- Last week, President Bush warned the Senate against passing
Kennedy's hate crimes amendment as part of the military appropriations
bill. He said he would send both back to the Senate, demanding the hate
bill be removed.
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- Bush's threat is reminiscent of Wyatt Earp's
impending gunfight with the McLaurys and Clantons at the O.K. Corral in
1881.
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- The question then was, "Who runs Tombstone,
Arizona?" - the laws of the city or outlaws? The question now is,
"Who leads America?" - the power hungry "hate bill gang,"
advocating legislation that will end free speech, or a President who is
taking a stand in defense of the First Amendment rights of the people?
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- This is intense drama that deeply concerns
our freedom. High noon will come after September 4 when the Senate returns
and the military reauthorization bill, delayed over five weeks during the
summer recess, is again brought before the Senate. A vote on the hate
bill amendment will come soon because passage of the military bill is top
priority. We will no longer be able to keep our troops waiting, especially
in Iraq, for necessary supplies and armaments.
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- On the other hand, if there is enough protest,
Kennedy and co-sponsor Gordon Smith could lose their nerve and withdraw
the hate bill amendment. If the hate bill becomes widely viewed as a primary
obstacle to speedy provision of support for our troops (an accusation the
President is already making), Kennedy and Smith may opt to attach their
bill to a less emotionally charged piece of legislation. Or they may attempt
to pass it as a stand-alone bill, as did the House earlier this year.
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- Their decision will be determined by the level
of concern generated by the American people before September 4. A year
ago in very similar circumstances, Kennedy insisted his hate bill be passed
as a rider to the Children's Safety Act. Children were in danger, but
Kennedy would not allow vital child-protecting legislation to move forward
without his hate bill attached.
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- In April 2006, after Kennedy had blocked the
children's bill for six months, I suddenly went on high alert, tipped off
by an unguarded remark by Kennedy revealing hate bill strategy on Larry
King Live. Primarily through talk radio, I generated thousands of calls
against the bill to the Senate. Finally, Bill O'Reilly attacked Kennedy
repeatedly on Fox News TV, and over 12,000 outraged calls forced Kennedy
to capitulate. The hate bill was dead in the 109th Congress. Moral outrage
against Kennedy's insensitivity to human need - protection of America's
children - killed the bill. (See, <http://truthtellers.org/alerts/hatebillholdshostage.htm>Hate
Bill Holds America Hostage)
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- A similar opportunity exists today. Our soldiers
are in danger. Continued delay in passing the arms bill, because the President
won't sign it with the hate bill attached, could provoke public outrage.
This would make the hate bill amendment a political liability, causing
significant numbers of Senate Democrats and Republicans to vote against
it.
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- August: Time for Action!
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- There's little doubt that Democrats have enough
votes to pass the hate bill amendment. So it's up to us, following the
lead of Pres. Bush, to heighten criticism, not just of this legislation
but of its two arch proponents in the Senate, Kennedy and Smith. The evils
of the hate bill are frightening enough. But if Kennedy and Smith can
be accurately portrayed, especially on talk shows and the internet, as
lacking compassion for the needs of our troops, humanitarian objections
to the hate bill amendment could again play a huge part in achieving victory.
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- Up to this point, the progress of the hate
bill has been beset by an unexpected level of opposition. Such has come
primarily from listeners to alternative talk radio and the religious/conservative
right. Popular protest has caused hate bill promoters to change bills,
delay action, and alter stratagems. These delays provide a vital opportunity
for hate bill opponents to educate and energize the public. Heightened
opposition, especially during the next three weeks, will increase the possibility
of more strategic errors and delays for this Orwellian legislation.
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- If the hate bill is passed this fall, the
President's promised confrontation with it will generate unparalleled interest
in the subject of hate crimes legislation. Bush has vetoed only a handful
of bills in the last 6-1/2 years. A veto of the hate bill would invite
enormous curiosity as to his reasons for such action.
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- For the past 5 years, discussion of the pros
and cons of hate crime legislation has been virtually banned from the national
TV and print media. The media wants the hate bill passed without controversy,
through the back door, without the knowledge or permission of the American
people. Yet despite such manipulation, alternative conservative and religious
media and leadership are generating a popular underground rebellion against
the hate bill that cannot be suppressed.
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- The bones of the lawless opponents of Wyatt
Earp now rest on Boot Hill. Let's bury the hate bill on Capitol Hill -
before it buries us.
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