The danger of hate crimes

If you approve of hate crimes legislation, you're putting an inordinate amount of faith in bureaucrats. Do you really trust them to know what someone's thinking before they commit a crime? And what constitutes a hate crime? Seems pretty vague to me:

Marriage is the foundation of the natural family and sustains family values. That sentence is inflammatory, perhaps even a hate crime.

At least it is in Oakland, Calif. That city's government says those words italicized here constitute something akin to hate speech, and can be proscribed from the government's open e-mail system and employee bulletin board. ...

Some African-American Christian women working for Oakland's government organized the Good News Employee Association (GNEA), which they announced with a flier describing their group as "a forum for people of Faith to express their views on the contemporary issues of the day. With respect for the Natural Family, Marriage and Family Values." The flier was distributed after other employees' groups, including those advocating gay rights, had advertised their political views and activities on the city's e-mail system and bulletin board.

When the GNEA asked for equal opportunity to communicate by that system and that board, they were denied. Furthermore, the flier they posted was taken down and destroyed by city officials, who declared it "homophobic" and disruptive. The city government said the flier was "determined" to promote harassment based on sexual orientation. The city warned that the flier and communications like it could result in disciplinary action "up to and including termination."

So you don't like what someone thinks -- ignore it. Don't ban it, and certainly don't criminalize it. Hate crimes legislation is not a slippery slope; it's a toboggan ride down a bottomless pit greased by PC thugs.

Comments

[Antony]

Have you actually read the bill? It is about violent crime and the reality of violent crime in this country is pretty serious.

[atlmalcontent]

Agreed -- and all violent offenders should be prosecuted. Read Orwell.