pmWhen TX, AR, and KS are your neighbors, you don’t worry about whether the grass is cut or how many dogs you’ve got barkin’ on the old station wagon in the side yard…
November 18th, 2009 at 12:37 pmDemocrat Soldier says:
I’m surprised that Bitbit isn’t here to claim he speaks for God! It’s a topic about gays, and Bitbit cannot control his hatred for anyone who admits that God made them gay! What’s up with that?
November 18th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Bitbit has to hate what excites him. I don’t think he hates his wife. ;)
November 18th, 2009 at 12:37 pmBitbit cannot control his hatred for anyone who admits that God made them gay! What’s up with that?
Maybe it’s that little passage about how he created us in his own image.
November 18th, 2009 at 12:39 pmAUDIT THE FED says:
States should be able to opt out of the health care and energy bill too!
If that’s the case, then states should be able to opt out of funding wars of choice based on lies. You would support that too, wouldn’t you? If not, why.
November 18th, 2009 at 12:58 pmOn our local newspaper site this morning, a story revealed that 3 men had kidnapped a 14 year old, forced her into prostitution, and eventually sold her to another man. The comments were reflective of some far rw fundamentalists. There were calls for lynching, cutting off private parts, shooting them, etc. These are the same people who swear on their “Christian” values. These folks don’t believe in the Constitution or the rule of law, but believe in taking the law into their own hands. Russell is the same way. He has no respect for any law or any person who does not believe what he believes. He might have a different attitude if he, or one of his family members, were one of the groups that the law seeks to protect. Some republicans/conservatives live in a perpetual state of fear. It must suck to be them.
November 18th, 2009 at 1:03 pmUh what about the 14th Amendment?
It seems all these “_thers” are quick to trample on other people’s rights and in doing so claim 1st Amendment protections, but oddly they trample other’s 1st Amendment rights charging war on christmas (down thread). What a schizophrenic way to live.
November 18th, 2009 at 1:10 pm“But the book says he made us in his own image,
So if we’re dumb, God is dumb….
And maybe a little ugly on the side.”
—- Frank Zappa “Dumb all Over”
November 18th, 2009 at 1:26 pmYOU can GO HERE to email, call or write if you have a few words for Mr. Russell:
http://www.oksenate.gov/Senators/biographies/russell_bio.html
Senator Steve Russell
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 428B
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-5618
purinton@oksenate.gov
November 18th, 2009 at 1:45 pmExecutive Assistant: Debbie Purinton
Oklahoma, “Where we put the Hate in Crime, and it’s OK.”
November 18th, 2009 at 1:49 pmThe State where I live wants to opt out of funding the war in Afganistan, Iraq, and Pakistan. We want to opt out of funding tax cuts for the rich.
And we don’t want to send any more money to fund the concentration camps that Israel built to torture and murder Palestinians.
November 18th, 2009 at 2:00 pmYeah, we already had a civil war that mostly settled what the proper interpretation of states rights are, but some imbeciles require more than one bloody convulsion to come by an understanding.
My sense is that if these imbeciles are allowed to continue in their efforts to legitimize their sedition, we will have another such civil war imposed on us.
November 18th, 2009 at 2:11 pmbrothejr says:
It is funny how these people can pervert the constitution to back whatever they want.
The zealots have had a lot of practice perverting their “bible” to support their hatred towards blacks, gays, hispanics, muslims and any religion other than their own. They’re “Bible bigots” thriving on hypocrisy fear mongering and hatred.
November 18th, 2009 at 2:48 pmThis issue is about states rights and that was resolved by the Civil War. States may not unilaterally opt out of the Constitution. There are three ways to handle this issue:
1. Repeal the law
This is not realistic since it was passed by a majority and they are not likely to repeal.
2. Propose an amendment to the US Constitution which requires the appropriate votes and procedures to do so.
This is not likely since most of the Congress is not going to propose an amendment. The other alternative here is to call for a Constitutional convention but that is not viable either.
3. Oklahoma can challenge the laws in the US federal courts. They will be happy to hear this case.
This can be done, but it most likely will not be successful. The federal courts do not want to provoke a Constitutional crisis if it were to allow unilateral opt outs or strike down the law.
Russell can grandstand for his constituents and most likely other states in the south may follow suit. But they are limited to the three options. Any interference with the enforcement of federal law may result in the state being held in contempt of court which could result in the arrest of the governor, the legislative members and any other state officers that get involved. On the whole I like the contempt route because an arrest would send a message to the other states.
November 18th, 2009 at 2:59 pmAll these guys are states with big Oil interests. They would like nothing less than to do away with a government that might limit their unlimited enjoyment of profits, the spoils of the earth, enslaving peasant laborers around the world, etc.
No wonder they get a guy like this in “Congress”.
November 18th, 2009 at 3:12 pmThis is a stretch for the 10th amendment. The Hate Crimes Bill is actually a violation of the 14th amendment and is a step backwards in the civil rights of Americans. Read my blog @
November 18th, 2009 at 4:28 pmThe blog is http://nategarrett.blogspot.com/2009/11/new-law-we-are-no-longer-equal.html
November 18th, 2009 at 4:29 pmIt’s funny how these people call themselves Christians.
November 18th, 2009 at 4:40 pmrandumblog says:
With the passing of the “Hate Crimes Prevention Act” (actually is was tacked on to the
“2010 National Defense Authorization Act”) our right to be equal is gone. This bill threatens to make it a federal crime to hate someone in your mind, which essentially punishes us for the way we think.
The argument is bogus. The 14th Amendment is not the basis for the hate crimes legislation. Congress has the right to legislate crimes and that is the basis for the hate crime statute. It does not make anyone less equal under the 14th Amendment because none of your rights are deprived by the law. The idea that you can be prosecuted for thoughts is BS. All crimes require a mens rea and an actus rea. The latter is an act in furtherance of the crime. Mere thoughst do not constitute an actus rea.
Try again. But at least do some legal research before you spout off.
November 18th, 2009 at 4:47 pmpags2
On the contrary if I as a straight white male attack a newly protected person under the new bill I will get a different penalty than an attacker on me would receive. The 14th amendment guarantees equal protection. This is not equal! Our laws were fine already. If a black, white, jew, gay, or straight person was assaulted or killed there was an assault or murder charge. We did not say it is okay because the only person hurt was gay or black. The law kicked in and it was equal for all. That has changed now do to this new law.
November 18th, 2009 at 5:02 pmSo why is the murder of a police officer or judge treated differently than that of a homeless vet? Shouldn’t they be the same?
November 18th, 2009 at 5:16 pmdbadass
Yes they should be the same. The issue is not that congress wants more protection for police officers and judges. If that were the case I would still be against it. When justice is not administered equally it is a miscarriage of justice. Why should we alter our laws to make it unequal all the time. We should be improving on our rights not relinquishing them.
November 18th, 2009 at 5:27 pmWe already convict people for crimes of the mind if they are linked to tangible crimes. Conspiracy is partly about what was on your mind. A murder charge depends on what was on the perpetrator’s mind. Hate crimes legislation doesn’t come into effect unless real crimes have been committed and then, it’s the same as with murder or conspiracy. A hate crime is not only a crime on an individual, but a message of terror designed to intimidate a given group of people. That’s why it deserves special treatment. Murder one, is a bigger crime than murder two depending on what the perpetrator was thinking. What’s the difference?
November 18th, 2009 at 5:42 pmrandumblog: “When justice is not administered equally it is a miscarriage of justice.”
Are you just waking up to the possibility that equal justice is not meted out in our country? Liberals have been regularly scorned by conservatives for expressing that view. Thanks for joining the fight!
November 18th, 2009 at 5:44 pmWe should be improving on our rights not relinquishing them.
November 18th, 2009 at 5:51 pm—
Which rights do you feel are being relinquished? Which “rights” do you want “improved”?
randumblog says:
pags2
On the contrary if I as a straight white male attack a newly protected person under the new bill I will get a different penalty than an attacker on me would receive. The 14th amendment guarantees equal protection. This is not equal!
That is not true. You are equal in the eyes of the law. If you were attacked by a black just because you were white, the black would be subject to the hate crimes statute. There is no disparity in treatment. You can think all the hate thoughts you want, but if you act on them you will be prosecuted. The hate part of the crime is an additional element of the crime and a prerequisite to the enhanced punishment. The hate crime element must be proved and just because someone qualifies as a protected group does not make it a hate crime. But all groups are protected based on race, creed, or sexual orientation which covers blacks, whites, yellow, religion and gay and straights. When you are attacked by a gay person because you are straight, you can claim a hate crime. Nobody is getting preferential or special treatment by reason of the hate crimes statute.
November 18th, 2009 at 5:51 pmThis bill was pushed through specifically to give more protection to homosexuals. It is named for one and listed in the reasons for the bill. Do you think for a moment if a gay and I were involved in a street brawl and we both cried hate crime that he could even conceivably be looked at as the guilty party. Absolutely not! There is a lot of racism on the republican side of the fence and democrats would have you believe that all whites are racist at heart. I am not a Republican or a Democrat. I have both blacks and gays as family members and love them dearly. This is not about hate. I do not like seeing legislation pushed through so that special interest groups and lobbyists can have their way. Do not think for a minute that 10 years from now we won’t see this interpreted to include those who say racist things that “inspire” others to act on it. I can’t think of anyone I despise more than racists. I do not however think that we should become the thought police or act like our nation is more racist than it actually is. We blow this way out of proportion. We have a black president, Ellen has one of the highest rated talk shows, Larry King still has a large audience. More whites voted for Obama than voted for Kerry (and Kerry ran against Bush, I mean come on!). Most of our country has moved on we are not wearing hoods and plotting to secede from the union.
By the way NinerFan very good points!
I can tell this blog has a pretty liberal following just like when I’m blasted on conservative blogs just as hard. It’s funny because I am not a party panderer. I have voted for Democrats, Independents, and Republicans. I will remain a free thinking Independent. Enjoy the Kool-aid.
November 18th, 2009 at 7:02 pmrandumblog says:
This bill was pushed through specifically to give more protection to homosexuals. It is named for one and listed in the reasons for the bill. Do you think for a moment if a gay and I were involved in a street brawl and we both cried hate crime that he could even conceivably be looked at as the guilty party. Absolutely not!
The bill does not give more protection to any group. If you were attacked by a group of gay people then it would qualify under the hate crimes statute. However, it is highly improbable that a gay person will attack a straight just because they are straight. It is more probable that a gay person will be attacked by a straight. I have never heard of anyone who is straight claiming they were attacked by a gay person just because they are straight. Your argument is absurd.
November 18th, 2009 at 7:12 pmwhy do so many christian extremist have sucha problem understanding consent clauses in laws of this nature necrophelia for instance is a situation in which one of the parties cannot consent deing as he or she is dead
November 19th, 2009 at 12:24 ami love my dogs but i doubt they are capable of consenting to anyhting
but i guess this my also be why these groups have people that belive thet can marry little girls who cannot concent seeing as they are minors so are not eligable to legally conset to a sexual relationship with and adult strait or gay
also i thik this guy is a sick pervert he spends way to much time obssesing about man on animal and man on dead body sex acts like as a guy sex is in my thoughts like ever 5-8 seconds but none of that has ever included the stuff these oklahomans think about im never going to that state if necrophelia an beastiality are that common
Rumdumb
You really just flat DONT know what you are talking about. I cant really add to the points pags made he is absolutly correct. Oh by the way shove your Koolaid up your tarhole punk
November 19th, 2009 at 1:00 am