They want special rights for the privileged groups that the liberals and corporate elitists prefer. They don’t want equal protection of the law.”

Yesterday was a critical day for Senate Bill 418, the so-called “bias crimes” bill.   Before I update you on what I have heard, let me restate the obvious. AFA of Indiana is opposed to crime against anyone and supports the full enforcement of the law to protect Hoosiers and give justice to all victims of crime.

Hate crime actions are already illegal in Indiana.   Judges already have the ability to enhance a sentence involving any victim of a crime; they are not limited to a politically favored list of victims.   What constitutes a crime under this legislation are the thoughts and beliefs of a deranged criminal . . . or the thoughts and beliefs of someone whom the government accuses of a “hate” crime.  (Think about that for a moment while considering the rise of religious hostility in America.)

Senate Bill 418 is a bad bill.  However, when several Republicans met yesterday to discuss this legislation, I heard that Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill offered good language that would punish crime and protect the free speech rights of Hoosiers without cluttering the bill with politically correct victim categories.  (The Attorney General has a background as a county prosecutor.)   Incredibly, it seems that his language was rejected even though Committee Chairman Sen. Mike Young ended his hearing on Tuesday talking of “compromise” and had asked the Attorney General’s office for recommended language.

As the rumors of bits and pieces of this meeting circulated, one outside expert made this comment to me: “They want special rights for the privileged groups that the liberals and corporate elitists prefer. They don’t want equal protection of the law.”

Your calls to your State Senator are still urgently needed.  The committee is expected to vote on SB 418 on Tuesday and move the bill to the full Senate.   Call 317-232-9400 to let your Senator know that SB 418 should be defeated.  (Every Senator needs calls, even if you think that they oppose SB 418, in order to counter the liberal media’s blatant push for this legislation.)

• You can find your Senator at this link: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/find-legislators/