Obama Signs the Hate Crime Bill into Law!

[Sky Dancer]

That's why I don't post here often. It's so difficult to have civil conversations about important issues.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

Are you straight? Now with this expansion, this law now covers you.

I thought it was against the law to kill somebody? OI thought it was against the law to beat somebody? I thought it was against the law to menace somebody? I don't recall anyone mentioning that it actually mattered WHO was being violated.

This is feel good bullshit for the week minded... have fun with it.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

That's why I don't post here often. It's so difficult to have civil conversations about important issues.

The fact that you find this sordid stupidity, a.k.a., "Hate crime" "important" is very telling.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

You killed somebody? Oh dear.. oh wait.. they were GAY??? Now that's just AWFUL!!!!

 

[Lonestar_logic]

The homosexuals ought to be happy. Those living a lifestyle that is hated has got to be either stupid, insane or both. Soggy hit the nail on the head, this law is really stupid.

 

[Navy1960]

Has anyone here been on the recieving end of a hate crime? Have you had a cross burning on your lawn, had slurs and threats shouted at you? What did you think about Matthew Shephard being singled out for being gay and beaten to within an inch of his life and left to die?

As someone who lived in the neighborhood when Mulageta Seraw was murdereed by skinheads, I suppor this legislation. Bravo Mr President!

No I haven't Sky but I will tell you this, my wife died as a result of someone taking it upon themselves to drink one night and then get into a car and drive it. She is no less dead than Matthew Shepard was and is no less a victim than he was. So forgive me if I don't find legislation like this as being anything sending a signal to people like me justice seperates victims into catagories now as to how they will dispense justice based on the color of skin or sexual orientation. What more would you have the people that committed the crimes agaist Mr. Byrd be done to them, beyond the death penalty? You see there are laws in states that punish these people all we need is the fortitude to enforce them. If those laws in your state do not meet your satisfaction when if comes to violent crime then advocate for making them stronger and you will have no bigger supporter than me.

 

[Sky Dancer]

The Hate Crimes Prevention Act will have a number of positive impacts:

1. It will help educate law enforcement about the frequent hate violence
against transgender people and the need to prevent and appropriately
address it;

2. It will help provide federal expertise and resources when they are
needed to overcome a lack of resources or the willful inaction on the part of
local and/or state law enforcement;

3. It will help educate the public that violence against anyone, including
transgender people, is unacceptable and illegal.


Most importantly, this law marks a turning point for the federal government by
including protections based on gender identity and taking seriously the need
to address the disproportional levels of violence that transgender people
face. In the past, federal law has only mentioned gender identity in a
negative context, such as explicitly excluding transgender people from the
Americans with Disabilities Act.

For information about the Hate Crimes Prevention Act and violence against
transgender people, visit our website at
National Center for Transgender Equality: Home.

 

[paperview]

The Matthew Shepard Act, officially the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, is a bill that the United States Congress passed on October 22, 2009,[1] and was signed into law by President Barack Obama on October 28, 2009,[2] that expanded the 1969 United States federal hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.[3]
The bill also:

• removes the current prerequisite that the victim be engaging in a federally-protected activity, like voting or going to school;
• gives federal authorities greater ability to engage in hate crimes investigations that local authorities choose not to pursue;
• provides $10 million in funding for 2008 and 2009 to help state and local agencies pay for investigating and prosecuting hate crimes;
• requires the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to track statistics on hate crimes against transgender people (statistics for the other groups are already tracked).

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

Killing a man is an abomination.. to distinguish between classes of victims when handing out penalties is a further abomination and an afront to any cvilized human being.

 

[PixieStix]

Unequal treatment under the law, the scales of justice have shifted further to the left.

No different than thought crime legislation. Presuming to know what is in a persons mind.

Proponents of this legislation are bias to an extreme.

How is it unequal?

Some people's lives are more important than others, according to the hate crimes legislaion.

And to another point, why is hate crimes legislation on a Defense Appropriations Bill? Because they have so much in common?

“Equality and Justice” under the law, take a giant step backwards by creating “protected classes”. A murder or assault should impose the same penalty regardless of what race, gender, religion or lifestyle choices.

Liberals used to scream equality, now they scream, please put dividers up between all Americans.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

Most importantly, this law marks a turning point for the federal government by
including protections based on gender identity and taking seriously the need
to address the disproportional levels of violence that transgender people
face. In the past, federal law has only mentioned gender identity in a
negative context, such as explicitly excluding transgender people from the
Americans with Disabilities Act

So.. how long have you been mentally ill?

Good Lord.

 

[paperview]

That's why I don't post here often. It's so difficult to have civil conversations about important issues.

The fact that you find this sordid stupidity, a.k.a., "Hate crime" "important" is very telling.

Hate Crimes laws in the US have been around for 40 years.

Why now is is so bad it now includes gays & lesbians (and straights!) ?

 

[Sky Dancer]

Killing someone BECAUSE they are part of a group you HATE and want to intimidate is a hate crime.

IT harms more than just the victim of the crime but all individuals in the class of bigotry that were targeted en masse.

Hate crimes are message crimes. YOUR KIND will be eliminated.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

Hate crimes are message crimes. YOUR KIND will be eliminated.

Gee... my kind????? Eliminated???

What a fucking hypocrit. So typical.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

Why now is is so bad it now includes gays & lesbians (and straights!) ?

The whole think is absurd... regardless of straight, gay, WHATEVER. It is an absurd, counterintuitive idea. It runs amock of equal protection which is where I though we were supposed to be headed.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

How can we expect people to treat one another as equals if at every turn we are lumping everybody into a group and treating them differently?

 

[paperview]

Why now is is so bad it now includes gays & lesbians (and straights!) ?

The whole think is absurd... regardless of straight, gay, WHATEVER. It is an absurd, counterintuitive idea. It runs amock of equal protection which is where I though we were supposed to be headed.

You are protected as well. That is equal.

 

[Navy1960]

I find it sad that for year's people have fought so hard to eliminate all forms of racism in the workplace, and in law. To secure liberty for all Americans so that a person can be measured but WHO they are and NOT the color of their skin or what THEY happen to choose as a lifestyle. So i find it sad that in order to secure these liberties some would advocate further seperating Americans into groups based on these catagories. As long as we continue to do this progress in this long battle will NEVER be made regardless of the candy coated talk that is currently in favor.

 

[paperview]

I find it sad that for year's people have fought so hard to eliminate all forms of racism in the workplace, and in law. To secure liberty for all Americans so that a person can be measured but WHO they are and NOT the color of their skin or what THEY happen to choose as a lifestyle. So i find it sad that in order to secure these liberties some would advocate further seperating Americans into groups based on these catagories. As long as we continue to do this progress in this long battle will NEVER be made regardless of the candy coated talk that is currently in favor.

You do know that Hate Crimes laws to include race, religion, ethnicity, nationality & gender have been on the books since 1969, right?

That's 40 years.

You post as if this is something new.

 

[Sky Dancer]

I'm happy for the parents of Matthew Shephard whose son died in a hate crime eleven years ago.

I hope I never hear hate speech again, such as the kind I heard out of the mouth of a co-worker while I was working.

The man said he wished he had been present at the Matthew Shephard beating so he could inflict even greater pain and damage to Matthew.

Still gives me chills, remembering.