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Virginia voters target senior senator on hate crimes

Now that it's back in session, the U.S. Congress will again be taking up hate crimes legislation that would grant special rights to homosexuals. Pro-family advocates in Virginia are trying to send a message to their two senators that the majority of voters in their state don't want that legislation to be passed -- in one example sending nearly 3,000 petitions to the state capitol office of Senator John Warner (R-Virginia).



Chris Freund of Family Foundation of Virginia says his organization and Focus on the Family Action delivered the 2,850 signed petitions to Warner's office in Richmond, partly because the senator has refused to meet with them for the last two months -- and because they know both he and Senator Jim Webb (D-Virginia) have indicated their support for hate crimes legislation.

Freund says Webb supports additional hate crimes legislation, and promotes and supports homosexuality, "because it's the position of the party that he belongs to." Senator Warner, says the pro-family activist, "has been drifting to the left for many years -- and now that he's retiring, I don't think he's concerned about repercussions at the ballot box."

Despite Warner indicating he plans to leave office and retire when his term expires in early 2009, Freund reminds the senator that until that time, he is still a representative of the people of Virginia.

"The majority of Virginians do not support the addition of sexual orientation to hate crimes legislation," says Freund. "We feel that he should listen to the people even in the last months of his time in office and do what the citizens of Virginia would want him to do -- and that would be to vote against this legislation."