Mike Rogers Opposes Hate Crime Legislation

This is "Compassionate Conservatism" at its finest.

Mike Rogers voted against H.R. 1592, the "Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007" (also known as the Matthew Shepard Act) today. Here's a little background information about this bill:

[H.R. 1592] Authorizes the Attorney General to provide technical, forensic, prosecutorial, or other assistance in the criminal investigation or prosecution of any crime that: (1) constitutes a crime of violence under federal law or a felony under state, local, or Indian tribal law; and (2) is motivated by prejudice based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of the victim or is a violation of the state, local, or tribal hate crime laws.

Here are some quotes (and links to video) of Democratic lawmakers explaining why we need this important legislation:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi: “Every day we that we come to this floor we pledge allegiance to the flag and at the end of that pledge we say, ‘liberty and justice for all.’ And that is what today is about…Hate crimes have no place in America - no place where we pledge every morning ‘with liberty and justice for all.’ We must act to end hate crimes and save lives." [YouTube]

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer: “Some people ask: Why is this legislation even necessary? To them, I answer: because brutal hate crimes motivated by race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation and identity or disability not only injure individual victims, but also terrorize entire segments of our population and tear at our nation’s social fabric." [YouTube]

Majority Whip James Clyburn: “King went on to say that it is always right, the right time to do that which is right. Now a lot of people yesterday told me that this is the wrong time to bring this legislation. For a moment I agreed, but reflecting on Dr. King’s admonition that the time is always right to do right, I come before this body today to ask us to use the time that we have before us to do right by those people who may not be like us.” [YouTube]

Here's another little tidbit about the bill (from AmericaBlog):

The GOP has been refusing to support the hate crimes bill because it doesn't include members of the US Armed Forces and senior citizens. Conyers just rose and basically said, okay, I'll add them. The Republicans' response? Uh, no.

The Republicans have been railing for days about how this legislation doesn't cover our Armed Forces and senior citizens, and now that the Dems offer to put our Armed Forces and seniors in this legislation, the Republicans said no and affirmatively stopped the Democrats from doing it anyway.

That means the Republicans had no intent on helping our Armed Forces and seniors, on protecting them. It was just a stunt. The GOP leaders in Congress just got up and used our Armed Forces and seniors as political fodder when they had no intent on actually doing anything to help our Armed Forces and seniors.

Here is the response from the Matthew Shepard Foundation, following today's vote:

“I am encouraged that the House was able to overcome the lies and misinformation being spread by anti-gay organizations trying to derail this bill. As the parent of a young man killed simply for being gay, I refuse to be silent and let this bill be misconstrued by these organizations,” continues Judy Shepard.

Current federal hate crimes law permits the federal prosecution of a hate crime only if the hate crime was motivated by bias based on race, color, religion, or national origin and the assailant intends to prevent the victim from exercising a "federally protected right" such as the right to vote or attend school. If this legislation is passed by the Senate and signed by the president, the law would be expanded to protect the GLBT community as well as remove the restrictions on what type of acts can be considered applicable under hate crime law.

For the record, the bill passed by a vote of 237-180. Unfortunately, President Bush has said he will veto the bill.

According to Project Vote Smart, Mike Rogers has received failing grades from numerous Civil Rights organizations since he took office. Here are just a few examples:

2005 Representative Rogers supported the interests of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 22 percent in 2005.

2005 Representative Rogers supported the interests of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights 0 percent in 2005.

2003-2004 Representative Rogers supported the interests of the Human Rights Campaign 0 percent in 2003-2004.

With a record like that, along with his ties to well-known bigots like Ann Coulter and Kyle Bristow, it's really no surprise that Mike Rogers voted no on this bill.

Michigan's 8th district deserves better representation.

Mike Rogers: Ties to Hate Group? [UPDATED]

This just in from the MDP...

LANSING – Today Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer called on Attorney General Mike Cox, Secretary of State Terri Land, Rep. Candice Miller, Rep. Mike Rogers, Saul Anuzis and Dick DeVos to publicly condemn the Michigan State University Chapter of Young Americans for Freedom. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a prominent civil rights organization, has now officially listed the MSU YAF as a “hate group” in its recently released 2006 intelligence project. Cox, Land, Miller, Rogers, Anuzis and DeVos all have ties to the hate group’s leader Kyle Bristow and appear in photographs with him on his personal website www.kylebristow.com.

Here is the picture in question:



In light of Mike Rogers' recent public support of Ann Coulter, the people of the Neighborhood would like to know more about the Congressman's relationship with Kyle Bristow.

Does Rep. Rogers support YAF's hateful "13 point agenda," which includes the elimination of minority student organizations, the creation of a white council, promoting anti-gay beliefs and hunting down and deporting illegal immigrants in the Lansing area?

What steps (if any) has Mike Rogers taken to end bigotry among Republican youth groups?

For more information about MSU's chapter of YAF, be sure to read the following articles:

• State News: Poison at the root, by Mike Ramsey
• LSJ: Hate group list to include MSU organization
• Pride Source: MSU Group listed as Hate Group by SPLC

UPDATE (4/2/07): Well, at least we know how Michigan Republican Party Chair Saul Anuzis feels about Kyle Bristow:

Saul Anuzis defended the group yesterday on Michigan Talk Radio’s Big Show with Michael Patrick Shiels saying, “This (Kyle Bristow) is exactly the type of young kid we want out there.” Saul Anuzis also said “I’ve known Kyle for years and I can tell you I have never heard him say a racist or bigoted or sexist thing ever.”

That's funny. Kyle Bristow and the YAF actually have a pretty extensive history of racism and bigotry:

-“Homosexuality kills people almost to a degree worse than cigarettes… these (Pro-gay rights) groups are complicit with murder.” –Bristow, Interview with the Spartan Edge that appears on Youtube.

-They have held up protest signs saying “Straight Power” and “End Faggotry.” – Lansing City Pulse, 12-6-06

-Organized a campus-wide “Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day.” Lansing City Pulse, 12-6-06

Congressman Rogers Equates Ann Coulter With...

As LiberalLucy posted the other day, Congressman Mike Rogers didn’t shy away from saying Ann Coulter should be paid to speak by the Livingston Economic Club this coming October.

My argument again, sometimes that they're going to get speakers there that are not in line with where everybody is at but that, and offer some controversial ideas, and I don't think we should shy away from that. Just like when Michigan State University brings in some very, very controversial speakers who certainly aren't, certainly that I don't agree with, and I imagine a lot of the people in the area don't agree with. But I still believe it's important for them to come to an environment like that, and offer their ideas and offer their - I mean that's one of the things that made us great, we've never been really afraid to hear things we don't like.”
[Emphasis added.]

It's one thing to hear things you don't like. It's quite another to have your Congressman support a bigot and an idiot like Ann Coulter.

Congressman Rogers didn’t name the”very very controversial” speaker or speakers he doesn’t agree with and that he imagines a lot of people don’t agree with. It's his way of both equivocating and trying to smear Michigan State University's choice of speakers. But since he didn’t name the objectionable speakers, I thought I would take a look at just who has spoken (and will speak) at MSU to see who he find objectionable.

This past year at MSU had at the Wharton Center;

• Historian David McCullough
• Richard Monette, the Artistic Director of Canada’s Stratford Festival
• Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa
• Azar Nafisi author of “Reading Lolita in Tehran”

In a previous year they invited Kweisi Mfume, president and chief executive officer of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), to give a speech in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Oh, and this year’s undergraduate commencement speakers are

Jaime Escalante, a mathematics teacher whose life inspired the movie “Stand and Deliver,” and Julie Gerberding, who played a major role in leading the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s response to the anthrax bioterrorism events of 2001.

Three of the speakers at the this year’s individual college ceremonies include,

• MSU Undergraduate Convocation. Condoleezza Rice, national security adviser, will address the undergraduate candidates for degrees.
• College of Human Medicine. Andrew Schechtman, associate and field coordinator for Doctors without Borders, and 1999 Nobel Peace Prize recipient.
• MSU College of Law. Kwame M. Kilpatrick, mayor of Detroit, a 1999 graduate of the law school, will present the commencement address.

We can’t forget that yesterday, Minutemen Project co-founder Chris Simcox spoke at the request of the Young Americans for Freedom and the MSU College Republicans. As controversial as the Minutemen are, and as much as I disagree with their take on immigration and their misguided ideas for securing the border, they are not as offensive and ignorant as Ann Coulter or MSU's very own Young Americans for Freedom.

Most people would hardly find Ann Coulter as controversial as Mario Vargas Llosa, Azar Nafisi, David McCullough, Condoleeza Rice, or Jaime Escalante, or a Nobel Prize winner like Andrew Schechtman.

But to Congressman Rogers, MSU's speakers are sometimes as disagreeable to him as Ann Coulter is to most of the residents of the 8th District of Michigan. That he could find objectionable some of the people noted above seems ridiculous to me. What that tells me is that he betrays a rather low opinion of MSU on his part and that his character judgment leaves a lot to be desired.

Rogers on Coulter: "I don't think we ought to shy away from that"

Last night, one of Michigan's most out-of-touch Congresscritters, Mike Rogers spoke with Lansing's 1320 WILS host Jack Ebling host of the show Ebling and You. While on the show, Rogers was asked about Ann Coulter's appearance before the Livingston Economic Club in October.

You can listen to the audio clip here.

For those who can't listen, I've provided a transcription below.

Here's where Rogers refuses to really see the problem. First Amendment Rights protecting Free Speech are extremely sacred and holy. Everyone should be able to say what they want to say. But the line is crossed when business and community economic forums are paying $30,000 to have someone spew hatred and preach intolerance and violence.

$30,000 doesn't equal Free Speech.

Hate, intolerance and violence, bought and paid for by the Livingston Economic Club, as they choose to spend the equivalent of a year's salary on Coulter, who among many, many other terrible things she's said also said this about journalists - defenders of the First Amendment -

"My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building."

From his comments on last night's show, one must assume that Mike Rogers fully supports Ann Coulter's message of hate, destruction, and intolerance. Leading the organization that he proudly help to found, Mike Rogers doesn't think we should "shy away" from paying and bringing Coulter and others like her.

It's one thing to let a person speak, it's a completely different thing to pay thousands and thousands of dollars for that hate speech.

Shame on you, Mr. Rogers. You surely aren't representing me or any of the thousands of others that live in your district.

Interview Transcript

Ebling: In your district, Ann Coutler is going to be making an appearance in Howell, and she's been a lighting rod for controversy and I'm curious what your view is on that.

Rogers: "Well I think it's uh, through Cleary University. I think that divergence of Opinions are really important. I think that, ah they ought to have the opportunity to say some things, even if we all disagree with some of the things we say, they ought to have the right to say it. And I think it fosters a healthier, uh debate on the issues, versus this, this notion that we've got to - if they don't say the things we exactly like and exactly agree on, we don't want to hear from them.

Ebling -I guess she's getting a $30, 000 appearance, or speaking fee, and I know what Ann Coulter makes, uh or at least part of what she makes and it'd be really nice if she could turn out and give that back to Livingston County.

Rogers - Ha well, I'd be for that! I'm sure that Cleary University would love to have some of that back as well! It's a - my understanding is it's an economic forum, uh that was started a few years ago. And one of the reasons was, and actually I started the first year, I helped get that started, was to bring in a variety of speakers who could cover issues and topics of the day, to try and get Livingston County kind of on the upswing of,uh of uh, you know, what's going on in the world, and to have this kind of a network and an economic-type club, like the Detroit club, like the Grand Rapids club, and I thought you know, that time when people approached me about the club, you know, Livingston County is ready for that, that would be a great thing, the business community there is pretty strong and wouldn't it be great to have that kind of opportunity. My argument again, sometimes that they're going to get speakers there that are not in line with where everybody is at but that, and offer some controversial ideas, and I don't think we should shy away from that. Just like when Michigan State University brings in some very, very controversial speakers who certainly aren't, certainly that I don't agree with, and I imagine a lot of the people in the area don't agree with. But I still believe it's important for them to come to an environment like that, and offer their ideas and offer their - I mean that's one of the things that made us great, we've never been really afraid to hear things we don't like.

Rogers Supports Ann Coulter

No. We are not making this up. You can't make up silly stuff like this.

Our Congressman, Republican Mike Rogers, is a supporter of Ann Coulter. A person deemed too extreme by National Review. From the Livingston Economic Club,

Ann Coulter - Monday, October 1, 2007 - Johnson Center
This event kicks off Cleary University Founders Week Celebration. Ann Coulter is the author of five New York Times bestsellers — Godless (June 2006), How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must) (October 2004); Treason: Liberal Treachery From the Cold War to the War on Terrorism (June 2003); Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right (June 2002); and High Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Case Against Bill Clinton (August 1998).

The Livingston Economic Club Founding partners are pleased to welcome new members to our advisory board, as well as to accept individual speaker sponsorships.

And who is listed among the Founding partners that are pleased to welcome Ann Coulter?

You guessed it. Republican Congressman Mike "Mr. Grin" Rogers.

Founding partners include:

CLEARY UNIVERSITY
COMCAST CABLE
GREATER BRIGHTON AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
HARTLAND AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
HOMETOWN NEWSPAPERS
HOWELL AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
LIVINGSTON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
U.S. CONGRESSMAN MIKE ROGERS

Just to be clear, Congressman, do you support a person who says things like the following?

"God says, 'Earth is yours. Take it. Rape it. It's yours.'"

"My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building."

"They’re [Democrats] always accusing us of repressing their speech. I say let’s do it. Let’s repress them. Frankly, I’m not a big fan of the First Amendment"

"I think [women] should be armed but should not [be allowed to] vote. No, they all have to give up their vote, not just, you know, the lady clapping and me. The problem with women voting — and your Communists will back me up on this — is that, you know, women have no capacity to understand how money is earned. They have a lot of ideas on how to spend it. And when they take these polls, it’s always more money on education, more money on child care, more money on day care.”

"I think the government should be spying on all Arabs, engaging in torture as a televised spectator sport, dropping daisy cutters wantonly throughout the Middle East and sending liberals to Guantanamo.”

“I would like evolution to join the roster of other discredited religions, like the Cargo Cult of the South Pacific. Practitioners of Cargo Cult believed that manufactured products were created by ancestral spirits, and if they imitated what they had seen the white man do, they could cause airplanes to appear out of the sky, bringing valuable cargo like radios and TVs. So they constructed ”airport towers“ out of bamboo and ”headphones“ out of coconuts and waited for the airplanes to come with the cargo. It may sound silly, but in defense of the Cargo Cult, they did not wait as long for evidence supporting their theory as the Darwinists have waited for evidence supporting theirs.”

"It turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word 'faggot,' so I'm kind of at an impasse -- I can't really talk about Edwards."

Cleary University can bring whoever they want to speak for their Founders Week Celebration. I don't care. I don't send my money or my children to that institution. But I do do care whether my Congressman supports such an ill-informed, homophobic, idiot.

So what do you say, Congressman?