This morning, Dr. James Dobson sent CitizenLink a note from Washington, D.C., expressing his passionate opposition to the controversial and misleading "hate-crimes" legislation that is scheduled to be voted on by the U.S. House on Thursday. He asked us to share it with you:
A "hate-crimes" bill – which Sen. Ted. Kennedy has been attempting to pass for six years – is about to be voted on in the House of Representatives. It is supposedly designed to stop acts of violence and verbal abuse against people in a newly protected class, i.e. homosexuals, bisexuals, transsexuals and others.
Under its provision, the killing of 32 students at Virginia Tech would not be a "hate crime," because the victims were not members of this class. If that sounds foolish, it is because the true intent of the legislation is not to punish what is already illegal. It is ultimately designed to muzzle people of faith who dare to express their moral and biblical concerns about homosexuality. This subterfuge became clear when Republicans attempted to add a simple amendment protecting the rights of people of faith. The amendment, put forward by Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., read: "Nothing in this section limits the religious freedom of any person or group under the Constitution."
Guess what? Every Democrat voted against it, and the measure failed. What is at stake here is freedom of speech and the expression of conscience. Without a huge outcry from the public expressed to the House, Senate and White House, it will become law.
The hate-crimes bill is another outrageous attempt to silence opposition to the political agenda of homosexual activists, including gay adoption, the redefinition of marriage, homosexual propaganda in the schools, etc.
Depending on how the courts interpret the legislation, pastors may not even be able to speak and share Scripture in opposition to homosexual behavior, and, by extension, heterosexual promiscuity.
Please help us stop hate-crimes legislation dead in its tracks!
Please call and e-mail your lawmakers--contact information is available through our Action Center--and sign a petition opposing the egregious bill. We're hearing reports from Capitol Hill that lawmakers are being flooded with calls opposing the bill. As a result, staff members of some Democratic lawmakers have asked gay-activist groups to mobilize their followers. Our hope is that they will not be able to get through, because of the outpouring of opposition from pro-family Americans.
(Paid for by Focus on the Family Action)
