Full Text of SR1609 101st General Assembly
SR1609 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The first amendment to the Constitution | 3 | | established the United States as a country committed to the | 4 | | principles of tolerance and religious freedom, and the 14th | 5 | | amendment to the Constitution established equal protection of | 6 | | the laws as the heart of justice in the United States; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Adherence to these principles is vital to the | 8 | | progress of the American people and the diverse communities and | 9 | | religious groups of the United States; and | 10 | | WHEREAS, Whether from the political right, center, or left, | 11 | | bigotry, discrimination, oppression, and anti-Semitism | 12 | | threaten American democracy; | 13 | | WHEREAS, Anti-Semitism is the centuries-old bigotry and | 14 | | form of racism faced by Jewish people simply because they are | 15 | | Jews; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, The appalling rise of hate speech and | 17 | | anti-Semitism across the country calls on all who value | 18 | | diversity, respect, and civility as the heart of a functioning | 19 | | democracy to stand united against bigotry and hate of all | 20 | | kinds; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, There was a 37% increase in anti-Semitic incidents | 2 | | reported to the FBI between 2016-2017; and | 3 | | WHEREAS, There were 1,564 religious-based incidents | 4 | | reported to the FBI in 2017, the second-highest level since | 5 | | statistics have been gathered; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, On January 6, 2021, a gathering at the U.S. | 7 | | Capitol building inflicted atrocious vandalism and destruction | 8 | | at one of our nation's most sacred symbols of democracy, as | 9 | | well as caused the tragic death of a U.S. Capitol Police | 10 | | officer and the assault and injury of countless others; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, This gathering drew hate groups from across the | 12 | | nation, many of whom brandished symbols of anti-Semitism as | 13 | | they invaded the building and threatened violence against | 14 | | lawmakers, staff, security guards, and other federal employees | 15 | | and against our very democracy; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, The gathering has since spurred threats on state | 17 | | capitols, resulting in additional security measures here in the | 18 | | Illinois Capitol Complex; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, The day before this horrific event, U.S. | 20 | | Congresswoman Mary Miller invoked Adolf Hitler's obscene | 21 | | methods for indoctrinating children by stating "whoever has |
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| 1 | | youth has the future," with racism and fascism as a guidepost | 2 | | to ignite hate and violence; and | 3 | | WHEREAS, An elected official, whether a member of congress | 4 | | or a state assembly, should be held to a higher standard; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Mary Miller should realize the pain her remarks | 6 | | caused for members of the Jewish community for whom the horrors | 7 | | of 6 million murdered Jews, of which 1.5 million were children, | 8 | | experienced at the hands of Nazi Germany strike at the core of | 9 | | the holocaust and elicit one of the darkest moments of history; | 10 | | and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois Jewish Legislative Caucus responded | 12 | | to this insensitive and disturbing remark by calling for Mary | 13 | | Miller's resignation in an online petition that has currently | 14 | | over 25,000 signatures; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Our legislative body must rise together against | 16 | | bigotry and refuse to accept hatred as our nation’s new normal; | 17 | | therefore, be it
| 18 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | 19 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we condemn the hateful | 20 | | remarks of U.S. Congresswoman Mary Miller; and be it further |
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That we condemn anti-Semitic statements and acts | 2 | | as hateful expressions of intolerance; and be it further | 3 | | RESOLVED, That we reject attempts to justify hate speech or | 4 | | violent attacks as an acceptable expression; and be it further | 5 | | RESOLVED, That we encourage all State, local, and federal | 6 | | officials to confront the reality of anti-Semitism, | 7 | | hate-speech, and other forms of bigotry; and be it further | 8 | | RESOLVED, That words matter, more so when they are spoken | 9 | | by a public official and when those words incite hate groups to | 10 | | action; and be it further | 11 | | RESOLVED, That we call on the U.S. House of Representatives | 12 | | to formally censure Congresswoman Miller for her remarks and | 13 | | insensitive, reprehensible, anti-Semitic rhetoric; and be it | 14 | | further | 15 | | RESOLVED, That we stand in solidarity against hate, | 16 | | bigotry, and anti-Semitic rhetoric of all kinds; and be it | 17 | | further
| 18 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 19 | | delivered to the U.S. Congress, the President of the United | 20 | | States, and the Vice-President of the United States on January |
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| 1 | | 21, 2021.
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