The LifeSiteNews article below comes with the warning that it is from a Roman Catholic news service and the Thomas More Society is also Roman Catholic. But the story itself is accurate in detail. It may be good to read that article before going further with this response to it.

The Thomas More Society may win their lawsuit, hate crime included; but win or lose, they will have dealt a blow to free speech and religious liberty. Hate crime laws, in this case hate speech laws, are unconstitutional, unbiblical, and dangerous. It is reckless for those who are in principle against such laws to then appeal to them when "the shoe is on the other foot." But please also note the chilling use of the phrase "homophobic slurs" by the Thomas More representative. Apparently, TMS already believes "homophobic slurs" are "hate speech" and should be prosecuted as such! Perhaps their legal opinion is rooted in that Roman Catholic teaching that sodomite persons "must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition" (Cat. 2358).

The perpetrators spoken of in the article below can, and should, be charged with state disorderly conduct for any part of their language that is clearly, by proper legal definition, obscene language and for provoking a disturbance. In Wisconsin, that can bring up to a $1,000 fine and up to 6 months in jail. I am sure the situation is similar in Illinois. The past physical assaults spoken of are just that--criminal assaults--and ought to be charged as such. There are remedies in law, civil and criminal, for such situations as described in the story below. But to resort to a hate crime charge is to act unlawfully in a true sense while promoting hate crime charges across the board. It is also, quite frankly, to appear as hypocrites in the eyes of those in favor of such laws. Some of the rhetoric the perpetrators used is obscene by legal definition; some of it is just evil but not obscene. None of it should be prosecuted as "hate speech" or a "hate crime" since those have no objective legal definitions but are based on subjective opinions and emotion. It should be remembered that words such as sodomite or, in the case of an abortionist, baby killer are seen by our opponents as hate speech; and they also see any preaching of the law of God and warning of hell as hate speech.

Hate crime, and hate speech laws, are unbiblical. Of course that should be reflected in civil and criminal law, but this short message is already far from its original intention. So I will simply point out that from a legal standpoint, those who claim to treasure free speech and religious liberty must oppose hate crime laws on their face as unconstitutional, not make use of them when it is convenient. It is either that or we will spend all of our time trying to convince ungodly judges that words such as sodomite and phrases such as "How can ye escape the damnation of hell?" are not hate speech also. When the whole thing turns on subjective opinions of worldly judges sensitive to public opinion, we Christians will lose every time. 

Pastor Ralph Ovadal

Hate Crime Charge Filed over Verbal Assault against Pro-Lifers: "Ni**er! You are a worthless degenerate Ni**er."
CHICAGO, April 3, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On Friday, April 3, 2009, The Thomas More Society filed a Hate Crime charge in an Amended Federal Civil Complaint against an abortion clinic proprietor and ally in Rockford, Illinois as part of an ongoing court battle.

On March 29, 2008, Rockford resident Keith A. Sterkeson verbally attacked pro-life advocates Eric Nelson and Kevin Rilott outside a Rockford abortion facility, saying to Nelson, in part, "A Nigger, a Nigger. You are a worthless degenerate Nigger. Oh, you are a Nigger! You are a degenerate and empty skull, thinking Jesus is going to save you. You're a Nigger. Your mother was a Nigger." (To view the verbal assault, follow this link:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6860854372894347704) 

In the space of seven minutes during the encounter between the pro-lifers and Sterkeson, Sterkeson, with a pitbull in tow, calls Nelson a "ni**er" 19 times, shouts the word "f**k" at him 36 times, called him a "degenerate" 16 times, and otherwise threatens and harasses Nelson and Rilott.

In the video the abortion facility owner, Wayne Webster, informs Sterkeson over a loud speaker that the police are on their way, and says, "You're not acting any crazier than those other a**holes (the pro-life activists)." 

The amended Federal Civil Complaint alleges that Webster monitors police radio calls and warns Sterkeson to leave the scene when Nelson and Rillot call the police, aiding and abetting Sterkeson.

"Here, defendant Sterkeson, with support from clinic proprietor Wayne Webster, was spewing forth hateful rhetoric - accusing Nelson of being a 'half breed' whose mother was African-American - on the public sidewalk in a loud and raucous voice," stated Tom Brejcha, President and Chief Counsel at the Thomas More Society. "Sterkeson's uttering such hateful speech against racial minorities, while he was perpetrating violent crimes is precisely what Illinois has condemned as 'hate crime.'"

On several occasions in the past that have been recorded on video, Sterkeson has hit Nelson and shoved Rillot, calling them "faggots." (To view additional footage, follow this link:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8394636595720961190)

"Keith Sterkeson regularly harangues Nelson, Rillot and their peers with racist epithets, anti-religious bigotry and homophobic slurs on the public sidewalk outside the Rockford abortion clinic owned by Wayne Webster," Brejcha said.