Few Americans realize that Sen. Edward Kennedy, "lion of the Senate," was also advocate for the hidden yet powerful pedophile lobby in Washington. During a previous intense fight to kill the federal hate crimes bill, a unique window opened to me and I saw Kennedy's pro-pedophile agenda in action. It was fall 2005. The hate bill had passed overwhelmingly in the House in 45 minutes, with no Republican opposition. It had been attached to the Children's Safety Act (CSA). CSA was must-pass legislation that would heighten penalties and restrictions on pedophiles. The Senate Judiciary Committee, headed by pro-hate bill Republican Arlen Specter, was overwhelmingly Democrat and supported hate crimes legislation. Kennedy's hate bill was sure to sail through Judiciary and the Senate (which in the previous Congress had passed the hate bill 65-33). At last, after seven years of frustration, the Anti-Defamation League, architect of the bill, was absolutely certain of victory. But then the playboy who panicked at Chappaquiddick again did the unexpected. Kennedy made an astonishing proposal to Senate Judiciary Republicans. It was related to me on terms of anonymity by a Senate Judiciary lawyer working for a prominent Republican senator. Sen. Frist's office subsequently confirmed to me that everything he said was true. Kennedy told Judiciary Republicans that his pedophile backers found intolerable the restrictions, penalties and humiliations imposed by CSA. If Kennedy would instruct his fellow Senate Judiciary Democrats not to move the hate bill forward to a Senate vote, would the Republicans join with the Democrats to water down the Children's Safety Act? This proposal was offered to the Republicans with the understanding that later, when CSA came forward to floor action in the Senate, Kennedy would exercise his option to attempt to attach the hate bill to the weakened CSA; he could call for a vote that would surely succeed. Judiciary Republicans recognized an incredible chance to delay hate bill passage. They worked with the Democrats to weaken some anti-pedophile penalties in the CSA. The Senate version ended up drastically shortened. Then for six months spanning two sessions of Congress, an unrecognized, unrecorded battle of Senate titans ensued. Republican Senate majority leader Bill Frist knew that if he allowed CSA onto the Senate floor, Kennedy would instantly demand a vote attaching the hate bill to it. Into April 2006, Frist doggedly refused to allow CSA to be brought to floor action. Militant proponents of CSA, anxiously awaiting the protection it would afford America's children, were baffled at Frist's seeming inaction. Kathy Lee Gifford, John Walsh of America's Most Wanted and Bill O'Reilly heightened criticism of Frist's "procrastination." They didn't realize he was heroically battling to keep Kennedy at bay, depriving him of the opportunity to pass the hate bill. Finally on Tuesday April 25, as national concern and impatience approached the breaking point, I sent out an e-alert explaining to the public the underlying dynamics blocking passage of CSA. During the next two days, O'Reilly became electrified with anger. He called Frist, confirming that Kennedy and his hate bill were indeed holding CSA hostage. Frist encouraged him to mount massive protest against Kennedy. On Thursday April 27, an enraged O'Reilly and Walsh tore into Kennedy through TV and internet. On "The O'Reilly Factor," they excoriated him for holding up legislation urgently needed to protect American children from pedophiles-all for the sake of his cherished hate bill! During the next two days, Kennedy's office was overwhelmed with 12,000 calls from outraged Americans. On Friday, Kennedy announced abandonment of any attempt to attach a hate bill to the CSA. The hate bill had again miraculously been defeated. Yet few knew, or know today, how much Senate Republicans had to maneuver and compromise in order to defeat it. Because of Kennedy, the pedophile lobby got what it wanted: a Children's Protection Act significantly less restrictive of pedophiles than in its original form. All week, Sen. Kennedy has been posthumously lauded for his part in the "Kennedy legacy" of passing an unprecedented amount of liberal legislation. But will his biographers or future generations have the courage to include within that legacy the truth about his protection of pedophiles and corresponding weakening of protection for their prey--America's children? His cold decision to protect pedophiles over America's children was the work of a scumbag. (Derived from Rev. Ted Pike's original article, "<http://www.truthtellers.org/alerts/dangerremains.html>Hate Bill Defeated in Senate, Yet Danger Remains," May 9, 2006, at <http://www.truthtellers.org/>Truthtellers.org.)
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