Action Alert: Senate Expected to Take Up Hate Crimes Bill Any Day!  Contact Senator Coleman to Vote Against Hate Crimes Bill! Senate expected to take up "hate crimes" proposal any day. Please call Senator Coleman at 202.224.5641 or 651.645.0323 and urge him to vote against "Hate Crimes" legislation which is being considered as an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill (S. 1535). This amendment would bypass the normal committee process and be offered as an amendment to a defense bill in an effort to force President Bush to sign the legislation or veto important defense legislation. The legislation would give special treatment to some victims of crimes, by among other things, adding "sexual orientation" to the list of federal "hate crimes" categories. It threatens free speech, particularly regarding the issue of homosexuality. It has already been used to threaten the free speech concerns regarding the issue of homosexuality. A few years ago,  several peaceful Christian protestors at a gay pride parade in Philadelphia were charged with felony hate crimes. Though those charges were thrown out many weeks later by the judge, the message was clear: Don't say anything negative about homosexuality. This legislation would bring the federal government into the picture across all fifty states. It's vitally important that Senator Coleman be strongly encouraged to oppose this amendment. Again, Senator Coleman's number in DC is 202.224.5641 while his state office's number is 651.645.0323. Call both numbers if you can.  Thank you for your assistance! _______________________________________________________________________________ We need your financial help MFC is at the capitol fighting against this legislation. However, we need your financial help to continue to fight. We can't do it without your support, both financially and in prayer! Click Here to make a donation to the Minnesota Family Council / Minnesota Family Institute. If you have any difficulties with the links or have any questions, please contact Chuck Darrell at 612-789-8811, extension 226.  _______________________________________________________________________________ July 16  2007 Please forward this e-mail to friends and neighbors To unsubscribe from our alerts, please return this message with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line. Note: Please allow up to two weeks for the changes to take effect Minnesota Family Council, 2855 Anthony Lane S, Suite 150,Minneapolis, MN 55418 1-612-789-8811  www.mfc.org