They weren't saying this last February

The Utah Democrat Party has discovered the First Amendment. Left-wing gay rights advocate and State Senator Scott McCoy wants to eliminate Utah's criminal slander law, calling it "unconstitutional, antiquated and outdated". "You just shouldn't go to jail for free speech," says McCoy. "The time for criminalizing speech is over; it's silly."

Oh, this is too rich. That comment in and of itself wins the Andrew Sullivan Hypocrisy award, if I had time to award it.

You see, the Utah Democrat Party and their gay rights base have been the driving force behind efforts to pass a "hate crimes" law, one that would "send a message" to anyone who thinks that homosexuality is sinful. As Captain Holly has said, ad infinitum, hate crimes laws have one purpose, and one purpose only: To stigmatize and marginalize certain points of view, with the ulitimate goal of criminalizing them. In this case, the undesirable belief is that which holds homosexuality in a less than enthusiastic light.

I'm going to keep that comment. Come next January, when the Legislature convenes and the Democrats once again try to pass a hate crimes law, we'll see how quickly Voltaire McCoy becomes Torquemada McCoy. I predict he'll be much less enthusiastic about defending Free Speech and much more enthusiastic about sending people to jail for expressing an unpopular opinion.