By Mary Mostert, Analyst, www.originalsources.com
On Sunday, Attorney General Janet Reno urged Congressto expand federal hate crime laws to "include offenses based on sexual orientation" on the basis that "the murder of gay Wyoming student Matthew Shepard shows that the government must take a stronger stand." Reno said on CNN's "Late Edition" Sunday that nationshiwe legislation is needed to expand federal hate crime laws to include offenses based on sexual orientation, saying that the murder of gay Wyoming student Matthew Shepard shows that the government must take a stronger stand. Reno, appearing on CNN's "Late Edition," said such nationwide legislation is needed to address "situations where the state cannot or will not take action."
There were several such bills introduced in the 105th Congress, such as H. R. 2959, by Jerry Nadler, Democrat of New York, which was "To provide a civil claim for individuals who are victims of crimes motivated by actual or perceived race, color, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation , or physical or mental disability."
Reno said the bill introduced almost a year ago -- but not passed by the current Congress -- sends "a clear message from the federal government, if we can get it passed, that hate crimes will not be tolerated."
The homosexual community is using the beating death of Shepard, a University of Wyoming freshman, as a vehicle to advance its agenda. House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt, of Missouri said, said at a candlelight vigil for Shepard last week that such laws were needed. Sen. Orrin Hatch, Republican of Utah noted on Fox News Sunday that "state and federal laws can already solve hate crimes without hate crimes legislation" and that such legislation "raises questions of singling out certain groups, putting suspects in double jeopardy and impinging upon First Amendment rights."
It would appear, based on some of the rhetoric now taking place, that any such legislation would have to have to include just about everyone in the entire nation. Over the week-end it appears that many believe that speech is a crime, if it is critical of persons in any of the protected groups.
For example, I received from my 12 year old grandson a story about an incident in his school, Provo Centennial Middle School, which was written up in the Salt Lake Tribune. It appears that the school has an annual tradition where the kids voice their wishes for all the world. This episode took place two weeks before Halloween, not necessarily the best time of the year to get children to participate in a serious program. Most of the wishes, the paper reported, "were idyllic: Stop World hunger. Save the rain forest."
Then a 13 year old boy, that my grandson didn't know, stepped to the microphone and suggested that "gay men be crucified on Main Street and lesbians be burned at the stake." That sounded to me like a sick joke of a 13 year old - not a serious statement, so I called to ask about that. Apparently that was the case - simply an effort to rile up the authority figures, and it certainly did that. While the Tribune stated that "there was a teacher standing right there and no one did a thing" that was far from true. Actually the boy was promptly told his first amendment rights don't extend to a comment like that and he was suspended from school for three days. Then the entire school was required to watch a propaganda movie discussing how "inappropriate " the crack was. And, of course, following the murder of Matthew Shepard, it certainly was inappropriate.
Yet, apparently because of the political clout of AIDS Activists no real teaching about health problems endemic among homosexuals took place in the Middle School. Has the principal now been permanently prevented from sharing with the students the facts about AIDS? That at this point there are 22 million people worldwide who are infected with the virus and that there is no cure? Do the kids know that 1 in 250 of all adults globally are already infected, that there is 1 new infection every 15 seconds and that 1 million are infected so far in US?
Have the young teen-agers been informed that there are more AIDS deaths in US alone each year than in entire Vietnam War, and that, today, 70% of all infection globally is heterosexual and that 90% of all infection globally in last 12 months is 'heterosexual?' Do they know that practicing homosexuality shortens one's life on the average of 40 years and heterosexual promiscuity causes a number of diseases, some of them incurable, and a lifetime of misery?.
A quick perusal of the AIDS, Homosexual and Lesbian websites on the Internet clearly indicate that these facts are actually well known among those who have acquired the disease. Yet, for the most part their political clout is used to demand huge sums of money from the federal government to treat the disease which they acquired largely through their own behavior. Increasingly they are demanding special treatment in the event there is a crime involving a homosexual, and are now creating a firestorm intended to stampede Congress into passing their legislation.
For example, Katie Couric of NBC was questioning Wyoming Governor Jim Geringer about the Shephard murder and thise was her "interview question:
KATIE COURIC: "Governor, Marv Johnson, who is Executive Director of the Wyoming ACLU has said that Wyoming is not gay friendly. Do you agree with that assessment?....Wyoming, as you well know Governor, is one of 10 states that does not have any kind of hate crime law and three times the Wyoming legislature has apparently crushed bills to enact such a law. Why hasn't that measure been successful in your state?....Would you like to see a hate crime law enacted? Will you go back to the legislature and try to do that?....What do you think about a federal measure that would be a hate crime law which would include sexual orientation? Would you support that at the federal level Governor?....And finally Governor some gay rights activists have said that some conservative political organizations like the Christian Coalition, the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family are contributing to this anti-homosexuality atmosphere by having an ad campaign saying in you are a homosexual you can change your orientation. That prompts people to say if I meet someone who's homosexual I'm going to take action and try to convince them or try to harm them. Do you believe that such groups are contributing to this climate?"
Obviously, Couric didn't need the Governor since she asked the questions and answered them to her own satisfaction all in one breath. If groups that are trying to provide homosexuals with the means to change their life style, thereby saving their lives, are now to be labeled as "contributing to" the "anti-homosexuality atmosphere," people like me who keep reminding them that their lifestyle shortens their life in America about 40 years clearly would be labeled by them as a mortal enemy.
In 1990-91 AIDS was not even listed as being one of a major causes of death in America. Six years later, in 1996, AIDS was listed as the 8th most frequent cause of death. Approximately two-thirds of the new AIDS cases in America are still caused by men having sex with men in homosexual relationships.
On the same week-end that the President of the United States was given wide coverage to his complaints against the Republican Congress for not passing anti-tobacco legislation, "to save the lives of children" we are encouraged to accept as normal and "good" the homosexual lifestyle. A lifetime of smoking shortens one's life on the average of 8-10 years while homosexuality shortens one's life in America on an average of 40 years. Yet Couric thinks it's great to try to stop kids from smoking but perfectly wonderful to encourage them to become homosexuals.
Passage of the Budget Bill which did not include the needle exchange program demanded by President Clinton, to provide free new needles to drug addicts to cut down on the AIDS transmission undoubtedly is also part of the current advocacy of new legislation designed to keep people with destructive life-styles from having to be accountable for their own behavior. One group, calling themselves "National Coalition to Save Lives NOW!" called t he refusal of the Congress to lift the ban on syringe exchange funding as "abject political cowardice."
The group notes, "We estimate that 33 American men, women and children are infected with AIDS every day simply because our government refuses to lift the ban on funding syringe exchange programs!" Of course, none of them would be infected if they simple stopped their own destructive behavior. Why do they expect the rest of the nation to run to their rescue AFTER they acquire AIDS with their sex practices, but think those footing the bill for their expensive drugs should keep their mouths shut BEFORE they acquire aids?
"The National Coalition to Save Lives Now is formed by those of us who know from first hand experience the critical importance of expanded syringe access and exchange." The group intones. "WE CALL UPON all Americans to lift their voices against this genocidal neglect that is devastating our families and communities and reaffirm the humanity of all persons at risk for contracting HIV."
Genocidal neglect? How about "Suicidal promiscuous sex habits?" What the homosexual community is demanding is nothing less than full social and political approval of its sexual habits and instantaneous cures when they contract AIDS. Anything less is "proof" of the "anti-homosexual" hatred of all the rest of us.
Just think what a clever trial lawyer could do with that thought in the event it becomes a "hate crime" to criticize the homosexual lifestyle.
While the 13 year old boy was unwise to talk about killing homosexuals and lesbians, the homosexual community is equally unwise to accuse the heterosexual community, the rest of us out there, of "genocidal neglect" that is devastating their families, and communities. The 13 year old can blame his intemperate comments on immaturity. What, exactly, do the homosexuals blame their intemperate verbal attacks on heterosexuals on?
To comment: mmostert@originalsources.com