What exactly does hate crimes have to do with military spending (besides, aren’t all crimes hate crimes)? The Senate approached this bill incorrectly on several levels and exposed us to the fact that the election of Democrats to the majority of both Houses of Congress has done little to change the culture where legislative tactics are employed to circumvent the democratic process.
The Senate has dropped its insistence that Congress pass legislation expanding hate crime laws to include attacks on gays, after it became clear the measure wouldn’t pass the House, according to congressional aides.
House and Senate negotiators agreed to drop the provision from a major defense policy bill. The legislation authorizes the military to spend some $150 billion in money for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and provides detailed policy guidance on the Pentagon’s multibillion weapons programs.