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Originally Posted by Beestie
Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought we were all entitled to equal protection under the law. Making an act a bigger crime (via harsher penalties) when commited against a member of a certain group relative to someone not a member of that group constitutes, imo, unequal protection under the law and, therefore, is unconstitutional. Radar? Anyone? Bueller?
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As much as I can't stand scumbags like the jackass harassing people for being gay, or racist pricks, if they're not free, none of us is. We're only as free as the most offensive of us is free to say what he wants.
I am against all "hate crimes" legislation. It puts the government in the position of being "thought police". It's incredibly stupid to punish motives. You should punish the crime the same way regardless of motive. A man who kills an old woman because he's a psycho, is guilty of the exact same crime as a man who kills the same old woman because she's Jewish and the same crime as that of a man who killed the woman because he wanted her purse. The punishment should be the same in all cases. It should be the same crime regardless of the occupation of the victim or the criminal....say a cop, firefighter, or the president vs. being an office worker, burger flipper, or ditch digger.
Hate is not a crime. People have the right to be stupid. Even completely stupid, pathetic, worthless losers like nicotinegun should be free to be stupid, free to hate, and free to act like an asshole. On the other hand, we are all free to ignore blithering idiots of his ilk.