Charges brought for 1996 Hiker Slayings

From http://www.msnbc.com/news/737036.asp -

Federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that a Maryland man had been charged with murdering two hikers in Shenandoah National Park in 1996, a brutal crime that prompted fears among hikers nationwide.

Two lesbians were bound and gagged and their throats slit. They were found in Shenandoah National Park (near where I live) on June 1, 1996.

That's your background information, but it's not really important. Here's what's important.

Civil Rights groups praised the Justice Department for declaring that anti-gay bias was an element of the crime.

Wait, it gets better.

Just as the United States will pursue, prosecute and punish terrorists who attack America out of hatred for what we believe, we will pursue, prosecute and punish those who attack law-abiding Americans out of hatred for who they are. These families have suffered what Americans now know all too well. That’s the pain and destruction wrought by hate.

They are including anti-gay bias while prosecuting this crime. What's more, the above quote was from <b>John Ashcroft</b>.

Read it again. "Just as the United States..."

John Ashcroft!

He approved the inclusion of the anti-gay bias. This is just surprising as all hell to me, as well as his above quote. I know he's linking it to terrorism, and in a sense it is, simply because of the fear that it instilled in hikers. I wouldn't go all out and call it "terrorism", but excuse Ashcroft of saying that for just a second.

I gotta give him mad props for that one. Acknowledging that this was indeed a hate crime (read article for more info) prosecuting it as such.

Wow.