[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 9000]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          THE HATE CRIMES BILL

  (Mr. GOHMERT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, our thoughts and prayers, I know, from all 
of us here in the House go out to the families of those harmed and the 
families of those who were murdered there at Virginia Tech. We do 
extend our sympathies.
  It seems like it would be inappropriate to bring up legislation that 
we are going to have a hearing on today, hate crimes. The hate crimes 
bill we take up will say we should protect more those with gender 
identity issues, with homosexuality issues, things like that, than 
college students, because the message of the bill is this: the hate 
crimes legislation says the majority of the Congress says that if you 
are going to hurt someone, if you are going to shoot them, brutalize 
them, please, make it a random, senseless act of violence like in 
Virginia. Don't hate them while you're hurting them.
  That is a ridiculous message to send with legislation and I hope we 
will rethink it.

                          ____________________