WashingtonWatch.com - H.R. 254, The David Ray Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007

Comment by WHAT? (September 10, 2008, 01:00:00)

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

To Josh Taylor - How do you suppose a group of people who have never done anything influential or productive will make a "super state"? You are sad and dumb and may God bless you because you, my friend, sure need it! Look at what happened to Rome! It fell because of homosexual tolerance and drugs! Along with a few other tactical defense problems but still they were all distracted by each others carnal wants and desires or the so called utopia. On another note, why is it that the homosexual community says that others are pressing their beliefs on them and inhibiting them from freedom and the escape from persecution. Last I checked there aren’t any strait parades or laws protecting our sexual preference. And yes in the end all this is, is the protection of a sexual preference!...

Comment by what? (September 10, 2008, 01:00:00)

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Concerning this law, there is no need for it because government is already too involved in our lives. Even though it is a slippery slope argument to say that this will lead to other thing, it is the truth. This law will lead to other things that are bad and will cause our society to become morally subjective with liberal ideals that state anything goes! How is that good for out future?...

Comment by Josh Taylor (June 2, 2008, 01:00:00)

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Shut up, you church fanatics! I support this bill and I think that this country, the world, and myself had enough of your church freaks telling people what's right and what's wrong. There is no right or wrong. We do what we do best. It's in our blood. It's survival of the fittest. It's all part of Nature. Live with it and quit believing in your imaginary dead savior. Your savior was dead 2000 years ago, he's still dead today and he's not coming back. It's time for us athiests to take over this church fanatic country and turn it into an athiestic superstate. The penalty for those who believe in their imaginary dead savior is death....

Comment by Brian (April 3, 2008, 01:00:00)

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Just one more step towards the establishment of socialism in America. Mark my words, within 50 years, we will no longer be the United States of America. We will be the Democratic People's Republic of America. Okay, laugh it up, you'll see!...

Comment by Ben Noyes (October 27, 2007, 01:00:00)

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Ahh The simple question Why do we need it? The simple answer We don't...

Comment by awwv (September 18, 2007, 01:00:00)

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT

God has been taken out of our schools, out of our public places, out of our post offices and elsewhere, I exercise my right to free speech..GOD IS STILL ON THE THROWN..I agree with those here that want to keep this bill from passing. God Bless America, keep us free!...

Comment by Virginia Caldwell in Thomaston, Ga (September 10, 2007, 01:00:00)

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT

This is only an example of The Goverment interfering with the church. As a Christian I will not be silent while this attempt to violate all our rights is being made. As Americans and Christians we need to WAKE UP!!!...

Comment by Disgusted, pt 1 (July 11, 2007, 01:00:00)

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Every person who has posted here, regardless the point of view, has missed (or - worse - chosen to ignore) the three truly reprehensible words that appear throughout the bill: "actual or perceived." They alone should cause any reasonable person to demand of their legislators that this bill die a rapid death. This opens the door for any victim of a crime to claim it was a hate crime in order to exact a more extensive sentence upon the criminal . . . most likely an act based, ironically, on their hatred of said criminal! (Which begs the question: Should criminals now be considered a protected class under this bill?)...

Comment by Disgusted, pt 2 (July 11, 2007, 01:00:00)

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 00:00:00 EDT

And for all you self professed lawyers, please note that there is a distinct difference between motive and intent, much as you would like to muddy those particular waters. 'Motive' is the reason why one MIGHT act in a certain way; 'intent' is their hopeful outcome from said act. Motive is oftentimes a factor in determining (though not proving) guilt; intent is usually considered when imposing punishment. And I'm not even a lawyer!...

Comment by April (July 8, 2007, 01:00:00)

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 00:00:00 EDT

I think that if a homosexual man wants to have a sexual relationship with his homosexual partner in his own home, then by all means do so. How would a Christian- AND I AM A BIBLE THUMPING, HOLY ROLLIN JESUSFREAK CHRISTIAN- look like walking up in your house telling you to stop having sex and doing what you do in your house. But as a Christian I have a right to preach what I believe in my house, in my church, on the street corner, ANYWHERE in this country. Let me remind you that as a Christian my rights are forcibly violated as well. This bill violates them. How dare you ask me the Christian, the preacher to stop preaching what I believe in, because you don’t agree?...

Comment by april finishes... (July 8, 2007, 01:00:00)

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Homosexual people believe in what they believe and I got to watch them on TV., listen to them on the radio, watch their parades, their music-You are everywhere, you've got your rights, you screw who you wanna screw….and then publicly talk about it. Now you wanna take away mine. Well, some of us are not scared and we are not going to let you back us into a corner. If you come to my church then you are going to hear the pure word of God. If you don't like it then leave. If you like it stay, repent and get free. Besides, as much as homosexuals & Christians would like to think the world does NOT revolve around any of us. God ain’t playing anymore with silly Christians or goofy homosexuals. Pass the bill; at least you’ll know who all the real Christians are….cuz we’ll all be in jail preaching that same gospel in Jail. Then all your prisoners are gonna get saved…you can’t cage the gospel. We're not going anywhere ya'll so BRING IT!...

Comment by Marc (July 6, 2007, 01:00:00)

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Heterosexual foam-at-the-mouth Christians who rail and whine about "free speech" issues are nothing more than the tears of a crocodile - that crowd has been busy burning, torturing, and persecuting gays and other minorities for thousands of years. Get some psychotherapy and toss the religious addiction, you hate-filled hypocrites!...

Comment by RickyP (May 23, 2007, 01:00:00)

Wed, 23 May 2007 00:00:00 EDT

While you may consider homosexuality to be a sin, that has absolutely no consequence in law. Not all Christian morals appear in law, yet they exist anyway. The purpose of government is not to legislate morality, but to enforce social contracts. To deny social contracts to anyone because of their sexual orientation is to deny them a place in society. You have no such right to do so. You may as well exclude minorities also. This bill will not make saying anti-gay comments any more illegal than racist comments. It will, however, protect homosexuals from crazy Christian lynch mobs. Perhaps you can understand how killing a person for their sexual preference is wrong....

Comment by Mireya (May 21, 2007, 01:00:00)

Mon, 21 May 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Good points (last few), but I must be missing something. I don't see that this bill is trying to enforce MORE punishment to a crime than any other crime... Seems to me it's trying to equlize it, since sometimes crimes are overlooked a bit when it's to a black, a gay, a lower-class person... I could be wrong, but my interpretation after READING the bill in full was that it was merely including certain groups to have equal right to justice as everyone else...?...

Comment by Jenn (May 10, 2007, 01:00:00)

Thu, 10 May 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Respectfully, I disagree with this bill. Hating innocent people and committing a crime against them for any reason is reprehensible - but a crime is a crime is a crime. Decent people would agree that murdering someone because they are gay and murdering someone for money are both wrong - but how could you judge one as worse than the other?! Both deserve the stiffest penalties. Criminalizing certain crimes as worse than others due to personal belief leads down a slippery slope. We should not criminalize thought - it is just too Orwellian and is creepy....

Comment by Mireya (May 9, 2007, 01:00:00)

Wed, 09 May 2007 00:00:00 EDT

To Steve... Not all Christians pick and choose from the Bible what they wish to read and believe. I'm glad there are still Christians like you who grasp more of the whole concept of the "guidance" of the Bible... The religion is a beautiful thing, until people use it to discriminate and bend the words to fit their personal feelings of confort and "right" and "wrong"....

Comment by Mireya (May 9, 2007, 01:00:00)

Wed, 09 May 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Everyone who has posted a comment has every right to believe whatever they need to believe in order to sleep at night, so to speak... I think many of us get most frustrated when others contradict their own words and twist their own ideas and bend whatever facts are at hand, just to put themselves in a "righter" position to claim who should have human rights and who should not. This bill isn't isolating gays to have special treatment. It's clarifying that they are included rather than EXCLUDED from the same right to be free of harm as everyone else....

Comment by Mireya (May 9, 2007, 01:00:00)

Wed, 09 May 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Maybe the bill won't do much. Maybe it will. But to try to resist it ONLY because it is now INCLUDING gays in the list that was presented in a previously passed bill... Common people. This is about your dislike for GAYS and possibly your fear that it won't be easy to get off the hook if someone harrasses them, beats them or kills them for their sexuality. You don't have to like them. But they are human and deserve the same protection as any of you. Try to fight for your rights to practice your beliefs without inhibiting other's rights to live and love openly whom their hearts desire....

Comment by Reverend Blowhard (May 9, 2007, 01:00:00)

Wed, 09 May 2007 00:00:00 EDT

I don't believe the prosecution of a crime should be more severe because others assume they knew what you were thinking. I’m not much interested in the spiritual entertainers (a.k.a. preachers) ability to leverage what feels odd to garner support. Religion is a confidence scam, if people want to feed deadbeats like preachers, that’s fine. You have to be pretty stupid to let someone con you into thinking they have special connections with gods anyway. Somehow those all powerful supernatural creatures (a.k.a. gods) always need extra cash! To police on the basis of your thoughts is thought police. Everyone should be entitled to think and say what they like....

Comment by Mercator (May 9, 2007, 01:00:00)

Wed, 09 May 2007 00:00:00 EDT

This is not a Christian Nation. It allows for tolerance of multiple religions. When your Religion actively campaigns to limit the freedoms of those who don't believe as you do then your are forcing your beliefs on others. That is wrong. I have no problem with you if you belief in the Bible, or the Koran, etc. If it guides you, gives you hope, who has the right to tell you that you are wrong. Keep it to yourself and realize that your almost as Atheist as I am, you just believe in one more God than me. There is a difference between being tolerant of other peoples religions, and being indifferent....

Comment by Mercator (May 9, 2007, 01:00:00)

Wed, 09 May 2007 00:00:00 EDT

One more thing. I do not agree with this legislation as culture determines what is acceptable little by little. I don't think there should be MORE penalties to someone engaged in hate crimes. They are still crimes. Does it make regular assaults any more acceptable? Punish for the crime, understand the reason and educate. Oh and some people are born Homosexual. Ever seen Who's the Boss? C'mon.. that kid was obviously gay at 6 years old. No one can stop you from thinking what you want, but be prepared when you see how unacceptable it is to resort to violence to enforce your religion....

Comment by Norrin (May 9, 2007, 01:00:00)

Wed, 09 May 2007 00:00:00 EDT

There is no point to this legislation, any crime directed at an individual is either done by the perpetrator to gain something or is done out of hate. Labeling something a "hate crime" just points out again our differences rather than underscoring that we are all human beings living in the same country....

Revision by webmaster (May 9, 2007, 01:00:00)

Wed, 09 May 2007 00:00:00 EDT

H.R. 254 would enhance Federal enforcement of hate crimes.

Detailed Summary

David Ray Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 or David's Law - Amends the federal criminal code to mpose penalties for willfully causing bodily injury to any person or, through the use of fire, a firearm, or an explosive device, attempting to cause such injury, whether or not acting under color of law, because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability of any person, where the offense is in or affects interstate or foreign commerce.

Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to study the issue of adult recruitment of juveniles to commit hate crimes and, if appropriate, to amend the federal sentencing guidelines to provide sentencing enhancements for such an offense.

Requires the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to make grants to state and local programs designed to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles.

Authorizes appropriations to the Department of the Treasury and to DOJ for FY2007-FY2009 to increase the number of personnel to protect against criminal interference with federally-protected activities.

Status of the Legislation

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Points in Favor

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Points Against

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Revision by mgambrell (May 9, 2007, 01:00:00)

Wed, 09 May 2007 00:00:00 EDT

H.R. 254 would enhance Federal enforcement of hate crimes.

Detailed Summary

David Ray Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 or David's Law - Amends the federal criminal code to impose penalties for willfully causing bodily injury to any person or, through the use of fire, a firearm, or an explosive device, attempting to cause such injury, whether or not acting under color of law, because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability of any person, where the offense is in or affects interstate or foreign commerce.

Status of the Legislation

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Points in Favor

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Points Against

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Comment by Steve (May 8, 2007, 01:00:00)

Tue, 08 May 2007 00:00:00 EDT

@ Sharper: Technically, being a caucasian male is a race or ethnicity, and if you caused said white male physical harm, this law DOES say just that. As for the rest of you, I am sick at heart to call myself a Christian after seeing some of the comments on this site. Yes, the Bible does say homosexuality is a sin. It also says gossip is a sin. It says that a slave rebelling against its master is a sin. It says that divorce for any reason other than marital infidelity is a sin. The point is simply that WE ARE ALL SINNERS, and will never be able to live without sin - hence Christ. Claiming you are heaven-bound because your personal sins are perhaps more socially acceptable than a lesbian's is the height of hypocrisy. You are heaven-bound because of your faith in Christ, not because of your supposed lack of sin - just as a gay man who believes in Christ is. Let he who hath no sin cast the first stone....