Left Goes on Attack Against Rand Paul

Senator Rand Paul

Just look at these vicious, misleading, tweets:

Hearing that Rand Paul is the ONLY SENATOR preventing a long overdue anti-lynching bill from being passed, you really want his neighbor to have a word or two with him.

— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) June 4, 2020

Republican scumbag Rand Paul of Kentucky admitted today that he is holding up a bill with broad bipartisan support that would make lynching a federal hate crime, saying he fears it would be wrongly used. https://t.co/OZgCQOD6W5

— Stone (@stonecold2050) June 3, 2020

Here is the truth as to what is going on. Rand Paul told reporters:

 For things to pass unanimously there has to be some give and take in order to try to make the language the best we can get it. We think that lynching is an awful thing that should be roundly condemned and should be universally condemned. I don’t think it’s a good idea to conflate someone who has an altercation where they had minor bruises, with lynching. We think that’s a disservice to those who were lynched in our history, who continue to have, we continue to have these problems. And I think it’s a disservice to have a new 10-year penalty for people who have minor bruising.

And from a statement Rand later issued:

The bill as written would allow altercations resulting in a cut, abrasion, bruise, or any other injury no matter how temporary to be subject to a 10-year penalty. My amendment would simply apply a serious bodily injury standard, which would ensure crimes resulting in substantial risk of death and extreme physical pain be prosecuted as a lynching.

This is a heroic stand by Rand that no other senator was willing to make.

Here is the part of the bill Rand is referring to.

   (1) Offenses involving actual or perceived race,
        color, religion, or national origin.--Whoever, whether
        or not acting under color of law, willfully causes
        bodily injury to any person or, through the use of
        fire, a firearm, a dangerous weapon, or an explosive or
        incendiary device, attempts to cause bodily injury to
        any person, because of the actual or perceived race,
        color, religion, or national origin of any person--
                  (A) shall be imprisoned not more than 10
                years, fined in accordance with this title, or
                both;

 He is correct in objecting to the language. It is draconian. It does indicate a person in a minor altercation could be subject to a 10-year sentence if it is considered a hate crime.

Rand Paul opposes the current anti-lynching bill because he says its language is so broad that innocent parties could be harmed, similar to how the Patriot Act, enacted to fight terrorists, has been mostly used to fight the drug war.

Never forget how the path to hell is paved.

— Jack Hunter (@jackhunter74) June 4, 2020

-RW