Warning: It's going to get much worse, unless we make it better.
Likely presidential candidate, United States Senator George Allen from the state of Virginia, birthplace of Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Ella Fitzgerald, Shirley MacLaine and George Washington, is fighting for the rights of Christians to gay bash. Senator Allen believes that shouting offensive slurs against gay men and women and disorderly conduct that targets gay men and women is not hateful, in fact, it is an expression of religious freedom. (Now let us stop for a moment and digest the fact that this is man is a frontrunner in the Republican party of the 2008 presdidential election.)
Apparently, in Senator Allen's world, hate-crime laws should not be extended to gay Americans. Hate crime laws, the Senator believes, should protect people of color, ethnic groups and people of faith, but not homosexuals.
At one time Allen believed that Federal hate crime laws should embrace sexual orientation, but he changed his position about a month ago after hearing about an incident at a gay pride festival in Philadelphia. A group of Christian conservative protesters who attended the event were arrested and charged with a variety of offenses, including criminal conspiracy, disorderly conduct, obstructing highways and ethnic intimidation--Pennsylvania's version of a hate crime.
A state judge dismissed all charges, but Allen said he was troubled that anti-gay protesters could be arrested for expressing their religious beliefs.
"It curtails completely legitimate, nonviolent religious expression," he said. Allen actually said that he is opposed to "elevating protection for gays to a civil right."
Like me, you're likely fascinated by the notion that a United States Senator and likely presidential candidate believes that publicly attacking gays is an act of faith and Christian goodness.
And, like me, you're starting to realize that if we don't turn this nonsense around in 2006, we're all fucked and not in a good way. In a recent survey of 100 Republican members of Congress, conducted this month by the National Journal, Allen was ranked as the most likely candidate to win their party's nomination...and that was up against John McCain, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani.
Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy ride.
Richard R.
http://rjr10036.typepad.com