Hate Crime Legislation Will Target Your Freedom Of Speech



By Tom DeWeese
March 13, 2007
NewsWithViews.com

A battle has been waging during the opening months of the 110th Congress over
proposed Hate Crime legislation. The main bill currently before the House is H.R.
254, titled, "The David Ray Hate Crimes Prevention Act," introduced
by Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX).

Opposition is growing to the legislation because hate crime laws would make
certain types of speech a federal offense, allowing federal "thought police"
to interfere in the law enforcement authority of states and local government.
Such interference is blatantly unconstitutional.

HR. 254 would require every state to pass and enforce "anti-hate"
laws, making it a federal crime to express bias against specifically federally
protected groups. Some hate laws have been interpreted to mean documents like
the Bible are hate literature and preaching from it is hate speech. Nowhere
was this more clearly shown than in England under a similar law, where two men
who called Islam "wicked" were indicted, and now face seven years
in prison. The British law blatantly says "truth" cannot be used as
a defense.

The main force supporting the bill is the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). This
group was behind passage of the British law. The ADL is a radical organization,
which routinely charges organizations more to its right, of hate speech. It
appears that nearly any organization that does not accept the ADL’s worldview
is marked for advocating hate.

Freedoms of speech and hate crime legislation are not compatible. Many organizations
who advocate hate crime legislation, such as the ADL, are pushing for control
of the Internet to stop "hate speech." While most people would interpret
hate speech as being on the lines of neo-Nazi white supremacy, in reality the
ADL really means groups which advocate issues like free enterprise, property
rights, gun rights, etc.

In 2005, the ADL targeted the Freedom 21 Conference as an advocate of hate
speech. Prior to the conference in Reno, Nevada, the ADL sent out alerts about
the gathering. Their premise that Freedom 21 was advocating hate was the group’s
advocacy of private property rights. The ADL believes ownership of private property
is a social injustice that oppresses the poor.

Others are now advocating that skeptics of global warming theories be denied
the right to speak out. Still others advocate making it a crime to use the term
"illegal aliens." Reason and rationality are thrown out the window
for political correctness under so-called hate speech.

To preserve freedom of speech in America H.R. 254 must be stopped. In fact,
now that many are protesting the bill, supporters on Congress are trying a new
tactic. While using H.R. 254 as a shield, House Judiciary Committee Chairman
John Conyers is quietly gathering support for yet another hate crimes bill entitled,
The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007. This bill is actually
worse than HR. 254. Both must be stopped. Call your congressman and demand he/she
stand for free speech and against any hate crime legislation.

© 2007 Tom DeWeese

On The Web:
http://www.newswithviews.com/DeWeese/tom77.htm