PA Gay Hate Crime Law Struck Down
As children, we’re taught that good always vanquishes evil. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
Evangelical schmuck Michael Marcavage and his right wing pals are celebrating after Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court struck down a gay inclusive amendment
to the state’s hate crimes law:
Along with six other member of his Repent America organization, Marcavage sued a handful of state officials, including Gov. Ed Rendell, claiming the law was passed in violation of the Pennsylvania Constitution.
…
In its ruling last week, the Supreme Court essentially signed on to the opinion authored by Commonwealth Court Judge James Gardner Collins.Collins said the bill signed into law by then Gov. Mark Schweiker in December 2002 “did not retain its original purpose as it moved through the enactment process.”
In its original form, House Bill 1493 addressed “agricultural vandalism” and the “criminal offense of agricultural crop or livestock destruction.” By the time it reached Schweiker, however, the bill had been gutted and rewritten to broaden the state’s hate crime law.
While some people would take their victory and be done with it, Marcavage vowed to take his crusade elsewhere, saying:
In a nation that is becoming increasingly hostile toward Biblical Christianity, we remain vigilant as the Pennsylvania Legislature will most likely attempt to pass another ‘hate crimes’ bill and are continuing to educate the American people on the significant dangers of such laws.
Oh, yeah, the “danger” of protecting people from violent wretches. What a sin…
I wish these people would stop trying to legislate with the Bible instead of the Constitution. We need more attorneys to shoot down these blatant attempts at merging state and church.
That photo is very disturbing. Creeps me out.
I wish the article explained more why the law was found to be unconstitutional under the Pennsylvania Constitution. Apparently, the dinosaurs on the State House Judiciary Committee refused to allow the measure to come to a vote on the House floor. So a bill voted out of the Agriculture Committee was amended to include hate crimes language (while completely deleting all of the original intent of the legislation). Since the bill was voted on by both the House and the Senate and signed by the governor, it is only the process that has been ruled unconstitutional. What in the PA constitution would allow the will of the people, as expressed by their representatives, to be overturned? The article does not explain.
The article says “Repent America members filed suit after they were arrested under the ethnic intimidation law in 2004 while trying to preach against homosexuality at a Philadelphia gay pride event called OutFest.
The charges were eventually dismissed.” This is disturbing. The answer to speech you disagree with is more speech.
He looks like he could be Santorum’s love child.
Is that him? He’s pretty fuckable.
Sounds to me like the religious right is less to be blamed for this little fiasco than plain ol’ sloppy legislating. If our allies would be a bit more careful about following procedures and knowing the intricacies of the law, we wouldn’t have handed the godfreaks this victory on a silver platter.
I was gonna say..the same thing..who in thier Right Mind would take a Creepy Picture like that..to represent a religion? Looks like a Stephen King Movie Opening…this guy is an ass from the Git-go…saw him in person in Phila ,with his entourage…they look like repressed gay guys..very strange people.
Repent America is disgusting. About two years ago they lined the streets surrounding my highschool with giant pictures of aborted fetuses. Every year they go campus to campus around most of eastern PA to protest abortion and homosexuality. But don’t worry, we West Chester folk didn’t put up with their shit.
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