'Conceal and Carry' Provision added to the Matthew Shepherd Bill?

D_Ireonsyd_Colonrinse

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Strange freaking bedfellows....

(this tack-on-an-amendment-to-the-end-of-a-bill mania is clearly getting out of hand)


Senate GOPers: Loosen Gun Laws To Defend Gay Rights


Pro-Gun Gay Groups Take Aim at Hate Crimes Bill

Second Amendment GLBT Groups Press for 'Conceal and Carry' Provision in Matthew Shepherd Bill


One month after successfully tucking an amendment into the credit card reform bill that expanded gun rights, a small number of Senate Republicans are looking at the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act as another chance to score a victory for the Second Amendment. The possible plan — to add an amendment that would allow gun owners to carry their weapons from one state to another in accordance with concealed carry laws. The possible rationale — to defend gay rights.

“It makes sense for a group of people who would be protected by hate crime legislation to support something that would let them defend themselves before or after the crime,” said one Republican Senate aid familiar with the discussions. “It’s relevant, and we want to work together with gay groups to get the message out.”
 
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B_VinylBoy

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Call me crazy, but why attach it to a Hate Crime Bill that's supposed to protect gays & lesbians?

According to WikiAnswers, there's about 80 million people who own guns in America.
According to Hate Crime Statistics from the FBI, only 1265 cases were due to sexual orientation. That's much less than 1%.
WikiAnswers - How many gun owners are there in the united states of america
Table 1 - Hate Crime Statistics 2007


The numbers just don't add up here. If they want to pass a measure to allow people to cross state lines legally with firearms, that's one thing. But to disguise it as a way to "protect gay people"? This whole thing seems a bit shisty to me. I mean, as a gay man I know not to voluntarily go to areas where intolerant people who are prone to gay bash dwell. There's too many places I can go to and not have to deal with that drama. I could understand if this was such a big problem across the board, but I don't make it a point to go visit the top ten Hate Crime cities on a regular basis. Never mind go to the most seediest and questionable of areas where that would be most likely to happen.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1365/is_12_34/ai_n6146708/pg_17/

BTW, here's the chart (in no particular order):
1. Atlanta, GA
2. Washington, DC
3. Dallas, TX
4. Nashville, TN
5. Houston, TX
6. Charlotte, NC
7. Birmingham, AL
8. Memphis, TN
9. Columbus, OH
10. Baltimore, MD
 
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SEXXXX

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Just another one of their tactics, a good one though

Few will dwell into statistics
 

B_VinylBoy

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Just another one of their tactics, a good one though

Few will dwell into statistics

What gets me is how some people can mention the word "gay", "minority", "poor" or whatever and think they'll get everyone that associates with it to blindly rally behind their cause. It's pretty insulting if you ask me.
 

D_Ireonsyd_Colonrinse

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To sparky and others who are interested in all this bill + amendment game-playing.

A war supplemental bill is working its way through congress. Independent Joe Lieberman and republican Lindsey Graham tacked on an amendment they wrote to the bill to block the release of more detainee torture photos threatening to come out.

On Moday night, dems stripped this amendment out of the troop-funding bill. Now, Lieberman and Graham are furious, threatening to shut down the senate.

Lieberman, Graham Threaten To Shut Down Senate Over Detainee Photos


Sens. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) lambasted transparency advocates at a press conference Tuesday, when they renewed their promise to bring Senate business to a halt until their bill blocking the release of detainee photographs becomes law.

"We're not going to do any more business in the Senate," Graham said, his face flushed red. "Nothing's going forward until we get this right."

The duo's bill, which would allow the Pentagon to exempt Bush-era photos from the Freedom of Information Act, was stripped from the conference version of the war supplemental Monday night. In anticipation of trouble, Lieberman and Graham had already inserted the bill into the tobacco-regulatory legislation currently on the floor of the Senate.

By turns sober and furious, the two senators vowed again Tuesday to vote against -- and, if possible, filibuster -- the troop-funding bill and all other legislation until they get their way. They equated the weapons supplied by the war supplemental spending bill with detainee photos that they said would serve as a recruiting tool for al-Qaida and a weapon against U.S. troops.

Lieberman, Graham Threaten To Shut Down Senate Over Detainee Photos


I love how Lieberman and Graham also inserted their amendment into a tobacco bill - just in case!
 

B_VinylBoy

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Fuck Lieberman. He should know better than to attach an amendment regarding torture photos to a bill regarding tobacco. How stupid is he? Better yet, how stupid does he expect everyone else to be to let that one slide? To be honest, I think all the torture photos should be released. Because it would be hysterical to watch Cheney (or any supporter of torture) try to use them as visuals to validate his actions and beliefs. But I digress, of course...
 
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sparky11point5

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Bring it on, Holy Joe. I am confident that those who see torture for what it is, an act of cowardice and betrayal of our nation, can ultimately prevail. Truth will out. By the time this saga is over, everyone will be repulsed by what was done in our name, and who did it.
 

D_Ireonsyd_Colonrinse

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sparky and VinylBoy:

For what it's worth, Nancy Pelosi is confirming that the dems will strip that Lieberman-Graham amendment - blocking the detainee torture photos - out of the war supplemental bill. I wonder if this means the dems are finally ready to fight both the republicans and the Obama administration on the Freedom of Information Act.


From Greg Sargent today:


Happy Hour Roundup: Pelosi To Slap Down Detainee Photo Release Ban

* Big win for liberals: In an interview set to air on Ed Schultz’s show tonight, Nancy Pelosi will make it official: She’s opposed to allowing the measure banning the release of detainee photos to remain in the final war spending bill.

“I don’t think Congress should make an exception to FOIA,” Pelosi will say, her spokesperson, Brendan Daly, confirms to me.

Meanwhile, Dem Rep Louise Slaughter confirmed today that the final bill definitely will not contain the measure, which is an amendment first proposed by Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham that would give the President the power to bar FOIA releases of detainee photos in the name of national security. It passed the Senate and was sought by the White House, but House liberals balked.

The stripping of the measure is a big victory for liberals and civil libertarians, and puts the House Dem leadership at odds with the White House on a highly sensitive national security and civil liberties issue. It also sets up a major confrontation with Lieberman.
 

faceking

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You all have to be kidding me... you are making this out to be a Republican tactic. This is politics. You can't be that naive, or maybe. This has ALWAYS happened... you are just choosing to look under the microscope on bills that concern you. Do you how much crap was tacked onto the "stimulus" bill that had NOTHING to do with stimulus? You should, as a number of us pointed them out months ago. $400M for STD screening...