Sunday, February 15, 2009

Civil Rights Agenda

President Barack Obama has been trying to fight for many different types of civil rights, as a civil rights attorney. It seems only natural that President Obama would want to pass new laws involving civil rights as President of the United States. Many different topics on the Civil Rights Agenda include combating employment discrimination, expanding the definition of hate crimes, ending racial profiling, eliminating sentencing disparities, and restrictions on marriage, AIDS prevention, and many more.

I agree with the steps that President Obama is willing to take in order to make our society better and more comfortable for its citizens. However, these items on the agenda are controversial, difficult to change, and there are many different technical aspects that will require change of other laws and the people of The United States, to make these laws work. There are also some people who do not agree with this agenda (video below). Many of their concerns are valid, but it seems as though they are not looking at this agenda with an open mind and are judging these ideas before technical aspects are addressed. The definition of what is considered a hate crime can be difficult to distinguish with this item on the agenda. Careful consideration must be taken into account when passing this law. Huckabee mentioned that a woman with a sign that encouraged traditional marriage was punished, because it was considered to be a hate crime. Differences of opinion and actual actions can lead to discrepancies when defining a hate crime. It would seem logical that the President and other individuals in the government that help him to make decisions would try their best not to impose on ones constitutional rights to uphold another's. I think that before President Obama can be completely attacked on this agenda, people should wait to hear the details, not just a 15 word summary on the policy. Some of these ideas will be harder to change than others, but overall I commend President Obama for attempting to correct and address issues in this country.


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