McCain: Hate Crime Amendment An "Abuse Of Power"

[SemiCharmedQuark]

"Sen. McCain was on Fox News today where he called the new hate-crime amendment an "abuse of power." In a nice back-patting moment at the end of the segment the Fox news anchor congratulated McCain for coming out on TV: "You could be relaxing somewhere watching a Diamondbacks game. Thank you.""

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/21/mccain-hate-crime-amendme_n_241917.html

Another link:

“The bill provides little guidance to law enforcement and raises more questions than answers,” said McCain Wednesday.

“f this amendment was to become law, police officers and prosecutors would be forced to treat identical crimes differently depending on the police officer or prosecutor’s determination of the political, philosophical, or even religious beliefs of the offender. This is absolutely wrong,” he added.

Going further, the senator made clear his belief that crimes motivated by “hate” deserve vigorous prosecution, but so do crimes motivated by absolute wanton disregard for life of any kind.

“I believe that all crimes should be vigorously prosecuted in order to protect one of our most fundamental rights – the right to be free from physical harm,” McCain stated. “And I believe that anyone who is motivated by hatred and commits a crime should be prosecuted just as vigorously as anyone who is motivated by absolute wanton disregard for life.”

Despite strong protest from conservative and Christian groups, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has called for a vote to move forward on the hate crimes measure.

Though that vote, requiring 60 supporters, could come as early as Thursday, the timing for a final vote on the amendment was uncertain.

Still, knowing that a vote on the bill is "imminent," groups including the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention are rallying concerned citizens to contact their senators this week and urge them to vote “no” on the hate crimes amendment.

"It would lay the groundwork for prosecuting Christians who share their biblical beliefs against homosexuality," expressed ERLC President Dr. Richard Land on Wednesday.

"This dangerous bill must be stopped," he exclaimed.

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20090716/mccain-rebukes-adding-of-hate-crimes-ammendment-to-defense-bill/index.html

[justiceischeap]

1. Hunting gays?

"It would lay the groundwork for prosecuting Christians who share their biblical beliefs against homosexuality," expressed ERLC President Dr. Richard Land on Wednesday.

"This dangerous bill must be stopped," he exclaimed.

It would only lay the groundwork if said christians decided to oh, I don't know, KILL a homosexual simply because he or she is homosexual. Is this this guys plan? Is that why he's so concerned about prosecution?

[rurallib]

2. boy talk about a misnamed group "Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission"

ethics is what they determine it to be and religious liberty is everybody a christian that thinks like them.

[Iris]

3. That's kind of ironc, isn't it?

I mean, hate crimes ARE an abuse of power.

[Phx_Dem]

4. The old fool is afraid there will be no one left in his party if we charge

people with hate crimes.

[theoldman]

5. Hate crimes are sometimes a double crime.

A guy rapes a woman because he wants sex. An other guy rapes a woman because she was gay. Maybe not a lot of difference but still a difference. If he did not hate gays he may not have raped a woman at all.

[dgibby]

6. That's what all the haters say!. n/t