Two years ago, I voted for federal hate crimes legislation. Since casting that vote, a number of my constituents have made it very clear to me that they disagreed with this vote, and I have tried to weigh their arguments carefully. Some of the objections have been based on distortions of what this bill actually does. Other objections have reflected nothing more than animosity toward some of the groups who would be covered.
Some of my constituents ask why our federal laws should pick out some Americans for more protections than others. Some wonder why, in a culture that rejects violence against any human being, we should say that an attack on a black, or a woman, or a gay individual should be punished more severely than an attack on someone who happens to be a senior citizen, or a soldier, or a teacher. Others ask why some motives based on certain ideas should be punished by our criminal laws more aggressively than others.
This is coming from the only Black congressman who did not vote for the Hate Crimes bill. He's also running for Governor of Alabama...a place known for its history of hate crimes.
1 comment:
Poor ig'nant Negro-man he is, he probably doesn't realize the same measures he's waffling on are the very ones that have gotten him where he is politically today.
Do I dare drop the "S-bomb" (sellout) on his behind????
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