The American Family Association has issued a statement about a piece of legislation rolled out last month by Democratic Senator Edward Markey.
From AFA:
May 1, 2014
Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) has introduced legislation for the federal government to monitor and analyze speech on the Internet, television, and radio looking for anything it considers “hate speech.”
The Hate Crime Reporting Act of 2014 (S.2219) would capture Internet and other telecommunications that the government interprets as encouraging hate crimes based on gender, race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.
This is a bad bill, even to the liberal Boston Herald editorial staff. It mandates that the government monitor and analyze speech and press statements that are protected by the First Amendment. The wording is deliberately fuzzy, so that although it sounds like it only addresses constitutionally unprotected speech, it reaches much further.
The danger of this bill
Although the bill innocuously purports to analyze electronic speech that might “advocate or encourage violent acts or hate crimes,” it gives the government far reaching power to monitor constitutionally protected speech…even yours.We believe S.2219 is a cloaking device for silencing Christians and advancing the homosexual agenda that Sen. Markey wholeheartedly supports.
For example:
- Pastors who upload a message promoting God’s word on marriage on the church’s website could be monitored by the government under Markey’s bill and have the message labeled as “hate speech.”
- AFA’s Christian radio network and website will be tracked for promoting natural marriage as between only one man and one woman.
- Even individuals who post personal beliefs on their Facebook page would be subject to government spies and covert monitoring.
TAKE ACTION
Email your two Senators now, urging them to reject and vote against S.2219.
The Boston Herald chimes in with this:
“The ‘Hate Crime Reporting Act of 2014’ presents a frankly chilling proposition. The spookily-named National Telecommunications and Information Administration (what, you’ve never heard of it?) would be required to submit a report to Congress on ‘the use of telecommunications’ ‘to advocate and encourage violent acts and the commission of crimes of hate.’ . . . [P]rosecutors already have the authority to prosecute threats. And for the life of us we can’t fathom any further government limit on Internet postings or talk radio callers that could be structured to protect an American’s right to free expression. Neither can the experts.”
