Terrorism, Hate Crimes & Hypocrisy

Terrorism.  Hate crimes.

Both acts aim to send a message through violence.  They are the same crime, differentiated by scope.  Terrorism is a hate crime against a society.  A hate crime is terrorism against a minority.

Roughly one month ago I watched as some of our Representatives and Senators stood on the floor of Congress and argued passionately to exclude LGBT Americans from hate crimes law.  Inclusion, they said, would be tantamount to thought police.  It would lead to censorship.  These Congressmen and women explained that a violent act is punishable; the intent behind it is not.  Punishing intent, they said, is unconstitutional.

Punish the action.  Not the thought.  

That is what they firmly, steadfastly believe.  

Or is it?

For the past week, I have been glued to the unfolding story of the shooting at Fort Hood.  I have watched as we, as a nation, attempt to understand the horrific events that occurred there.  We want to know whether the shooting was a random act of violence or terrorism.  

To that end, we have delved into the shooter's psyche.  We have looked into his past.  Into his religion.  Into his connections.  Into his emails.  His work history.  Past PowerPoint presentations.  His anger.  We are desperate to know the reasons for his actions - the why.  We demand to know if his violence had a specific, broader purpose.  

To those who voted against hate crimes protection for LGBT Americans, I ask these simple questions:  Why does investigating intent not lead to censorship when the crime might be a terrorist act?  Why is it only unconstitutional to take intent and speech into consideration when the violence committed might be a hate crime against a member of the LGBT community?  Why haven't I seen even one of you on t.v. decrying the unconstitutionality of investigating this man's motivations?  How are your deeply held moral beliefs so easily altered?

I fail to see a difference between harming Americans because they are Americans and harming gays because they are gay.

I do not fail to see your hypocrisy; your bigotry.

All things being equal, his intentions ought to be irrelevant and off limits, right?  

If a man were to walk into an LGBT Center and open fire while screaming, "The Bible tells me that faggots burn in hell," you would argue to punish his actions, not his motivation; citing freedom of speech and religion.   

If the same man walked into that same LGBT Center and opened fire while screaming about Jihad and American fascists, you wouldn't be quite so torn about trampling his inalienable rights.

If an American gets killed because they're gay, not so bad.  If a gay person gets killed because they're American, look out.

Your message is crystal clear:  hatred of country is neither understandable nor acceptable.  Hatred of gays is both.  Hatred of country that turns violent harms innocent people.  Hatred of gays that turns violent just harms gays.  

 

Are We Willing?

I think it's time to change the fight.  Aren't we all tired of waiting for our politicians to do the right thing?  Doing the right thing is not enough to motivate politicians.  They will be motivated when they have no choice.  Aren't we all tired of complaining to ourselves on facebook?  Of being angry and upset and offended every time some jackass goes into a voting booth to decide whether or not to extend to us a full set of rights?

I think it's time for us to start filling up the jails. I think it's time for us to put ourselves in harm's way. I think it's time for us to break some laws and get arrested. I think it's time to fill up the army recruitment centers with the intention of joining the army and then refuse to leave when we tell them we're gay.  I think it's time to fill up the court houses from coast to coast and then refuse to leave when they tell us we can't get a marriage license.  I think it's time to stop paying our taxes until we receive every benefit that others enjoy.  I think it's time for us to stop working for companies that don't extend benefits to our partners - companies who hide conveniently behind the protective shield of the fact that we can't legally get married in most places.  I think it's time to stop giving our money to companies that support causes or politicians who are hellbent on keeping us from achieving equality.  

I think it's time for us to wake up and stop being complicit in our own second class status.

I think it's time that we use non-violent, civil disobedience to cripple our country in every way that we can until our country treats us as equals.  

I just wonder if I have what it takes.  I wonder if we, as a group, have what it takes.  The Montgomery bus boycott lasted 13 months. 13 months of walking. To work. From work. Getting up early. Getting home late. Doing it again tomorrow. And tomorrow. And tomorrow. And tomorrow. 13 months. Cold. Heat. Rain. 13 months. Their opponents did every disgusting thing they could think of to break the boycott from physical intimidation to bending laws, breaking laws & passing laws.  13 months. I wonder if we have the gumption to live with discomfort and fear and possibility of jail or violence or death in order to get what we want.  I wonder if we're willing to be cold.  Or hungry.  I wonder.  I wonder what we're willing to give to ensure that no longer will our rights be up for a vote.

I wonder - are we willing?