Thursday, September 27. 2007The Matthew Shepard Act Has Passed the Senate!!!
But we're not done yet. Before I get into that, though, here are some links to news stories: Senate attaches hate crimes measure to Iraq spending bill, Guardian Unlimited, September 27, 2007 U.S. Senate Passes Hate Crimes Bill By Huge Margin, But Bush Veto Looms, EdgeBoston, September 27, 2007 Senate Passes Matthew Shepard Act, Queerty, September 27, 2007 The important thing to note is that this is as far as the MSA got in 2004. It then got stripped when the House and Senate were putting together the final war spending bill that would actually get on the President's desk, because they knew he would veto it (and all of the attached essential legislation). So what do we do now? Shoot a quick e-mail to your Representatives and Senators and let them know that this IS essential legislation. That hatred is at an all time high in the US with all violent crimes showing a decline EXCEPT violence against GLBTQ 'n' Q citizens. It's easy to do. Just click here to find your Representative in the House and click here to find your Senators. From their webpages you can quickly shoot off a note and make sure the Matthew Shepard Act gets onto Bush's desk. All this work will also help to shore up the legislature if the Bill get vetoed (as Bush has promised he would do). If Congress feels the bill must pass at such time, they can overturn Bush's veto by gathering a 2/3 majority vote in both houses. If all this sounds like a bunch of confusing high school civics, here's a little Schoolhouse Rock as a spoonful of sugar. Enjoy! And don't forget to write that quick note to your Congresspeople!!! Trackbacks
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The third time truly is a charm! After not passing in 2002 and then passing the Senate but getting stripped out of a larger spending bill in 2004, the push to condemn hate crimes against GLBTQ 'n' Q Americans has been validated on a Federal level.
