Every person who signed the Constitution or played a part in its ratification would agree with the following, and no candidate for Congress is qualified to take a solemn oath to God to support and defend that Constitution who does not believe the following:
- Every American has a right to believe that God says homosexuality is a sin;
- Every American has a right to preach in public that God says homosexuality is a sin;
- Every American has a right to own a hotel or apartment and insist that lodgers, renters, tenants, etc, not engage in homosexual activities, or they will be evicted;
- Every American has a right to own a restaurant and refuse to serve anyone who engages in homosexual acts.
- Every American has a right to not to business with anyone who engages in homosexual acts.
Probably a majority of politicians and bureaucrats today disagree with America's Founding Fathers on these issues.
In New Mexico,
Elaine Huguenin, a gifted photographer who is much in demand in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area for her imaginative photos, especially of weddings, received an e-mail from a woman wanting to hire her to photograph her same-sex ceremony. Elaine considered the opportunity, but soon determined that, as a conscientious Christian, she couldn’t lend her talents to those proceedings without implicitly showing support for same-sex “marriage.” She gracefully declined the offer.
A few months later, Elaine and her husband, Jon, were notified by the New Mexico Human Rights Commission that a complaint had been filed against Elaine charging her with violating state anti-discrimination laws. (This, despite the fact that the state of New Mexico doesn’t legally recognize same-sex unions.) Elaine, the Commission determined, had engaged in “sexual orientation discrimination.” She was fined nearly $7,000.
"Hate Crimes" legislation represents the abrogation of Constitutional rights for Christians and others who believe homosexuality is offensive to the Creator.
When politicians start punishing people for what they think -- not for what they do -- they create a chilling new category of wrongdoing: "thought crimes."
This applies even to crimes of violence, which, of course, no Christian advocates or defends.
Every violent crime is a hate crime, expressing first a hatred toward "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God." Such crimes are already covered by existing laws.
Law enforcement should focus on stopping crimes in general -- not singling out groups that happen to be "politically correct." Violence against a politically-favored group is not more important or more immoral than violence against you or me.
• Laws Won't Rein In Hate | Richard Cohen - washingtonpost.com
