Family Research Council: Liars or just clueless?

I got an email today from the religious right lobbying group, Family Research Council. They're all upset that civil rights groups want to add gays, women, and people with disabilities to the already-existing federal hate crimes law. They claim that hate crimes laws are bad, even though the current federal hate crimes law already covers the religious right. You don't hear them ever mention that fact. They claim that the hate crimes laws will punish speech, even though the current law has been on the books for nearly 40 years and nobody has ever been punished for speech. But hey, nobody ever accused the Family Research Council of playing fair when it comes to homophobia.

You'll recall that the existing hate crimes law is a federal law that permits the Justice Department and the FBI to provide federal resources to local police forces when local crimes are motivated by the race, religion or national origin of the victim. The proposed amendment would add sexual orientation, gender and disability to the law as well - so that when crimes are motivated based on any of those categories, the feds could provide resources as well.

Note that currently the feds cannot get involved if there's a local hate crime. Under this law, they can. And that's a good thing. When Matthew Shepard was murdered in rural Wyoming, the local police force practically went broke over his cast. Federal resources can and do help.

In any case, I just find it interesting that the Family Research Council and the American Family Association, vocal opponents of hate crimes laws, haven't told their followers that the current hate crimes law, the law on the books, already covers them. Funny that FRC and AFA aren't publicly calling for themselves to be removed from the existing hate crimes law. Equally funny that in 40 years that the FRC and AFA have had their own hate crime special right, none of us have ever been prosecuted for our anti-religious-right speech (when FRC and AFA claim that this is what the law does, criminalizes speech critical of the protected classes - and
God knows I'm critical of their bigoted fat class).

I'd just like to see some enterprising journalist ask the FRC and the AFA why they're against civil rights for gays, but for special rights for themselves? And if hate crimes laws criminalize speech, then why is it no speech charges have been filed in the 40 years that the law has been on the books?