Senator Sessions Looking to Add "Poison Pill" Amendments to Hate Crimes Legislation

[ccharles000]

Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) is hoping to add three different amendments to the Matthew Shepard Act in an attempt to kill support for the expansion of hate crimes laws to protect the LGBT community.

Jeff-Sessions_7.jpgYou may know Senator Sessions as the race-baiting, bigoted failed Judicial nominee who now, in a show of the Republican sense of irony, is the top GOP leader in the Senate Judiciary Committee. During the Sotomayor hearings, he repeatedly made ridiculous, racially-charged comments (not to mention to the rather hilarious "quote of the hearing" line- saying he "wanted to do that crack cocaine thing" with the nominee).

Well now Sesssions is trying to add poison pills to the Matthew Shepard Act to ensure it goes down in flames. According to HRC Backstory:

The first Sessions Amendment would allow the death penalty to be applied in hate crimes cases under some circumstances. This Amendment is unnecessary and is a poison pill designed to kill the bill. The Amendment is being offered by and supported by Senators who oppose the Matthew Shepard Act. It's ironic that the very Senators who have falsely argued that this bill would put clergy in jail because of their beliefs think that those same clergy should be subject to the death penalty.

Much more after the jump...

http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/12123/senator-sessions-looking-to-add-poison-pill-amendments-to-hate-crimes-legislation