mr. chairman , i move to strike the last word . 
mr. chairman , the underlying bill that we are dealing with today is about safety and protection , and so is the conyers amendment , which is why i rise in strong support of it . 
it is tragic when hate crimes occur , but they do . 
it is irresponsible and naive to deny that there are people out there who seek to commit violence against others because they are gay , lesbian or transgender or because they are female or because they have a disability . 
it happens far too often , and we must not be silent about it . 
the fbi collects statistics on these crimes ; and for the past 10 years , violent hate crimes committed on the basis of sexual orientation have been the third highest number of hate crimes committed . 
the problem is real , and people are dying solely because of who they are . 
enactment of federal hate crimes protections is important for both substantive and symbolic reasons . 
the legal protections are essential to our system of ordered justice ; but on a symbolic basis , it is important that congress enunciate clearly that hate-motivated violence based on gender-sexual orientation or disability is wrong , because , quite frankly , too much of what we do in this chamber conveys the message that we really do not believe in equality for all , and that is sort of like a wink and a nod , that a little discrimination is okay . 
i want to speak briefly about why hate crimes differ from other violent crimes . 
a senior republican member of the other body said a few years ago : `` a crime committed not just to harm an individual , but out of motive of sending a message of hatred to an entire community is appropriately punished more harshly , or in a different manner , than other crimes. '' hate crimes are different than other violent crimes because they seek to instill fear and terror throughout a whole community , be it burning a cross in someone 's yard , the burning of a synagogue , a rash of physical assaults in a gay community center . 
this sort of domestic terrorism demands a strong federal response because this country was founded on the premise that persons should be free to be whoever they are , without fear of violence . 
both in the 107th and 108th congresses , the house of representatives voted in favor of motions to instruct conferees to retain the local law enforcement hate crimes prevention act as part of the department of defense authorization bill . 
unfortunately , despite the support of a solid bipartisan majority in both this body and the other body , the provisions were dropped in conference . 
the urgency to pass hate crimes legislation and protections is as great as ever . 
just last year , in separate instances , two men in mississippi were brutally murdered based on their sexual orientation . 
scotty joe weaver was strangled , beaten , and stabbed before his body was carried to a wooded area and set on fire . 
the following week , roderick george was shot in the forehead . 
authorities have concluded that anti-gay animus was a motivating factor in both cases . 
all americans , regardless of their race , gender , disability , or sexual orientation , have a right to feel safe in their communities . 
gays and lesbians should not have to live in fear anywhere in the united states of america . 
for far too long this body has failed to act to prevent or respond to hate crimes . 
we have the opportunity to do so today . 
i urge my colleagues to recognize that both the underlying bill and this amendment are about safety and protection of our citizens . 
i urge my colleagues to support this amendment . 
