CNN

Thank you, thank you Mr. President.

Thank you, Mr. President and Congress.

The bill is long overdue to include protections for all Americans with regards to religion, race, gender, orientation, national origin, or disability.

God bless the USA!

Good now we are all equal, well unless we aren't gay. Then we are more important. How can the gay community claim they are being discriminated against with gay marriage bans yet want a special status when it comes to assaults? So a gay man gets punched it's a hate crime, I gay guy punches a straight man its assault? So one person gets more rights than the other??? Sounds fair.

As a centrist Dem I say this is moronic. You either commit a crime, or you don't. Three white kids beat up a Latino kid, hate crime. Three Latino kids beat up a white kid, no big deal.

And yes, this actually happens.

IT IS ABOUT TIME !
We call ourselves a civilized society – with freedom for all-–

May God judges those that opposed His commands. I hope Obama had read book of Judges and Proverbs - for God warns people who disobey's his commands. As a Christian person myself, I don't condemn nor hate the gay people. What I condems are the acts between same sex, which God clearly detested. I see people supporting same sex marriage or unions as victims. It is known and been foretold that this world will be in deep sin before the final judgement. I hope everyone will seek God.

Hate crimes are acts of terrorism plain and simple. Even though the direct victim suffers the intent is to tell people "like them" to stay in their place. It's sad that we need such legislation to act as a deterent against such abominal behavior, but I'm glad this Congress and this President had the courage to pass it.

What a great day for the citizens of this country! It should never have taken this long to enact the new "Hate Crime Law".

Democrats believe it is a hate crime to peacefully protest a socialist administration, and that any free speech that is not a complete endorsement of extremist liberalism, is known as a hate crime.

However, the message that needs to be sent to the youth of Democrat hot beds like Chicago, which was clearly seen on video with the group beating of that honor student in Obama's chicago, is what is known as pacifism and tolerance.

Wow, are conservatives ever touchy people about this. Guys, try to calm down and actually READ the bill, as well as existing hate crime statutes.

If your primary motive for attacking a person is based on their race, gender, ethnicity, religion, and orientation, that would violate the law. Yep, that means if someone attacks a straight, white, male Christian BECAUSE of their race, gender, orientation, or religion, then said attacker would violate the law. There's no special groups or special coverage.

I realize that to some people, hatred of those who are different is their most cherished activity. Guess you'll have to go somewhere else to hate.

Yay! Now on to Don't Ask Don't Tell.

Murder is Murder some will say... Wrong.
There's murder in the 1st degree, murder in the 2nd degree, manslaughter and justifiable use of deadly force, for starters. EVERY CRIME has degrees of offensiveness, and now there's one more to add to the math.
A long way overdue one BTW.

OK ... if a person is killed because of their race or sexual orientation and their killer is sentenced to death or life without parole ... just HOW will ANY hate crime law make ANY sort of practical difference???

Or is it just another example of "feel-good" legislation without any REAL practical application??

It really is telling that those who are complaining about hate crime bills are those who commit hate crimes– those who vote Republican.

This bill in no way gives special protections... if a bunch of gay men beat up a straight man because he was straight, the straight man would be covered under this legislation because he was a target of violence on the basis of his sexual orientation. Meanwhile, if a gay man is beat up because of his money or his car or whatever, he would be equally as uncovered by this legislation as you are now. It does not say only gay people are covered, it says ALL PEOPLE are protected from being targets of violence on the basis of bigotry.

does anybody besides me find it interesting that the two namesakes related to this hate-crimes bill were from Wyoming and Texas?

When will the Hate Crimes Law pertain to Hannity, Limbaugh, O'Reilly and Beck?

Doesn't the Constitution say something about 'equal protection under the law'? Why is the murder of someone who is gay more of a crime than the murder of someone else? Both are just as dead from violence.

Such a futile expansion of bad government judgement. Why single out homosexuals as a peculiar group subject to harassment because they are hated? Many people hate, and even more are hated. Why not
spend one ounce of your energy on PROMOTING respect for LIFE...All Life. We are all unique, some unique in ways that I cannot respect their lifestyle, but this administration has more love for polar bears than for pre-born babies. We are fearfully and wonderfully made, different yes.. but each one special, and if we teach this marvel of creation science, then we will begin to change our hearts... you cannot legislate that Mr. President.

Obama is all about separating people. A law broken is bad for any reason!! This will not stop one person from doing anything they were going to do. But you Obamabots will lap it up and feel better.
What's Obama doing about the kids here in Chicago getting killed walking home from public school??

Great to see this done.
This is totally off the subject but questions, concerns on Cafferty's blog do not get posted by moderators.
Has anyone else noticed the change in Jack? I used to respect and admire him, but since he was on that extended leave, he is a changed man. We use to be able to depend on him to at least show us the middle of the road, but he has become so anti President Obama and the democrats following suit with the rest of CNN.
Was this the terms of his contract or what? He is not the Jack
I knew, waiting each day to be able to comment on an unbiased
article.
I sure wish the real Jack would come back as he was the shining light at CNN for many of us.

good job.

So if you kill someone because you call them a name first, it's worse than just killing them?
Obama is such a phony. Feel good laws, that don't do anything. At least he wasn't signing something that will put us more in debt.

Why should the beating death of a person from any one segment of our society be treated any differently than another? And where does the recent gang rape of a 15 year old out in California fit on this scale of offences? Killing a stranger is a hate crime no matter who does it to whom. This is just pandering by the president and Congress to a particular political faction.

The president signing the bill was great news, but what I want to see also, and really soon, is he sign a bill allowing gays to serve openly in the military. Being a retired military person I can honestly state that these individuals are of no threat to straight individuals, they are just as dependable and trustworthy as any others, and should not be treated like a criminal.

Thank You President Obama,,,,

You will get my vote in 2012

Was the white boy being beaten by the black boys on the Belleville West school bus considered a hate crime? If not it should have been. I'm tired of paying taxes in a country where if something happens to blacks, mexicans, jews, arabs, oriental, gay, ect..... it is a hate crime. But if one of these groups does something to a caucasian it is not. Come on all you white people band together and quit paying taxes and see how this reverse racism society operates with no money.

Why don't you see this on the air? No one is covering this on the air??? Instead they talk about the same stuff. This wasn't even breaking news. This is ridiculous. Come on CNN, step it up!

Hate Crimes Law, , , , , seems simple of enough.

I wonder why those knuckle-dragging Republicans didn't think of that.

It's already widely known but conveniently ignored that Matthew Shepherd was not assaulted because of his sexual orientation. This is now purely an urban legend, but it serves to expunge the guilt of so many on the left who feel they have to atone for everything except abusing conservatives, whose morals do not change like shifting shadows.

Thank you, President Obama & Democratic Congress, for doing what the Wyoming legislature is too cowardly & craven to do, e.g. protect its vulnerable citizens. Thank you also for naming this bill in memory of Matthew Shepard.

That is a plus for all americans if they know it or not

Wow... just wow. Because society, as a whole, is too stupid to realize that crime is crime, we need specific laws to differentiate between crimes against straight Christian white guys and crimes against people of color, religious background, and now sexual preference. It is now MORE of a crime to assault a gay person than it is a straight person. How is that fair?

I think that, as a straight Christian white guy, I should sue the federal government that this violates my equal protection under the 14th Amendment.

Nice going, Mr. President. The conserva-bots refuse to acknowledge the social ills of discrimination and hatred. They'd rather make everything an issue of the white man having to adjust to the ever changing demographics in this country.

Unbelieveable! With all the things that are going on in the world they have to make up another law to cover something that is already a crime.

How can the Goverment define differeing levels of morality between the thought of killing someone because they wanted their money versus the thought of killing someone because of their sexual orientation. Did they act to cover the thought of raping little children in this legislation ?

This government is all screwed up – its a shame we aren't playing Sims Governement cause we need a re-boot.

This a bill that is way past due. If only this were in place when these ferocious crimes happened.

classic washington politics...add a completely unrelated bill to a bill that's sure to pass. way to go morons!

So if you are assaulted/killed and do not fall into a "protected group", it's not a federal crime?

All right President Obama. Now...we're still waiting for the apology for inviting Rick Warrren to participate in your inauguration.

FANTASTIC! This is a step in the right direction. We need to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell and DOMA. Thank you to all concerned!

Good. If anyone is still concerned about this being passed, please make sure you fully comprehend what the hate crimes law is about. Not special coverage for certain groups; it's the ability to be punished further for a crime that carried out because of someone's perceived identity.

If you have a crime committed against you, motivated because you are white, straight and/or male, your assailant(s) can be charged with committing a hate crime.

I ask again: Where in the Constitution is the Federal government given the power to do this?

And pretty soon it will be a hate crime not to praise every non-white male you see walking down the street. Or a hate crime to wear a cross or Star of David or say 'God Bless You' when someone sneezes.

This PC stuff is getting nuts. I don't care what people do in the privacy of their own home as long as it's between consenting adults.

Land of the Free - Because of the Brave.