the problem with hate crimes
The murder yesterday of a security guard at a museum is a hate crime, because of the topic of the museum. I suspect the deceased, being just a normal run-of-the-mill American, thought more on his way to work every morning about how grateful he was to have a job, than about how awesome it was to work at a place with a particular theme.
The murderer hated a group of people so much that murder made sense...and we don't even know if the guy he killed actually belonged to that group. The assailant was a known white supremacist with a history of jail time, apparently thought this was the best way to convince everyone else he was right. That's what you call an extremist - someone so enmeshed in their beliefs that they lose touch with reality.
The murder last weekend of a doctor who provides services to desperate women is not a hate crime, because the clinic wasn't specific about religion, orientation, or any number of other things that you can apparently be hated for illegally. The doctor there was passionate about his work, had been shot before, and knew when he woke up each morning that what he was doing was so important, it was worth risking his life.
The murderer, again an extremist who seemed to think that killing people would make others believe he was right, hated a group of people, of which the doctor was one, enough to kill him.
So...how is one of these a murder charge that will get you 25 to life, and the other a murder charge that will get you 25 to life, plus the added bonus sentence that goes with a hate crime?
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This probably makes me a bad
This probably makes me a bad liberal, but I have a problem with labeling crimes as "hate" crimes as well. I'd venture to say that every murder requires either hate, or such a callus disregard for an individual's life that it amounts to the same thing. Or, they're just nuts. Or some combination of the above.
But, I believe people should be prosecuted for actions, not thoughts. To paraphrase Orson Scott Card, if someone spends their life evaluating what makes a "good" person, and molding their actions accordingly, how are they distinguishable, in any way, from someone who is "innately good?" Or, to put another way: hate crime legislation comes perilously close to punishing people (well, adding *additional* punishment) for political and/or social views, and I think that's a very dangerous thing.
And finally, in what might be a contradictory position in some cases, I don't have a problem with people who are supplied "special" protection under law. A good, non-politicized, example would be construction workers, and how there are additional penalties assessed if you were to injure or kill one while they were working a construction zone. It's a high risk job, and people driving through are given substantial warning of their presence. Intent doesn't matter.