“Shameless attempt to push homosexual agenda … by exploiting soldiers”
http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=1138
By Bob Unruh
Sen. Edward Kennedy’s “hate crimes” plan – feared by Christian leaders as a way to censor biblical condemnations of homosexuality – has been proposed as an amendment to a defense spending bill, a maneuver opponents are calling “shameless” and “manipulative.”
The Kennedy plan, which earlier was introduced as separate legislation, would classify gender and sexual orientation as specially protected classes of people under federal law. Opponents say it would require law enforcement personnel to become “thought police” to determine whether a crime already addressed by existing law could be prosecuted under an enhanced standard of “hate crime.”
The White House already has suggested the proposal is unneeded and a veto would be in order if it is approved. But Kennedy has proposed inserting it into the defense appropriations plan, which Bush wants to pass.
“The maneuver is one clearly calculated to put the president in the position of ending up vetoing a defense appropriation,” Mathew Staver of Liberty Counsel told WND. Joe Glover of the Family Policy Network said the move is “shockingly manipulative.”
“It is a shameless attempt to push the homosexual agenda on the American people by exploiting American soldiers who are currently in harm’s way around the world,” he said.
Many dismiss the idea Christian pastors and others who oppose homosexual behavior on biblical grounds would end up being punished for their beliefs and thoughts, including the ACLU. The organization issued a statement endorsing the plan to amend the defense spending bill to include the hate crimes legislation.
http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56702