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UPDATED BELOW
Today’s Guest Column is by Bill S.

On October 28, the President signed The Matthew Shepard act, which expands on the existing federal Hate Crimes law passed in 1969. It was historic — to the best of my knowledge, it’s the first federal law to acknowledge that LGBT people are citizens of the U.S., deserving of equal protection under the law. This has not gone over well with some people, particularly those who refuse to believe that anti-gay hate crimes even happen. In 2004, there was even a segment on 20/20 that attempted to raise doubts about the Shepard murder. That piece was widely discredited by most people directly involved in the case, including the primary investigating officer, Rob DeBeers.

“I have never worked on a homicide case with this much evidence,” Rob says, all these months later a bit of wonder still bleeding in his voice. “It was like a case of God giving it to us. I’m not kidding. The whole way it broke down from beginning to end-it was like, here it is boys, work it. It’s almost like it pissed off God, and he says, oh well, come here, let me walk you over here, walk you over there, pick up all that. It was just a gift.”Bruce Garrett adds, “I drove that same path when I was in Laramie, to the extent I was able to before coming upon all the ‘private property signs’, and that same impression swept over me like a cold clammy sickness. You simply cannot drive the path that Shepard’s killers took and come away from it believing it was simply a robbery gone bad. Unless of course that is what you need to believe.”

Which is what leads to vile garbage like this column by Pam Meister.

Quick: When I say “Matthew Shepard”, what do you think? A man killed because he was gay? Or a poor sap in the wrong place at the wrong time?

When I say “Pam Meister,” what do you think? Brainless nimrod? Or heartless asshole?

A crime is a crime. It shouldn’t matter if the victim was a target because he was black, because he was gay…

…said the white heterosexual. But she’s right. Since when does motive matter, except for, oh, every single time?  Yeah. Murder is murder. And vandalism is vandalism, when you deface a billboard by painting mustache on the model’s face, or deface a synagogue by painting a swastika on the door. And arson is arson, whether you torch a warehouse to collect insurance, or burn a cross on your neighbor’s lawn. They’re exactly the same, and affect communities in the same exact way. And when investigating those cases, we should look for the same suspects.

And what of Shepard? He was a troubled young man who was HIV positive and into the drug scene too. This is not to say I blame the victim-far from it.

By “far from it,” she means, “So close she’s practically rimming it with her tonsils.

But his issues are relevent to what happened after his death. Cliff Kincaid explores this theme further:
“…The gay rights movement wanted to depict Shepard as a victim of a homophobic society. This played into their demands to curb so-called “Hate Crimes”.

But ABC and Vargas ALSO show Shepard to be a very depressed young man, on the verge of suicide, because of his homosexual lifestyle. The “gay rights” lobby doesn’t want to face up to that. Matthew Shepard wasn’t “gay” and “proud”. He was profoundly troubled.

doesn’t look like a young man who was troubled by his sexual orientation.

If Matt was battling depression, it’s more likely because three years prior to the murder, while he was a student abroad in Morocco, he was beaten and raped. Strange how people trying paint him as a druggy slut tend to omit this traumatic event from his bio.

I believe I speak for everyone when I say , “Go French Kiss a chainsaw, you ignorant sack of jackal vomit.”

Speaking of which, Gary Cass of The Christian Anti-defamation Commission has launched a protest against the Hate Crimes act, set to be held in D.C. today, at 1:30 PM.

“The Rally For Religious Freedom” in front of the Department of Justice is intended to force Attorney General Eric Holder either to address the issues or be put in a position of ignoring those who say they are violating the provisions of the federal law”, Cass told WND. “We’re going to declare the whole council of God, including those parts that some may consider ‘inciting a hate crime’ to see if the attorney general is going to come down and arrest a group of peaceful clergy exercising their First Amendment rights.”

Since the Hate Crimes Act is perfectly clear on the matter of speech, my guess is that as long as they’re peaceful, he won’t do anything.But that won’t stop Cass & co. from their little publicity stunt, which has drawn support from some charming people:

…Rick Scarborough went on Janet Porter’s radio program yesterday to discuss it and Porter pledged to join them in standing outside the Department of Justice as they seek to get arrested for preaching the Bible.  According to the program, Porter, Scarborough, and the others will be joined by Matt Barber and Gordon Klingenschmitt (as well as Brian Camenker of Mass Resistance).

What, no Pete LeBarbera? I guess it’s the absence of a crowd of Leather Daddies keeping him away from it. Scarborough adds this:

“To test this belief and protest a clear violation of First Amendment freedom of speech and religion, various clergy will preach short sermons and read passages from the Bible regarding homosexual behavior. Like Dr. Martin Luther King and the Sixties Civil Rights movement, they will engage in civil disobedience to protest injustice.”

Did anybody else’s Bullshit Meter just explode?

Well, we know they won’t get arrested for this little display, any more than a person quoting Shakespeare’s line, “The first thing we’ll do, let’s kill all the lawyers”* will be arrested for issuing a death threat. But something tells me they will get arrested for something. So I leave it to you, dear readers, to put on your psychic skullcaps or what have you, and predict what will happen during or after this stunt occurs. It’ll be interesting to see who comes the closest to getting it right.

*Henry VI (Part 2), Act IV, Scene II.

-Bill S

Apparently the rally didn’t really go all that well.  (And frankly, I never imagined that dainty, girly-girl house-muffin Janet Folger Porter sounds like an adenoidal 14-year old boy yelling at his little brother for taking his collectible action figures out of their original packaging.)

19 Responses to “Guest Column: If You People Hated The Crime As Much As You Hate The Hate Crime Law…”

“said the white heterosexual. But she’s right. Since when does motive matter, except for, oh, every single time? Yeah. Murder is murder. And vandalism is vandalism, when you deface a billboard by painting mustache on the model’s face, or deface a synagogue by painting a swastika on the door. And arson is arson, whether you torch a warehouse to collect insurance, or burn a cross on your neighbor’s lawn. They’re exactly the same, and affect communities in the same exact way. And when investigating those cases, we should look for the same suspects.”

Bill, you have a very engaging writing style but the above is very profound. Probably the best piece of wriitng on the topic I’ve read for some time and if you don’t mind, will use this on another forum I frequent.

I wholeheartedly agree, such a simplistic viewpoint when it comes to addressing these type of crimes only serve to cover the extent of the crime’s effects.

So I leave it to you, dear readers, to put on your psychic skullcaps or what have you, and predict what will happen during or after this stunt occurs. It’ll be interesting to see who comes the closest to getting it right.

A protester will get arrested and booked for something minor like trespassing, and will instantly become a Righteous Martyr persecuted by Obamarxists.

All these idiots need to do is look at the KKK and various “white power” organizations to realize they’re wrong on the 1st Amendment issue. Of course, they might feel a little uncomfortable brushing shoulders with them but, hey, the law is on their side at least.

Cass told WND

Perhaps I’m wrong, but I think there’s your problem right there, Gary…

they seek to get arrested for preaching the Bible.

I hope they fail so that it can truly be said of them, as has been said of many actors “He couldn’t even get arrested.”

These Christians believe that the 1st and 2nd amendments give them the (God given) Right to force everyone else to live by the (Xtians) beliefs. By law (abortion restrictions) if possible.

Preaching the bible is ok, if stupid. But slamming people over the head with a bible is illegal. For now.

“as well as Brian Camenker of Mass Resistance”

DOUCHE!

Who–what? That wasn’t me. Never heard of him.

“When I say “Pam Meister,” what do you think? Brainless nimrod? Or heartless asshole?”

I would agree with both analogies and add that she’s a cold motherfucking bitch.

somehow I see a scene reminiscent of the elderly woman from “Blazing Saddles” with her “Up yours, n*gger” as the spark that sets these salt of the earth types off

We’re watching the (long-overdue) demise of a ‘movement’ founded on the ‘principle’ that whatever they say, no matter how outrageously hateful, is simply ‘balance’ for the decency shown by their opponents. Back in the ’90s, they flourished in the corporate media, as the fire-breathing Clinton-haters, ‘balanced’ against the milquetoast pseudo-liberal who thought Clinton should have been a bit more, ahem, diplomatic about gays in the military. But having seen our once-great country run to ruin by their failed, hateful ideology, we’re not going to tolerate it anymore, which leads them to their pathetic, bigoted buffoonery.

They’re dedicated to doubling down on their bat-shit crazy, each and every time, and by the time they notice nobody is listening, we’ll all be long gone…

…”But ABC and Vargas ALSO show Shepard to be a very depressed young man, on the verge of suicide, because of his homosexual lifestyle. The “gay rights” lobby doesn’t want to face up to that. Matthew Shepard wasn’t “gay” and “proud”. He was profoundly troubled.”…

Wow, I hope she’s published a style guide I can purchase. I mean: you can use either “quotes” or BOLD as emphasis! Int the same paragraph! Who knew? All we need now is maybe an underlined word or three and a whole mess of explanation points.

I wonder how these people would feel if one a their kids was brutally murdered for being who s/he was?

It’s a simple-minded notion, but seriously.

I wonder how these people would feel…

They would be horrified, of course, and might even stop and reflect on whatever feelings they had about why their child was targeted – just like every other conservative who is faced with a similar situation. Things don’t matter unless they happen to me.

Empathy toward people and things that they do not have personal connection to is not a “Conservative” trait. Remember their general disdain for Obama seeking judges with “compassion”? Same thing.

Credit where it’s due-scott wrote the update with that vividly accurate description of Janet Dammit.

And Janet is MARRIED. That means somebody actually heard her speak, and thought to himself: “I want to hear THAT for the REST OF MY LIFE.”
How is this possible?

“I want to hear THAT for the REST OF MY LIFE.”

what’s to say they’re not hearing impaired?

…and blind. And unable to run away from her…

Very well written Bill! You have a great wit & way with words.

Thank you, Bill. I’m catching up, and have to tell you this made me laugh, and pissed me off, and cheered me up, and made me think. Which is some heavy lifting for so few words.

You have to be one of the most decent and empathetic people I know. Amazing the contrast with some of these hateful fuckers who’ve never been wronged but are convinced they’re society’s victims.

I’ve been thinking a lot about justice lately. I hope we all get to be full people eventually, but I’m starting to think that it won’t happen while folks like Pam have any say in things. So I’m not sure where that leaves us. Back to being intolerant of intolerance again, I guess.

Something to say?