Discuss "The homeless and hate crimes"

you all know where hate crimes come from...but i guess it reminds you of the ugly past that you all try to live in denial about......it was similar to what affirmative action was for......discrimination against people of color...don't play nieve.......

Kevin @ 4:39 PM PDT, Oct 30, 2008

We cannot read someone's mind. If a someone kills a person because of the victim's race but doesn't say anything, it's a regular crime. If the assailant uttered a phrase related to religion, sex, etc., then it becomes a hate crime. It makes no sense.

kristin @ 3:59 PM PDT, Oct 30, 2008

I loathe, despise and detest 'hate crimes.' They are the slippery slope of political subjectivity corrupting the criminal justice system. When we move from punishing acts to punishing 'minds,' we place all our liberties in peril. Yes, I understand 'mens rea,' but this reflects the degree of premeditation, not predisposition. The cruel blow or bullet from the calculating psychopath is every bit as painful, potentially devastating and reprehensible as that from the bigot. Let's punish all their acts even handedly.

DF Tweedie, PhD @ 10:42 AM PDT, Oct 30, 2008

This is exactly the reason that there should be no hate crime laws. Judging motives of what is and is not "hate" is inevitably a political process. At the end of the day, whether those with disability or homeless get onboard the program depends not on right or wrong, but on how much political power advocates for each have.

Moderate55 @ 10:14 AM PDT, Oct 30, 2008

This article makes a good point and begs the question: what is the merit of the notion of a "hate crime"? Is an act of violence somehow more reprehensible because we interpret that a person was motivated by "hate"? What is more critical - our interpretations of a criminal's emotional state, or his/her actual criminal behavior? I get that the liberals are well-intended, but as social policy, I think the whole notion of "hate crime" is mis-guided and problematic, as indicated in this article.

jimludwig @ 10:10 AM PDT, Oct 30, 2008

Why is any crime a "hate" crime? If I am killed, I am just as dead if a person yells a racial slur, homophobic comment...it just doesn't matter. If murder and assualt are bad, then the criminals should be punished regardless of what goes through their minds.

Rosetown @ 9:24 AM PDT, Oct 30, 2008

All crimes are hate crimes. You don't beat someone because you love them, or set fire to them because you love them. We have laws against and punishment for assault, murder, etc. Trying to assign additional punishment because of what the person may have been thinking or feeling about only a certain group of people is wrong. Either you commited a crime and are guilty or are not. It should not matter what type of person it was against since we are all created equal (Declaration of Independence anyone?). By saying its worse to committ a crime against certain groups of people, you are actually saying they carry more value.

Adam @ 6:57 AM PDT, Oct 30, 2008