Can you make a phone call..NOW!? Matthew Shepard Act.

[and-justice-for-all]

Senate Majority Leader Reid has filed for cloture on the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act to be added as an Amendment to the Department of Defense authorization bill. This important legislation -- adding disability, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity to the federal hate crimes statute -- has already passed in the House and tomorrow, with your help, it will pass in the Senate.

Call both your senators now and tell them to vote YES on the Kennedy-Smith hate crimes amendment (the Matthew Shepard Act).

Sen. Richard Lugar
Phone: [phone]

Sen. Evan Bayh III
Phone: [phone]

Tomorrow's cloture motion requires 60 votes to move the amendment forward, which is within reach given the measure's bipartisan support and the fact that similar legislation passed the Senate in the last Congress. And this time, with lthough eHowever the bill does have some bipartisan support and 60 votes or more are very attainable. In fact, the 109th Congress passed similar hate crimes legislation in both chambers, but unfortunately the measure was later stripped in conference (the finalization of the legislation passed by both chambers that will go, as one bill, to the president for his signature). Now, with Democrats in charge of both chambers, there's a strong possibility, much better shot, unlike last Congress, that when the two houses "conference" on authorization bill, the amendment will remain and therefore of the conference committees, we have a much better shot of making sure this amendment remains part of the final bill.

Here's the rub. President Bush, in a move even audacious for him, and in an obvious nod to his far right base, has threatened to veto the DOD authorization if it includes the hate crimes provision. If the president is bluffing, then this is certainly a bluff we need to call. If he's not bluffing, then the members of his party will have to bear the political consequences of this boneheaded misguided veto. will certainly be visited upon other members of his party.

The importance of Senate passage is in no way diminished by this veto threat -- we must do what we can to make sure the legislation makes it to the president's desk.

The vote is expected before 11am tomorrow so please call now. And ask your friends to do the same.

Sen. Richard Lugar
Phone: [phone]

Sen. Evan Bayh III
Phone: [phone]

You can give us your feedback from the calls with our online call report form at http://pfaw.kintera.org/CallReport.

Thank you for your activism on behalf of a fairer and more equal society.
-- Your Allies at People For the American Way

[Dinger]

1. Kickin' Hard, Rec Too!!

Call too!

[and-justice-for-all]

2. Danke! nt

[ourbluenation]

3. here's another

:kick:

[golddigger]

4. And another one!

[goodgd_yall]

5. I'm on it!

[MH1]

6. Seems pretty non-germane to me.

I hate when they take good legislation and try to pass it with bad process.

Why can't they just pass these things standalone? Up-or-down vote?

[and-justice-for-all]

7. kick

[terrya]

8. I have

I expect that Senators Durbin and Obama will vote for this important bill.