Dear Members of Congress,
As an American, I am outraged by attacks on my religious freedoms represented by legislation such as the Hate Crimes Act and ENDA. These bills will severely threaten my deeply held religious beliefs and my ability to share those beliefs.
Our founding documents guarantee the rights to freedom of speech, religion and association and these bills directly attack those rights. I call upon you to do all in your power to protect our constitutional freedoms by opposing these bills.
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Thank you for contacting me regarding hate crimes legislation. While I appreciate that many have concerns over the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, it is worth noting that the bill has broad support in both chambers and enjoys the backing of leaders from both parties.
The Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act would add "sexual orientation" to existing Federal hate crimes statutes and provide support for local/state efforts to combat discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. This bill does not obstruct citizens from expressing their religious or political views, unless such expression involves acts of physical violence. It preserves our nation’s strong heritage of religious expression and racial diversity and harmony by ensuring that those who seek to intimidate or threaten a group by acts of violence will be liable under the law.
Current federal hate crimes law should not infringe on anyone’s freedom of speech. Instead, it protects persons, and by extension communities, from being targeted and physically assaulted on the basis of race or religion or perceived race or religion. Matthew Shepard, for whom this bill is named, was horrifically beaten and left to die in the cold in 1998. It is in the interest of preventing such unimaginably violent crimes of hate that I support this bill.
Again, thank you for writing. Although you and I may not completely agree on this subject, please do not hesitate to contact me in the future regarding this or other issues of concern to you.
Sincerely,
Barack Obama
United States Senator
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