Don Wildmon of the American Family Association is going absolutely apeshit because the Senate is about to vote on the Hate Crimes Bill. He has flooded my email with messages. He opposes the bill because a) it will protect pedophiles from prosecution, and b) pastors will be prosecuted for speaking out against homosexuality.

It absolutely astounds me that he comes up with shit like this. It astounds me even more than a good portion of the American public believes him. No rational person would believe the Hate Crimes Bill would protect pedophiles and subject pastors to prosecution for speaking out against homosexuality. Oh, wait a minute, I guess I just answered my own question.

I'm not even going to address the pedophile thing. It's so preposterous it doesn't deserve my attention.

As to the argument about pastors being prosecuted, here's a tip for you Don. It's called a hate crime, not thought or speech. As long as you don't take action on your hateful thought, no crime has been committed, so your pastors are safe.

We need a hate crimes law because gay people are being attacked and killed all the time, simply because they are gay. Case in point is the case of Joseph Biedermann, who was acquitted of first degree murder in the stabbing death of a gay man because his lawyer successfully used the gay panic defense. Never mind that he stabbed the guy 61 times. How many stabs does it take to fend off an unwanted sexual advance? And by the way, is stabbing someone for an unwanted sexual advance an appropriate response? If a guy hit on a woman, and she stabbed him 61 times, would the jury let her off?

The simple fact, Don, is you don't want the bill passed because you are a hateful person. You hate gay people with every fiber of your being. Not exactly something Jesus taught. But you forget those little formalities don't you?