Obama to Sign Bill Adding Gays to Those Hate-Crime Law Covers

[ck4829]

President Barack Obama plans to sign legislation today adding gays to the list of groups covered by the federal hate-crime law, the biggest expansion of such protections in decades.

Obama will sign a defense policy and funding measure that includes the provision and, according to a White House statement, will save taxpayers tens of billions of dollars by reducing waste and fraud.

The bill authorizes $680 billion in defense spending for fiscal 2010, which began Oct. 1. In an advanced text of his remarks released by the White House, Obama said the legislation shows that “change is possible” in “eliminating business as usual” in the annual military funding process.

Democrats in Congress who long have been pushing for expansion of the hate-crime law added it to the bill. The 1968 statute, passed in the aftermath of the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., applies to people attacked because of their race, religion or national origin.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20091028/pl_bloomberg/axnv56zsyf4a

[Solly Mack]

1. k/r

[lunatica]

2. It's about fucking time!

And being a law now it can't be overturned by another President on some bigoted whim.

[bluestateguy]

3. The appropriate response is "Thank you President Obama"

Thank you for getting this done after 12 years of previous presidents and congresses being either unable or unwilling to get this done.

[lunatica]

4. That too

It's still about fucking time and saying that is not in any way criticizing Obama. So you say it in your 'appropriate' way and I'll say it in mine.

[lunatica]

5. .