Spantime...

So, here are a few musings from CSpan…

Representative Howard Coble, N.C. Republican, 6th district on upcoming bill HR-15-92…
“Why don’t policemen or kids get comparable treatment? Why are we singling out a group of people for special treatment?” Rep Coble opposes the bills unnecessary duplicaty, saying that the US already has “too many laws restricting the rights of the American people…” I guess Rep. Coble forgot about the harmful and confining restraints of the Patriot Act, a bill he helped pass, along with plenty other legislation that slowly degrades our privacies and freedoms.

Representative Mark Steven Kirk, Illinois Republican, 10th district…
“…the US stands for freedom, democracy, and tolerance…” Rep Kirk is diametrically opposed to providing freedom, democracy and tolerance for gay people, whom this bill would directly affect. Remember, gay people aren’t really citizens, after all.

Representative Tom Feeny, Florida Republican, 24th district…
“…we mustn’t punish people for thinking…must treat everyone equally…unequal protections as given by this bill would tear the country apart…” Rep Feeny, (along with Rep Steve King, and others) feels that punishing people for crimes they have yet to commit but are thinking of, borders on the line of ‘crimethink’ and for that reason, doesn’t support the hate crimes legislation. Bill HR-15-92 expands Federal protection to include punishment for crimes committed against persons based on their sexual identity.
Representative Steve King, Iowa Republican, 5th district, also quoted George Orwell’s 1984, when he likened the bill to the ‘thought crime bill’, quoting ‘If you control thought, you control death’. Much like this current administration is doing with suspected terrorists, keeping them in inhumane torture traps like Abu Graid and .

But none spoke more keenly against the bill than Representative Bob Goodcatte, Virginia Republican, 6th district… “…additional legislation is unfair and unconstitutional…new Federal laws restricting crime against a specific group are unnecessary…and undermine the spirit of the first amendment.” He specifically stated that the bill would create ‘classes of citizens’ who were above the rest and requiring special attention that would, in the end, be more harmful to the victims than not…