The fortunes of the F-22 have now been formally linked to hate crimes legislation, a pairing that’s giving heartburn to all kinds of U.S. senators, especially two from Georgia.
Late last night, the Senate voted to attach the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act to the $680 million defense bill. The hate crimes measure would extend greater federal protection to people attacked because of their gender or sexual orientation.
This from the Associated Press:
“The Senate made a strong statement this evening that hate crimes have no place in America,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said….
The House in April approved a similar bill and President Barack Obama has urged Congress to send him hate crimes legislation, presenting the best scenario for the measure to become law since Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., first introduced it more than a decade ago.
And yet, President Barack Obama has promised — again and again — to veto the bill because, as of now, it contains increased funding for the Marietta-built F-22 Raptor.
The pairing has gay and lesbians worried. Obama has sent the message that, in a contest, he will choose to veto the extra F-22 spending — even at the costs of the hate crimes legislation. The Advocate, a national news site aimed at gay readers, includes this quote from Shin Inouye, the White House director of specialty media:
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