We can all take heart from what President Barack Obama said when he signed the Matthew Shepard and Robert Byrd Jr. Violence Prevention Act last month: "The rights afforded every Our own Senator Patrick Leahy was very instrumental in getting this bill passed and attended the signing of the legislation into law. "More than a decade after Senator Kennedy began the effort to enact this legislation, we have finally acted to ensure that violence against members of any group because of who they are will not be tolerated ... It is one more step forward in protecting the civil rights of all Americans." We can all take heart from what President Barack Obama said when he signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Violence Prevention Act: "The rights afforded every citizen under our Constitution mean nothing if we do not protect those rights -- both from unjust laws and violent acts." Full Article at Bennington Banner