Posted by
Billy email MADBillyD@aol.com on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 8:13:57 PM
The "hate crimes" bill approved recently by Congress could be a problem for broadcasters -- most importantly, Christian broadcasters -- now that it has been signed into law.
President Barack Obama
has signed into law a measure that adds to the list of federal hate crimes attacks on people based on their sexual orientation.
Congress approved the legislation last week as part of the $680-billion FY 2010 Defense Authorization bill. Appended to the hate crimes amendment was a statement ensuring that a religious leader or any other person cannot be prosecuted on the bases if his or her speech, beliefs, or association.
But Craig Parshall, chief counsel for
National Religious Broadcasters (NRB), discounts that statement, pointing out that such laws in other countries have been used to silence people of faith. He believes the law approved by Congress is potentially dangerous as it relates to comments made about homosexuality or another religion.
"Under the criminal law of incitement, if something is said in a broadcast that another person uses as a motivation to go out and commit an act of what they call 'bodily injury' in the statute, then a broadcaster could be held criminally liable," he explains. (
Obama signs 'hate crimes' bill - Christian broadcasters concerned )
(Look out. I even heard yesterday a lady who wrote something against a gay rights march over in England has gotten in to trouble. So could that happen here in the good old USA with laws like this one look out.)