"Hate crimes are domestic terrorism, and like all terrorist acts, they seek to bring fear to whole communities through violence on a few. And just as we have committed ourselves to fighting terrorists who strike from abroad, we must make the same commitment to swift and strong justice against homegrown terrorists."-- Sen. Edward Kennedy.
SENATOR EDWARD M. KENNEDY IN SUPPORT OF THE HATE CRIMES BILL
As we mentioned at the opening this morning, there were going to be major decisions in the Senate this morning, one dealing with the children’s health issue, which we’ve had a good discussion on here this morning, and the other issue here on the hate crimes legislation, which we have been attempting to realize for a period of some 10 years we have voted on it. This is not a new issue to the Defense Authorization Legislation.
We have passed it by more than 60 votes in the last—on the last occasion we had it. We passed it by majority on other occasions. so for those that sort of suggest that this isn’t appropriate that we deal with this, the majority, republicans and democrats alike, have overwhelmingly supported the legislation, but it has been a strong minority that has resist resisted it and refused to let it move on into law.
And we finally are at a time and a place and a judgment where the House of Representatives now has moved in favor of the legislation, we have an opportunity today to do it. We haven’t taken an unreasonable period of time. And the application of this legislation and why it should be here is a very simple and basic and fundamental one.
And that is what the Defense Authorization bill is about—dealing with the challenges of terrorism overseas and the support that our men and women ought to get dealing with terrorism overseas. This is about terrorism in our neighborhood, terrorism in our neighborhood, and making sure that we’re going to fight.
You can talk about having the MRAP, which I support, in the Defense Authorization, for fighting overseas with all of our weapons; we want to fight terrorism here at home with all of our weapons. We want to be able to have a value system that is worthy for our brave men and women to defend. They’re fighting overseas for our values.
And one of the values is that you should not in this country, in this democracy, permit the kind of hatred, bigotry that has stained the history of this nation over a very considerable period of time. We should not tolerate it. And we keep faith with those men and women that are serving overseas when we battle that hatred and bigotry and prejudice here at home.
So we’re taking a few minutes in the morning to have this debate discussion. Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to join me, senate majority leader, Harry Reid, Senator Smith, and 31 cosponsors of the Matthew Shepherd Act by voting in favor of cloture on our underlying amendment today.
Hate crimes are domestic terrorism, and like all terrorist acts, they seek to bring fear to whole communities through violence on a few. And just as we have committed ourselves to fighting terrorists who strike from abroad, we must make the same commitment to swift and strong justice against homegrown terrorists.
We’ve worked hard to ensure that all of our citizens can live without fear of victimization because of their race, religion, and their national origin. We made progress over the years, but we need stronger tools to ensure that all Americans, all Americans are protected under the law.
Hate crimes challenge us to recognize the dignity of each individual at the most basic level. When victims are selected for violence because who they are, because of the color of their skin or sexual orientation, it is a crime that wounds all of us. Each person’s life is valuable and even one life lost is too many. No member of our society, no one, should be the victim of hate crimes and today we can send a message that no one, no one should be a victim of a hate crime because of their disability, their sex sexual orientation, their gender, or gender identity.
Hate crimes are especially heinous because they deny the dignity, the humanity, and the worth of whole segments of our society.
They inflict terror not only on the immediate victims, but on all their families, their societies, in some cases, entire nations. A hate crime against one member of a group shouts to the other members that you are next, you better watch your step when you leave your home when, when you go to work, when you travel.
This is domestic terrorism, plain and simple—and it’s unacceptable as an assault from our enemies abroad who hate us just as irrationally. At the bottom, hate crimes strike out at our most fundamental moral values. They deny the teaching that we are all, even those viewed as outcasts among us, members of the human family. They seek to divide that family by labeling some so unworthy that they should become objects of violence. They reject our great national motto, e. pluribus unum, out of many one.
Instead, hate crimes seek to divide us, to reject whole communities by terrorizing their members. Centuries ago, Blackstone wrote “that it is but reasonable that crimes of different natures, those that shun should be most severe severely destructive are those of the public safety and happiness.”
Hate-motivated crimes are the most destructive of the public safety and happiness and should be punished more severely than other crimes. That’s why over 1,400 clergy from across the spectrum of religious traditions have come together to support the Matthew Shepherd Act. They write, “Although we come from diverse faith backgrounds, our tradition traditions, our sacred texts, are united in condemning hate and violence. As religious leaders, we are on the front lines dealing with the devastating effects of hate-motivated violence. Our faith traditions teach us to love our neighbor, and while we cannot legislate love, it is our moral duty to protect one another from hatred and violence.” These leaders of America’s religious communities have called on congress to stand united against the oppression posed by violence based on personal characteristics and work together to create a society in which diverse people are safe as well as free.
The Interfaith Alliance, a nonpartisan advocacy organization, representing 75 different religions, said that hate crimes are an assault upon the belief that lies at the core of our diverse faith traditions. This is what the Interfaith Alliance said, “Hate crimes are an assault upon the belief that lies at the core of our diverse faith traditions, that every human being is endowed with dignity and worth.”
“Dignity and worth.” The simple fact is that hate crimes are different and more destructive than other crimes. As my friend, Senator Hatch, stated during our debate in 2000, “crimes of animus are more likely to invoke retaliatory crimes. They inflict deep injuries some of which never heal on victims and their family members, they incite community unrest, and ultimately, they are downright un-American.” The Federal Government has a responsibility to send a clear and unambiguous message that hate-motivated violence is in any form from any source will not be tolerated. Hate crimes perpetrators use violence to dehumanize and diminish their victims. This legislation fights back by reinforcing this country’s found founding ideals of liberty and justice for all.
In Iraq and Afghanistan, our soldiers are fighting for freedom and liberty. They are on the front lines fighting against hate. We’re united in our effort to root out the cells of hatred around the world.
We should not turn a blind eye to acts of hatred and terrorism here at home. We owe it to our troops to uphold those same principles here at home. We should not shrink now from our role as a beacon of liberty to the rest of the world. When the Senate approves this amendment, we will send a message about freedom and equality that will resonate around the world. If America is to live up to its founding ideals of liberty and justice for all, combating hate crimes must be a national priority. Now is the time for Congress to speak with one voice insisting that all Americans will be guaranteed the equal protection of the laws.
We must pay more than lip service to this core principal principle of our democracy, and we must give those words practical meaning in our modern society. No American should feel that they are second-class citizens because Congress refuses to protect them against hate crimes. Far too many times, hate crimes have shocked the conscience of the country. Tolerance in America still faces a severe challenge.
As the Reverend Stockman said, “The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority.” Most of us in this chamber have lived our lives in the majority, and it’s time for us to recognize the courage of those who have lived their lives in the minority and stand up for tolerance.
When bigotry exists in America, each of us is diminished. Injustice inflicted on any among us is injustice against us all. As Leviticus commands us, “You may not stand idly by when your neighbor’s blood is being shed.”
For too long the Federal Government has been forced to fight this injustice with one hand tied behind its back. We know that some crimes are motivated by a desire to harm whole communities, and it’s time that those crimes were punished in a manner that is equal to their destructiveness.
The President has threatened to veto this legislation if it comes to his desk, but I urge my fellow Senators to display the same kind of courage that came from David Ritcheson, the victim of a brutal hate crime that scarred him both physically and mentally, rather than living in fear, David bravely came before the House Judiciary Committee and courageously described the horrific attack against him the year before.
We should fight to protect the rights of our fellow citizens such as David and not let a veto threat stop us from doing the right thing. With both the Senate and the House moving forward on this legislation, I hope that the President will hear our call and that he, too, will support this much needed measure.
Nobel Prize Laureate Eli Wiesel said, “Indifference is the benefit of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor, never the victim, whose pain is magnified when he or she is forgotten.” Today we can take a strong stand against indifference and intolerance.
Dr. King reminded us all that “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent against the things that matter.” Today this body has the chance to break the silence. It has the chance to speak with one voice in support of the value of every individual in our society.
Join me and my colleagues in breaking the silence. Make the fight to end violence driven by bigotry the high national priority that it should be. Now is the time, because as Reverend Martin Luther King reminded us, “the time is always right to do what is right.”
Now is the time for Congress to speak with one voice and insist that all Americans will be guaranteed the equal protections of the law. I urge all my colleagues to support this amendment.
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http://www.democraticmajority.com/content/senator_edward_m_kennedy_in_support_of_the_hate_crimes_bill
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