I get it. They're a bunch of bigots who want to oppress other people who don't subscribe to their narrow-minded, minority view of Christianity. But that doesn't mean they have to lie in order to convince their own members to do things, does it?
The American Family Association, one of the most virulent members of the religious right, issued an action alert about the hate crimes bill, which included a pretty big whopper. Here it is (I'm not linking):
Here's what wrong with the "hate crimes" bill:Only problem with that? America has had hate crimes laws on the books for decades - this is only an amendment to the existing hate crimes law. So it's rather impossible for the hate crimes bill to be "the first time in American history" for such laws to exist when in fact hate crimes have been on the books for decades. That also means that their second point is a lie as well, about how everywhere in the world a hate crimes law has gone into effect, people of faith have been punished. Unless the religious right has been busy lynching blacks or burning down black churches, no one has used America's existing hate crimes laws against them.
* It criminalizes thought. For the first time in American history, criminal penalties are being attached to thoughts, not actions. Perpetrators will receive extra punishment not for what they did but for what they were thinking when they did it.
* It endangers freedom of religion and speech. Everywhere in the world "hate crimes" laws have gone into effect, they have quickly been used to harass, intimidate, silence and punish people of faith. Your pastor could go to jail if even a tenuous link could be established between a sermon on homosexuality and some act of violence.
Oh, and one more thing. Religion is also already protected under America's existing hate crimes law, along with race and national origin. The AFA doesn't apparently have anything to say about their own little "special right."
