A president who vetoed only one bill throughout all of his first term is now poised to veto his second (making three total) in less than seven months of his second term while sharing government with a Democratic congress.We know about the veto of the Iraq Supplemental, of course, but Dubya will likely do the same thing to the hate crimes bill expanded by the House and subsequently passed to include gender and sexual orientation (update: assuming the Senate passes it also).
As noted from this link…
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are disproportionately affected by hate violence. According to the FBI, 14 percent of hate crime victims in 2005 were victims of crimes motivated by hatred of lesbian, gay or bisexual people. Moreover, reports produced by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (1984–1993) and the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (1994–present) have documented more than 35,000 anti-LGBT crimes over the last 22 years. It is important to note that these statistics are based on reports from only a handful of local LGBT crime victim assistance agencies.Also notable from this Wikipedia link is the following (illustrating the need for federal legislation to protect those persecuted for other reasons also, including religion and ethnicity)…
The version of the hate crimes bill introduced today includes crimes based on a victim’s actual or perceived gender identity. This is the first time a transgender-inclusive bill has been introduced in the United States Senate. This clear inclusion of transgender people in hate crimes laws is especially important because violence against transgender people is widespread, largely underreported, and disproportionately greater than the number of transgender people in society. In 2005, the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs reported that 11 percent of the 2,306 victims of hate crimes identified as transgender.
Seven states have no hate crime laws, 20 states have hate crime laws that do not protect sexual orientation, and 24 states have hate crime laws that include sexual orientation.So what is the supposed rationale for Dubya’s veto? As noted in the Yahoo/AP story...
Dr. James C. Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, warned that the true intent of the bill was "to muzzle people of faith who dare to express their moral and biblical concerns about homosexuality." If you read the Bible in a certain way, he told his broadcast listeners, "you may be guilty of committing a 'thought crime.'"I am a person of faith, and as far as I’m concerned, Matt Foreman is right when he states that “it’s a disgrace that bigotry and ignorance have prevented Congress from taking real action to address hate crimes for nearly 20 years.”
And I won’t comment on the absurdity of Dobson’s remark, because as far as I’m concerned, it is self evident.
Update: Here's more from People For the American Way.
2 comments:
i've said all along and you've probably noted yourself, bush, rove and their minions have done more to implicitly sanction hate in this country than anyone since father coughlin... fostering hate, violence and extreme polarization has been an extraordinarily successful strategy for maintaining control and they're going to stick with it through their last minute in office on 20 january 2009... god help us if they last that long...
I read a story in the New York Times today about how Bush went to some gathering a couple of blocks from the White House where his zombified supporters lobbed softball questions and statements at him and said they'd pray for him.
Pray for yourselves, sheeple. Continue to bleat as you are shorn and led to the slaughter, you brainless morons.
Post a Comment