PHILADELPHIA
-- Repent America (RA) denounces
the passage of the Matthew Shepard
and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention
Act Thursday by the United States
Senate as an amendment to the National
Defense Authorization Act (HR. 2647).
Despite numerous objections, the National
Defense Authorization Act, initially
intended to allocate funds for military
activities, retained the inclusion of
the unrelated amendment which federally
expands criminal penalties against anyone
who harms an individual based on
"gender identity" or
"sexual orientation," thus
posing a serious threat to Biblical
evangelism and active stances against the
sin of homosexuality. The measure now
moves to President Obama's desk to be
signed into law.
As a scheme to further the homosexual
agenda, the Matthew Shepherd and James
Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act,
authored by the late Senator Ted Kennedy,
was craftily adopted as an amendment
to the National Defense Authorization Act in
July through the efforts of Senate
Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy
(D-VT) and the urging of Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), knowing the
passage of the defense bill was
guaranteed in both houses. Similar
tactics to attach "hate crimes"
legislation to national defense bills have
been attempted over the past decade,
including last year, but their
adoptions have been removed each
time from the final version of the legislation.
Exactly
two weeks ago, the House of
Representatives approved the bill with
the inclusion of the "hate
crimes" amendment, sending it to a
swift vote in the Senate. Although
senators such as Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and
Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) attempted to strip
the "hate crimes" amendment from
the bill during deliberations on Thursday,
ultimately its inclusion remained, and by
a vote of 68-29 the Defense Appropriations
measure was passed. Three senators
declined to vote.
With
the passage of the Matthew
Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes
Prevention Act, there arises much trepidation
about the reality of its imposed
ramifications upon "offenders,"
which include up to ten years in federal
prison. It is feared that the
enactment of the bill will further create
an environment for a police state,
criminalizing any individual whose conduct
is loosely interpreted by law enforcement
as being harmful. Additionally, there
remains a concern that upon facing trial,
individuals may be subject to the personal
bias of liberal federal judges who will
pervert the law and send the innocent to
prison, and that pastors and outspoken
Christians could be charged with
"inciting violence" should an
individual be arrested for a "hate
crime" after hearing a message
decrying homosexuality or other sexually
deviant behavior.
Repent
America director Michael Marcavage, who
knows first-hand about the serious dangers
of so-called "hate crimes"
laws, says that such legislation is
completely unnecessary, unconstitutional
and unGodly.
"Having
been arrested, jailed and charged with a
'hate crime' for preaching the truth about
homosexuality, I can assure you that this is
one of the most dangerous pieces of
federal legislation in the history of
our nation," Repent America director
Michael Marcavage stated. "This
is an attempt by the U.S. government to
shut down the Gospel of Jesus Christ by
criminalizing Christians who reach out in
the love of God to those trapped in the
bondage of homosexuality," he
continued. "The passage of this
'hate crimes' legislation is one
giant leap in the direction of
persecuting Christians nationwide,"
Marcavage concluded.
-
PHILADELPHIA 11 AFTER THEIR
VINDICATION BY A PHILADELPHIA CRIMINAL
COURT -
(Front, L-R) Arlene Elshinnawy,
Susan Startzell, Lauren Murch, Nancy
Major, Linda Beckman.
(Back, L-R) Gerald Fennell, Mark Diener,
Dennis Green, Michael Marcavage,
James Cruse, Randall Beckman
In
2004, Marcavage and 10 other individuals
known as the "Philadelphia 11"
made national headlines after being charged
with a "hate crime" for sharing
the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the public
streets of Philadelphia during an annual
taxpayer-funded celebration of homosexuality
called "Outfest." Simply by
preaching the Word of God, singing songs of
praise and carrying banners with Scripture
verses, the Christians were viewed by local
law enforcement as being a
"threat" and were subsequently
arrested. At the same time, police ignored
the fact that homosexual attendees were
harassing the Christians by encircling them
with large pink placards while blowing loud,
screeching whistles.
After
being jailed for 21 hours, each member of
Repent America was charged under
Pennsylvania's "hate crimes" law
called "ethnic intimidation." They
were also charged with a host of other bogus
felony and misdemeanor charges, including
"criminal conspiracy" and
"possession of an instrument of
crime," and each faced a possible
sentence of up to 47 years in prison along
with a $90,000 fine. Thankfully, after
months of the looming "criminal"
charges, they were all vindicated of all
counts.
Following
this shocking incident, Repent America
succeeded in its legal challenge and had
Pennsylvania's so-called "hate
crimes" law struck down in 2008 as
being unconstitutional. Although not based
on the merits of the law, both the
Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania and the
Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed that
legislators violated the state constitution
by altering an agricultural crop destruction
bill into a bill protecting people based on
"gender identity" and "sexual
orientation," which was used in
charging the Philadelphia 11.
"Shall
the throne of iniquity have fellowship with
thee, which frameth mischief by a law?"
(Psalm 94:20)
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