Griper Blade: If You Can't Beat The Hell Out of Gays, Religious Freedom is Dead

The religious right casts just about everything as an attack on christianity -- including hate crime enhancers for people who beat gays

Sheila Jackson-Lee has reintroduced hate crime legislation written by John Conyers. The bill, called the David Ray Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007, adds sexual orientation, gender, and gender identity to local hate crimes the Justice Department has the authority to investigate.

Since the legislation involves gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered/transsexual people, the religious right was quick to pile on.

Michael Marcavage, director of Repent America, quoted by WorldNetDaily:

"Truth is not allowed as evidence in hate crimes trials... A homosexual can claim emotional damage from hearing Scripture that describes his lifestyle as an abomination. He can press charges against the pastor or broadcaster who merely reads the Bible in public. The 'hater' can be fined thousands of dollars and even imprisoned!"

The Traditional Values Coalition created a somewhat insane political cartoon completely misrepresenting the bill. (see image)

Of course, this is a complete load. Hate crime laws are 'enhancers' -- meaning that a crime must already have been committed for the enhancer to kick in. It's like the difference between being charged with robbery and being charged with armed robbery. It's not illegal to carry a lockback hunting knife, but it is illegal to use it to rob someone. All it does is add a crime to one committed.

Likewise, it's already illegal to beat the hell out of someone. This would make it another crime to beat the hell out of someone because you hate gays. You can hate gays all you want, but you can't beat the hell out of them. In other words, nothing would change except punishment.

You can scream and cry and shriek that gays are evil all you want. Yay for you.

The religious right pulls this kind of crap all the time. Part of the reason is that they feel obligated to freak out whenever a law benefits people they don't like. The other reason is to perpetuate the myth that christians are persecuted in the United States...

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