There is a group which has seen a 25% rise in hate crimes against them in Florida, 17% which involve violent physical assaults. This might surprise some of my counterparts on the Right, but the group which is incurring these vicious attacks is not the one they would suspect.
That’s right, violent hate crimes against white Christians are not increasing despite the election of that Kenyan Born Muslim loving Barack Husein Obama. I know it’s hard to believe considering all the angst expressed on right wing talk shows about how Christians are under attack and are being victimized and terrorized by Obama, Atheists, Secularists, Democrats and Gays, but its true, nonetheless.
Let me ask all those concerned Republicans and Conservative Christians who are so afraid/whiny/have their undies in a twist over their alleged claim that that the recent hate crimes legislation protecting gays was directed against them (despite the fact that all people of religious faith have been a protected class under hate crime legislation since the first such laws were written years ago. Name me the last prominent hate crime in America against a White Christian individual, church or community (I exclude African American Churches for obvious reasons since those churches, much like Jewish synagogues, are the targets of bigots and racists, not people who hate on Christians)?
How many white Christians have been killed or assaulted in America for expressing their faith? And no, don’t even attempt to raise the now debunked story about Cassie Bernall at Columbine who wasn’t killed because she said she was a “believer” (especially since the killers planned to kill everyone they could regardless of religious belief or non-belief) The sad publicity her family has milked from her non existent expression of faith before she was murdered in cold blood was based on a lie. And I wouldn’t raise the Unitarian Church shooting either, since the shooter admits he was motivated by that community’s “liberal” beliefs and acceptance of gays.
On the other hand, the number of hate crimes against gays, lesbians and transgender people (and I don’t mean the mere epithets or slurs they face every day at work and when they are out in public) are a frequent occurrence in 21st Century America. So frequent that many newspapers hardly cover them anymore unless they are as sensational as the Matthew Shepard case. Instead GBLT activists have to publicize these incidents themselves in order to get any news coverage at all:
ORLANDO, FL, Tuesday, November 17, 2009 – The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center of Central Florida, more commonly known as The Center, was vandalized on Sunday along with neighboring gay owned businesses. The Center was spray painted with a swastika and the words “Gay Pawer” while gay owned business Ritzy Rags was marked with “Kill Gays,” “Go To Hell” and other homophobic slurs.
Community leaders, including representatives from Equality Florida, The Center, FL ACLU, The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando, and One Orlando have come out to denounce the destruction of The Center’s property and are joined by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. Together they are calling for community attention to be brought on the rising tide of anti-gay hate crimes in Florida. M
“A crime like this is more than just an act of vandalism”, said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “It’s a hate crime that threatens our community’s diversity. I encourage our City to join together, celebrate our diversity and stand against these types of crimes.”
“This is a tolerant and diverse community,” said Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, “and this behavior will not be tolerated. We encourage anyone with information to contact the Orlando Police Department, at 911, and this crime will be fully investigated and prosecuted. Hate crimes and expressing hatred through graffiti is a serious crime.”
Orlando native and Equality Florida Field Director Joe Saunders agrees, “Florida’s Attorney General reports a 25% increase in anti-LGBT hate crimes in the past year and two thirds of those were the worst kinds of attacks – physical assault. That is by far the highest of any category.”
I haven’t heard of any increase in physical assaults against white Christians because of their religious faith within the past year in any state of this Union (or Texas), have you? Imagine if that did happen. If roving gangs of “secularists” or Christian Bashing gay terrorist gangs were beating up and killing white Christians, or spray painting anti Christian slurs at places of worship or other institutions run by religious organizations, Why, it would be front page news all over the country. Certainly we could count on Fox News to lead the way in reporting in a fair and balanced way on these horrific events. Bill O’Reilly and Glenn beck would doubtless be calling for vigilante justice to defend these poor beleaguered white christian people who were being attacked for no other reason than their faith. You can count on that, my friends.
But gay men and women and transgendered individuals? No one cares. Let me re-phrase that: the only reason they care is because of an overhyped, overblown fear campaign that hate crime legislation will criminalize the free speech rights of bigots, which is demonstrably a lie.
Not that this will stop the spreading of such falsehood by reputed Christians, while they continue to preach a gospel of hatred and intolerance against their fellow human beings, safe a secure in the knowledge that their lies and slanders and prejudicial remarks will be fully protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
Well this is America. Those who suffer the least, and benefit the most from their privileged status, usually cry foul and play the victim card the most, as well. What else is new?
