- As Americans, we still enjoy freedom of speech after
the spectacular defeat of the federal hate bill. We should credit those
who made this victory possible. Our heroes include the 180 House Republicans
who, to the possible detriment of Republican Mideast objectives, refused
to vote for the arms/hate bill package. Just as vital were thousands of
listeners to alternative talk radio. Their protest inspired Republican
opposition of the hate bill in the House, especially in the crucial five
weeks after the hate bill was introduced in January.
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- Looking Back
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- In mid-November 2006, our National Prayer
Network went on high alert to challenge lovers of freedom to call House
Republicans and oppose the hate bill-which we accurately predicted would
be introduced during the first week of January. I and my niece Harmony
Grant spoke to thousands through alternative talk radio and e-alerts shared
across the internet.
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- We had ample reason to be concerned
and proactive. Democrats, uniformly supportive of hate laws, now controlled
Congress. In 2004, even under Republican control, the Senate passed the
hate bill 65-37. In 2005, the House passed it 223-199. It moved through
the House Judiciary and was passed by the House in 45 minutes with no significant
Republican protest!
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- We feared the hate bill could be pushed
as quickly in the House during Speaker Nancy Pelosi's "first 100 hours"
or soon after. This was an extremely dangerous time in our nation's history.
Democrats, having passed the bill in both Senate and House Judiciary Committees
in previous years, didn't plan to hold hearings. They could go forward
almost immediately after a mere voice vote from Judiciary members. House
Democrats knew they had the votes to pass it as a stand-alone bill, although
Sen. Cornyn's office said they were four votes shy in the Senate. The
Democrats had the will; if the legislative calendar could accommodate it,
the hate bill was in danger of passing Congress with blitzkrieg rapidity.
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- We knew from 1998 (when the hate bill
was first introduced) that, without vocal pressure from constituents, House
and Senate Republicans would mount virtually no opposition on the floor.
Fortunately, partly as a result of repeated calls to action by the National
Prayer Network and other conservative groups, the bill had often been stripped
off in Republican-dominated conference between the House and the Senate.
We were very concerned that a laid-back attitude still prevailed among
Republicans in a new Democrat-controlled House; that would surely mean
hate bill passage.
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- Silence from Conservatives
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- Incredibly, apart from the efforts of
NPN and response from our listeners and readers on the far right, Christians
and conservatives seemed unaware of this imminent threat.
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- In early January 2007, NPN posted at
<http://www.truthtellers.org>www.truthtellers.org the names of all
House Judiciary members and their 8 to 10 influential legislative aides.
Through repeated radio interviews (36 in January alone), e-alerts and
frequent postings on rense.com, I directed many thousands of calls to the
Judiciary, hammering the hate bill and encouraging Republicans to fight.
Public response to our calls to action was heavy. In only two days, a posting
at rense.com brought 8000 visitors to truthtellers.org to print out my
brochure, "Hate Laws will make You a Criminal." Many were sent
to House Judiciary Republicans and Democrats, as well as their aides. For
nearly four months, such input continued, with thousands of calls storming
Washington.
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- Hate bill promoters in the House did
not expect such an initial barrage of opposition -- even before the hate
bill was introduced. They had no idea where it was coming from; it gave
the impression of a spontaneous national outpouring of concern. Rather
than moving the hate bill through quickly, they waited until they could
be sure they had enough votes to pass it in the Senate. This fatal delay
gave us precious weeks to convince House Republicans that defeat of the
hate bill was a red-hot issue they should vigorously pursue. House Republicans
appreciated our support because they knew they could no longer count on
stripping off the hate bill in conference, now dominated by Democrats.
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- Toward the end of January 2007, we saw
the first crack in the hate bill agenda: House staffers indicated Rep.
Jackson-Lee was having trouble finding a co-sponsor!
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- New Right Awakens
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- For five weeks, from hate bill introduction
on January 5 to February 15th, the forces of the far right battled the
hate bill alone. Most conservative "watchdog" groups seemed oblivious
even to its presence in the House. If they did know, they were doing virtually
nothing - even though I had been warning them for months via e-alerts.
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- During January, my influential friend
in the religious right, former Deputy Grassroots Director for Alan Keyes,
Guy Adams, had also been sending many thousands of messages of warning.
Finally, I asked Guy to personally call his friend Don Wildmon, head of
American Family Association, and demand action. I also called Focus on
the Family, giving the same urgent plea to Dr. Dobson's legislative aide.
Most importantly, on February 14th NPN emailed an emergency alert to Bob
Unruh, writer on hate laws issues for World Net Daily. Within only 8 hours,
Unruh published a blockbuster article, quoting me extensively. Immediately,
participation of the religious right exploded. Focus on the Family, AFA,
FRC, Traditional Values Coalition and Concerned Women for America took
up the cry against the hate bill. Perhaps millions of their supporters
protested to Congress.
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- By the time the religious right entered
the fray, the hate bill had been so tarnished by opposition that hate bill
supporters, led by Rep. John Conyers, decided to start over. Rather than
continue with Jackson-Lee's short version of the hate bill, they would
substitute the larger version (Amdt. 2662) that passed the House two years
earlier, complete with its impressive list of 137 sponsors. Their plan
was to rush it through quickly, so it would not be soiled by bad publicity.
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- The liberal Jewish community in America
rallied behind Conyers, vowing to exert massive pressure on House members.
(See, http://www.truthtellers.org/alerts/squareoffhatebillbattle.html
- Jewish Left, Christian Right Square Off for Hate Bill
Battle) Yet spring recess allowed conservative groups to educate their
followers about the dangers of hate crimes legislation. Apart from Robert
L. Knight, the religious right had not been doing much original thinking,
but articles began to appear. FRC, Coral Ridge Ministries and Faith2Action
produced and widely distributed videos against hate crime laws.
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- By the time hearings finally began in
the House Judiciary in late April, the new bill had become as controversial
as Jackson-Lee's. The "brilliant" ploy of Conyers, ADL and the
Jewish community had fizzled. As a result of expanding opposition, Conyers,
head of the House Judiciary Committee, was forced into a huge strategic
mistake-he allowed hearings on the hate bill! When, after nearly four months
of delays caused by the right, the hate bill finally went forward into
House Judiciary hearings, feisty energized Republicans vocally opposed
it. At least 11 Republicans resisted the Democrat majority at every step,
proposing no fewer than 11 amendments.
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- Two years earlier this same legislation
passed the House Judiciary Committee with hardly a whimper. But because
listeners to alternative talk radio and then mainstream conservatives gave
fight and support to these Republicans, the Judiciary hearings became a
high-drama airing of grievances against the hate bill which reverberated
through Congress. The hearings became an embarrassment and delay that Conyers
and other Democrats deeply regretted.
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- Standing in the Gap
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- In short, it was such militancy from
conservatives that, in the first months of 2007, helped transform House
Republicans into an informed focused fighting force against the hate bill.
Because pressure of this magnitude was never applied to the Senate, Republicans
there largely behaved as they always had. They acted like Republican members
of Congress have since 1998: they sat largely mute and let the bill pass.
(Watch, http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7106788155515523339
- Second Chance for Freedom: Defeating the Hate Bill)
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- Although the hate bill did pass the
House on May 3 as a result of overwhelming Democratic power, House Republicans
put up heroic resistance. Such opposition continued through the spring
to defeat or delay at least five pieces of freedom-threatening legislation.
It clearly remained until Nov. 15th when it was reported that 180 House
Republicans would vote against the long overdue arms bill rather than approve
it with the hate bill attached. Such efforts, aided (for different reasons)
by about 77 Democrats, spelled hate bill defeat when Democratic leaders
decided to strip the hate bill off the arms bill in conference.
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- Many others, including Rense.com and
the 37 talk show hosts who aired me on 209 national interviews in the 13
months prior to hate bill defeat, deserve our deepest appreciation. Yet,
greatest credit goes where it should be - to the many thousands of Americans
from alternative talk radio and the internet. They stood in the gap during
a time of gravest national emergency - and saved freedom.
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