Archive for the ‘Hate Crimes Act’ Category

Note to Garment-Rending Wingnuts: The Matthew Shepard Act Covers People Like Jennifer Daugherty Too.

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

In the twelve years it took to get the Matthew Shepard Act passed, and even in the months since it was finally signed into law, members of the RRRW have whined about how their precious “religious freedoms” will be denied because they can no longer beat and kill homos with impunity. But the MSA didn’t only add sexual orientation and gender identity to existing hate-crimes laws. It also added gender and disability. Of course the RRRW would have gladly seen these individuals go without hate-crimes protections just to see LGBT people do so. Such is the intensity of their hatred for us; that no amount of collateral damage is too much in their quest to see us suffer. Jennifer Daughtery would be part of that collateral damage if they’d had their way.

A bloody metal crutch, a knife, a pair of white high-top shoes and a plastic bag full of hair were among the items detectives pulled from an apartment where a woman was held captive and tortured last week, according to a police report that offers new glimpses into her slaying.
…..
The items, listed in an inventory of seized property, fit disturbingly with what police said unfolded in the apartment over 36 hours — that the group beat Ms. Daugherty with household items including the towel rack, the crutch and a vacuum cleaner hose, bound her with Christmas decorations, painted her face with nail polish, cut her hair, and forced her to write a fake suicide note.

They fed her medication, oil and urine and stabbed her to death for reasons police said are still unknown. Ms. Daugherty’s body, found in a garbage can at Greensburg Salem Middle School on Thursday, was the first in a string of gruesome discoveries for detectives investigating the crime and the tangled relationships of those charged in it.

Jailed without bond on charges of homicide, kidnapping, aggravated assault and conspiracy are Ricky Smyrnes, 23, Robert Masters Jr., 36, Melvin Knight, 20, Peggy Miller, 27, Amber Meidinger, 20 and Angela Marinucci, 17.

…..
Still unknown was how Ms. Daugherty came to know her attackers. Her relatives have said she had the mental capacity of an adolescent, a disability that made her especially trusting and kind. She went to the apartment willingly, police said, boarding a bus from Mount Pleasant, where she lived with her mother and stepfather, on Feb. 8.
…..

Further charges under the recently signed Hate-Crimes Act are being considered though it’s too early to tell if such charges will be added.

I worked for 20 years with adults who had developmental disabilities. I find it despicable that anybody would prey on such vulnerable individuals. I’d like to see the accused, if found guilty, put away for the maximum allowable time–including any hate crimes enhancements.

In the meantime, my thoughts go out to Jennifer’s family. She was a beautiful woman and what happened to her was an abomination.

 

Gaytheist Agenda Smorgasbord.

Friday, February 12th, 2010

Various pieces from around the Internutz.

 
How the most religious states fare.

Classically Liberal dissects multiple reports and studies to show what I’ve long known, and have reported more than once–that God and religion simply aren’t the answer to society’s woes.

 
While Judge Considers Same-Sex Marriage Case, House Church Leader says the Verdict Doesn’t Matter

A church leader declares many Christians have lost their way, and turned Christianity into a crusade against others rather than an effort to bring others to Christ and seek God’s Kingdom. It’s nice to see one of them speak up since our voices go largely ignored when we say it.

 
Gay harassment, bias crimes often go unreported

This isn’t anything most of us don’t already know, but it bears repeating because it’s urgent, and because the RRRW tries fervently to ignore/deny it.

 
How the Game is Played

You probably saw the NYT article that claimed 50% of gay married men are in “open marriages”. What you didn’t see is how they distorted the study, and outright lied, to once again smear gay couples. Read the facts at Truth Wins Out.

 
Anita Bryant and Me

One person’s encounter with the original “OMG won’t somebody please think of the children?!?!” anti-gay Liar for the Lord.

 

Religious Bigots will Hold Rally to Provoke Arrests Under New Hate Crimes Law.

Monday, November 9th, 2009

The anti-gay bigots screamed, tantrumed and rended their garments for the longest time before the Matthew Shepard Act passed. The notion that people might suffer a stiffer penalty for targeting a person because of their gender, sexual orientation (be it heterosexual or homosexual), gender identity (transgender or cisgender) or disability appears to conflict with the “religious values” of some. In fact, there’s going to be a rally over it on November 16th.

Some people are so agitated over the Matthew Shepard Act that they’re going to hold a “Rally for Religious Freedom”.

The Rally for Religious Freedom is meant to raise alarm over the nation’s new Federal “hate crimes” law just passed by Congress and signed last month by President Obama. The intention of the rally is to assert the freedom of speech of ministers and Christians in general to declare biblical truth in the public square.

They’ve been doing that for years. Do we really need another rally over this nonsense? No pastor has ever been arrested for preaching the Bible and none ever will. The Matthew Shepard Act is about violent actions, not speech. When will these nitwits get that through their heads?

Ministers from various denominations will preach from the Bible, especially those parts that speak to the sin of homosexuality. This will serve to reassure ministers and Christians that they are free to do the same.

In other words, this rally is just another excuse to engage in anti-gay speech and grandstanding while pretending “Christians” are being persecuted. Par for the course. But here’s a little pre-rally experiment. I’ll post those Clobber Verses right here.

Leviticus 18:22: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.”

Deuteronomy 23:17 : “There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.”

Romans 1:26-27: “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.”

1 Corithians 6:9-10: “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [makakoi], nor abusers of themselves with mankind [arsenokoitai] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”

1 Timothy 1:9-10: “Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine.”

Jude 1:7: “Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”

I won’t be holding my breath waiting for the law enforcement officials to knock down my door to arrest me for a Hate Crime. Despite what the whiny bigots like to claim, the law does not address speech/words. It addresses actions. They could stand and read the entire Bible if they wanted and nothing would happen to them under the MSA. But that fact won’t stop them from pretending they’ve been thrown in a gulag and sentenced to bread crusts and tainted water for the rest of their lives by this law.

As to the bigots and their little rally, are they really going to just stand around reading anti-gay Bible verses and whining about how “persecuted” they are because Teh Gays now have hate crimes protections just like they do? Or are they going to really push things to the limit–even engage in violent acts against LGBT people–so they can really play the martyrs? Only time will tell. One thing I hope is that there are plenty of video cameras at this event so we don’t have to take their word for anything, because they are notorious liars.

 

In Memorariam: Matthew Shepard (December 1, 1976 – October 12, 1998)

Saturday, October 10th, 2009



 



 


 

Latest RRRW Lunacy: Hate Crimes Bill is Part of Jewish Master Plot for World Domination.

Monday, July 27th, 2009

So says Reverend Ted Pike. And if a certifiable certified Reverend says it then it must be true, right?


After the pro-hate bill victory in the Senate July 16, I hoped against hope to find (or contrive) a way to induce President Obama to veto the arms/hate bill. Conflict between the President’s will versus that of the House of Representatives in regard to further purchase of F-22 fighters seemed to hold such promise. That hope faded in discussion I had Friday with the office of Democrat Rep. Earl Blumenauer from my district. His staffer told me that despite a 389-22 vote in the House last month in favor of adding 7 to 12 Raptors to the arms bill, House Democrat leadership is now moving rapidly to abandon such support. They will unite with the Senate to strip further F-22s, determined to present Obama with an arms/hate bill package in no danger of veto.
…..
We need to help make the hate law unenforceable by resisting and disobeying inevitable government edicts (particularly as precedents from liberal courts) to limit free speech. This will require willingness to suffer for the cause of truth and freedom. To help empower such courage we must continue widespread education against hate laws (such as exists at www.truthtellers.org). We must publicize as widely as possible the fact that a cabal of liberal Jewish supremacists is behind all hate laws worldwide. These, Rabbi Daniel Lapin, says are in “relentless attack on evangelical Christians.” Only through encountering massive public resistance and exposure will ADL/B’nai B’rith (organized world Jewry) be slowed on their fast track to world dominion.

The epicenter of such liberal Jewish attack on Christian civilization is the state of Israel. Israel is a nation founded on theft, repression, and terror (See, Israel: Founded on Terror). Despite its claim to democracy, it is one of the most repressive speech crime regimes in the world. In 1920 Christians constituted 20% of the inhabitants of Palestine. Now, as a result of decades of official harassment and discrimination as well as “anti-missionary” laws criminalizing even casual conversations about Christ with Jews, only 2% of Israelis are Christians. The Israeli government continues to look the other way as Messianic Christian Jews in Israel suffer constant harassment, discrimination and even violence, especially from ultra-Orthodox zealots (See website of Lura Maimon Beckford). Knesset continues to propose even stricter speech crime laws against Christians.

As the official PR representative of Israel and organized world Jewry, ADL has been spectacularly successful in bringing Israeli-style speech crime laws to the western industrialized world. With great pride and boldness, ADL took credit last week for its pivotal role in originating and passing the Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
…..
Instead, last week, 4,000 evangelicals descended on Congress. They went not to protest the Israeli-style hate law designed to end their freedom but, rather, to support a nation that makes Christians into speech criminals. Led by Pastor John Hagee, hordes of evangelicals visited every Congressional office encouraging even greater funding and approval of the anti-Christ regime that persecutes their brethren.

How many times must it be repeated that SB909 only addresses violent crimes, not speech. And why have none of the hand-wringers uttered a peep about Ireland’s new “Blasphemy law” that does penalize speech? Oh yeah, that’s because it restricts freedom of speech against religion. As usual they’re all for freedom–so long as it’s for them and nobody else.

…..
Several weeks before hate bill passage, Dr. James Dobson wearily admonished Americans to stop fighting the hate bill and just pray, waiting for the pendulum to swing back to the right. (Listen to Focus on the Family’s James Dobson betray efforts to fight the Hate Bill: Click Here to LISTEN ; Click Here to DOWNLOAD [6 min, 4.2 MB, right click and save target as]) Actually, because Jewish supremacism wants to destroy and enslave Christian/conservatives, the present “turn to the left” to which Dobson referred is actually a left turn into the steel gates of an international concentration camp with the clink of its padlock fastened behind us. The direction to the left in which we are now hurtling is part of the same Talmudic/Kabbalistic conspiracy that incited Jewish takeover of Russia in 1917. (See, Jewish Activists Created Communism ) In all its forms, Jewish-inspired Communism has killed more than 100 million, including millions of Christians. If ADL/B’nai B’rith and organized world Jewry are successful in uniting the world under its control, such atrocities will be repeated and probably even exceeded across a blood-stained planet. (Watch, Ted Pike’s Zionism and Christianity: Unholy Alliance) Revelation 18:2 tells us that the garments of the Great Harlot, Israel, are drenched with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. (See, Israel: On the Way to Empire in the Mideast ) ADL/B’nai B’rith represents an unbroken chain of anti-Christian/Gentile hatred and desire for revenge going back to those who crucified Jesus, the Pharisees. As the Book of Acts relates, ADL’s forefathers did their best to destroy the infant church in the first century AD. ADL wants to finish the job tomorrow, under its false messiah, the one-world ruler, Anti-Christ.
…..

My laws, is there anything that can’t be accomplished by the Vast Jewish Conspiracy?

 

Why We Need the Hate Crimes Bill.

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

People already have federal hate-crimes protection based on their race, color, religion and national origin. In most states they have similar protections. The proposed hate-crimes bill would merely add, on a federal level, sexual orientation , gender identity, and disability. It doesn’t provide any “special protections” or rights. It merely affords protections already enjoyed by many to groups who don’t have them.

Please, call your Congressmembers and ask them to support the Hate Crimes Bill.

 

More Lies About the Hate Crimes Bill. Or; If You’re Ever Caught Without Syrup of Ipecac This Video is a Handy Substitute.

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

How many lies can you catch Reps. Mike Pence, Sen. Jim DeMint, Bishop Harry Jackson, and David Barton of Wallbuilders telling in this video? Hint: If their lips are moving, they’re lying.

The Thompson Twins have the perfect response to that offal.



 

But Who Will Stand Up For the White Christians?

Sunday, July 5th, 2009

The lying, whining shills of the RRRW are still gnashing their teeth over HR 1913/ S. 909, the proposed Hate Crimes Bill. The latest from WorldNutDaily:

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says a homosexual activist who is attacked following a Christian minister’s sermon about homosexuality would be protected by a proposed new federal law, but a minister attacked by a homosexual wouldn’t be.
…..
“This is the question,” Limbaugh said. “[Sen.] Jeff Sessions [R-Ala.] presents a hypothetical where a minister gives a sermon, quotes the Bible about homosexuality and is thereafter attacked … by a gay activist because of what the minister said about his religious beliefs and what Scripture says about homosexuality. Is the minister protected?”

No, said Holder.
…..
Continued Limbaugh, “In other words: ministers and whites are not covered by the hate crime statute because we’re talking about crimes that have a historic basis, groups who have been targeted for violence as a result of their skin color, sexual orientation. So hate crimes are reserved exclusively for blacks and homosexuals. Everybody else can get to the back of the bus on this one. ”
…..

The cries of White Christians won’t be protected by this proposed legislation OMG we’re so persecuted are running rampant in the RRRW blogosphere. Either they’re buying the bull or they’re perpetuating the lies.

White people and Christians don’t need to be protected by the proposed legislation because they are already protected under existing federal and state hate crimes legislation, and have been for many years. This is something that the bigots conveniently ignore, and even blatantly deny, in their ceaseless tirades against hate-crimes protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

TITLE 18, U.S.C., SECTION 245 (United States Code)

The portion of Section 245 of Title 18 which is primarily enforced by the Criminal Section makes it unlawful to willfully injure, intimidate or interfere with any person, or to attempt to do so, by force or threat of force, because of that other person’s race, color, religion or national origin and because of his/her activity as one of the following:
o A student at or applicant for admission to a public school or public college

o A participant in a benefit, service, privilege, program, facility or activity provided or administered by a state or local government

o An applicant for private or state employment; a private or state employee; a member or applicant for membership in a labor organization or hiring hall; or an applicant for employment through an employment agency, labor organization or hiring hall

…..

o A patron of a public accommodation or place of exhibition or entertainment, including hotels, motels, restaurants, lunchrooms, bars, gas stations, theaters, concert halls, sports arenas or stadiums.

This statute also prohibits wilful interference, by force or threat of force, with a person because he/she is or was participating in, or aiding or encouraging other persons to participate in any of the benefits or activities listed above without discrimination as to race, color, religion, or national origin.

The offense is punishable by a range of imprisonment up to a life term, or the death penalty, depending upon the circumstances of the crime, and the resulting injury, if any.
…..

Nearly every state provides separate hate-crimes statutes that protect on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity and/or a variety of other classifications. Some states go so far as to make interference with religious services a criminal act. Religion and religious individuals are very well protected in this nation.

So a Christian would be protected if he was, hypothetically, beaten by a gay man who was screaming “I hate Christians”. He would be protected because there are already hate-crimes laws on both the federal level and in most states that protect people on the basis of their religion. Likewise a Christian would be protected if his attacker were a transgendered man, a transgendered woman, a Satanist, a lesbian atheist vegetarian or even another Christian. Furthermore if a white person were attacked for being white they’d be protected under already existing legislation.

HR 1913/S. 909 does not give LGBT people special rights or elevate them above anybody. It adds sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability to the classes already protected by hate-crimes legislation. Furthermore sexual orientation doesn’t mean only gay/lesbian/bisexual individuals are protected by the law, nor does gender identity mean that only transgender individuals would be. Everybody would–including straight people and those who identify with the genitals they were born with.

Really the bigots should be screaming for this bill to be passed because it protects them as much as it protects the LGBT people they loathe so much. Those millions of straight people being persecuted by LGBTs would finally have the protection they’ve been lacking for so long.

 
Now repeat after me so it’s clear. If you’re dealing with a bigot this is a handy rebuttal. If you are a bigot stop pretending you’re a victim when you aren’t.

Christians and white people are already protected by federal hate-crimes legislation.

Christians and white people are already protected by federal hate-crimes legislation.

Christians and white people are already protected by federal hate-crimes legislation.

 
Related posts:
Traditional Values Coalition Enters Video Age to Spew Lies and Intolerance.

A Hate Crime Every Hour in USA; Hate Crimes Against Hispanics, LGBT People Dramatically Increased.

RRRW Actively Supports Bullying of LGBT Students.

The Hate Crimes Bill, Critical and Long Overdue.

Anti-LGBT Hate Crimes Highest Since 1999.

 

Judy Shepard to Perez Hilton: Thanks But No Thanks.

Sunday, July 5th, 2009

I like her more every day.

STATEMENT FROM MATTHEW SHEPARD FOUNDATION REGARDING PEREZHILTON.COM

The Matthew Shepard Foundation was surprised to learn this morning via media reports that blogger Perez Hilton (Mario Lavandeira) has announced he plans to donate, to our organization, the proceeds of a lawsuit he is contesting over an altercation which has been widely reported in recent days.

We had no advance notice or contact from Mr. Hilton or his representatives regarding this proposal, nor any communication since he posted this plan to his website.

We do not know the details of the lawsuit, whether it has been filed, the nature of his claims or the likely outcome. But because the lawsuit presumably involves the physical attack prompted by Mr. Hilton’s admitted use of an anti-gay slur, the Foundation will be unable to accept any funds obtained in such a manner.

We very much appreciate the generosity of the offer to support our continuing work to memorialize Matthew through activism in defense of sexual minorities and in favor of understanding, compassion, and acceptance. But because so much of our work involves education to reduce the use of hateful language against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons, or those so perceived, it would be inappropriate for us to benefit financially from circumstances in which such a verbal attack was involved.

While we applaud Mr. Hilton’s apology to the LGBT community and their loved ones for his use of such a slur, we also feel compelled to point out that use of epithets can often lead to physical violence, as it appears it may have in this case, and that the Matthew Shepard Foundation has worked for more than 10 years to bring to people’s attention the consequences of hateful or intolerant language.

Judy Shepard
Chair, MSF Governing Board

 
In case anyone is unaware of the latest Perez Hilton shenanigans:

…..
Today in Los Angeles, Hilton filed a $25,000 lawsuit against band manager Polo Molina. He’s seeking unspecified damages in excess of $25,000 for battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. According to The Associated Press, the suit claims Molina attacked Hilton because he made critical comments about the Black Eyed Peas’ new album.

Tuesday, Hilton issued an apology — of sorts — for calling Black Eyed Peas front man will.i.am a “faggot” but defended his use of the anti-gay slur.

“The other night in Toronto, after feeling physically threatened by a verbally abusive will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, I chose the most hurtful word I know to hurl at him,” he wrote on his blog. “I was in an out-of-the ordinary situation and used a word that I would not utter under normal circumstances. My intention — however misguided it may have been — was to stand up for myself and tell this belligerent man that I had enough of his badgering and was not going to continue to let him berate and intimidate me.”

Monsieur Drama Queen will have to find some other way to assuage his guilt. There are plenty of groups out there that don’t care who or where they get their money from–groups that have no dignity or standards so long as the cash keeps flowing. In fact, I hear NOM is desperate for money right about now.

 

Traditional Values Coalition Enters Video Age to Spew Lies and Intolerance.

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

The Traditional Values Coalition (certified hate group) truly despises LGBT people and can’t stand the idea of us being afforded the same hate-crimes protections they enjoy. They’ve used disingenuous lies and crude comics. They even made a ridiculous faux “wanted” poster implying Jesus himself would be arrested should the hate-crimes bill pass.



 
That wasn’t enough for them so they decided to spread their hatred, intolerance and defamation of LGBT people via video. Here are the results.



 
Now please excuse me while I search for some anti-emetic.