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Senate backers of 'hate crimes' bill criticized for 'sneaky' tactics

A spokesman for Concerned Women for America (CWA) accuses Senate proponents of the so-called "hate crimes" bill of using "underhanded" tactics to ram the legislation through. Matt Barber is denouncing Senators Ted Kennedy and Gordon Smith for attaching the legislation to the Defense Authorization bill.



The amendment that the two Democratic senators have attached to the Defense Authorization bill -- the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act -- would include crimes against homosexuals, bisexuals, and transgender people in federal hate crimes statutes. Barber, policy director for cultural issues at CWA, says Kennedy and Smith are putting President Bush between a rock and a hard place.

"This is just an underhanded way to try to get a very dangerous and entirely unnecessary hate crimes bill under the radar and past President Bush's indication of a veto," he argues. "They are putting President Bush, very intentionally, in a very uncomfortable position and trying to force his hand."

Barber explains his reasoning on the matter. "If he vetoes the [Defense Authorization] bill because they've attached this hate crimes legislation to it, then they can accuse him of being a hypocrite and not funding the troops," says the CWA spokesman. "[H[e has indicated that he intends to veto hate crimes legislation, so they know this is a sneaky and surreptitious way to get it through."

The White House has said the hate crimes legislation is "unnecessary" and "constitutionally questionable."

The more of it that I see the more I am opposed to piggy backing legislation in this manner. It should be totally illegal to do it and these politicians that keep going against the will of the people should be locked up with the key thrown away.

YES - this is dirty politics, and the rider is is definitely UNCONSTITUTIONAL. It would be the first step for removing free speech for Christians and might even effect what can or can't be done in churches.

I think that the best answer on this is for Ted Kennedy and Michael Moore to form their own country - hopefully somewhere in outer space.

They need to be sent to a land far far away. I agree that there needs to be a law against piggybacking bills. This is the kind of dirty
politics that comes from people who have there own agenda, and have nothing but evil intentions.