Still 'fine-tuning' our process. You can get to the original article HERE
Reprinted from Sara Carter's news page.
A Minnesota bill introduced in January would allow people “to report perceived bias-related incidents such as alleged slurs and verbal attacks that would fall outside the hate crimes compiled annually by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension”, according to the St. Cloud Times.
Now, an additional change to the bill is being considered that would further suppress the First Amendment. House File 181, would also “log alleged bias incidents even when they aren’t considered a crime” reports Fox News.
Republican state Rep. Walter Hudson warned House File 181 could pose a threat to religious freedom.
“It seems very clear, based upon their focus on motivation, that they’re more concerned about what’s going on in people’s heads, which is protected speech, and that’s thoughtcrime,” he told Fox News Digital in March.
Minnesota state Rep. Harry Niska, R., asked during a debate on a new bill “If a Minnesotan writes an article claiming or arguing that COVID-19 is a Chinese bio-weapon that leaked from a lab in Wuhan, and someone reports that article to the Department of Human Rights, is that something that the Department of Human Rights should put in their bias registry under your bill?”
Fellow state Representative, Democrat Samantha Vang argued that while not all incidents are considered violent or criminal, this sort of rhetoric is “bias motivated” therefore “it can be considered a bias incident.”
Niska said Vang’s answer was “very troubling.”
Niska then posed the theoretical question to Vang asking if someone wearing an “I love J.K. Rowling” shirt would be added to the database.
“If a Minnesotan is wearing a t-shirt that says ‘I love J.K. Rowling’ and someone sees that and reports them to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights as an example of gender identity or gender expression bias, is that something that the Minnesota Department of Human Rights should put in this bias database?” he asked.
Vang suggested this question would be better answered by lawyers and added, “I’m not going to say yes or no to that question.”
NOTE: The opinions expressed in the Sara Carter posts are not necessarily (but probably pretty much) the opinions of Cogny Mann.