So I'm a bigot for defending the right to be a bigot?

The trouble with "hate crime" prosecution is that it get's in to grey areas of law and somethines almost delves in to "thought crime" That is, we must speculate on the, motives of a crime. If someone beats the heck out of someone who happens to be of a particular ethnic background, unless racial slurs are blatently screamed, how on earth can you say it was a hate crime? And further more, whay is it any worse than 2 guys of the same ethnic background beating the heck out of each other over, say a woman, or a generic insult? Why is that crime worse? The person beaten up is no more beat up than the other. Is it because his "feelings" were hurt? heck, if we're going to start that nonsense, then we might as well go all the way like areas of europe and for that matter just toss out the first amendment.

You are not a bigot or even a defender of bigots but a defender of their right to be bigots, there is a difference. I do not believe you are a bigot, just someone that holds your beliefs strong.

Huge plusses (+) for this discussion Latrivia. "Hate Crime" tags support the idea of 'special' citizens. They declare that it is 'more illegal' to commit a violent crime against certain protected groups of citizens. How offensive is that? Especially from a nation that purports EQUALITY UNDER THE LAW??? Yes, Latrivia. I and many others have been targets here for speaking out against color bias in favor of color blindness. Not too long ago many of us donned solid 8s, 9s, and 10s for our reputation rankings. Those reputation ratings, as well as earnings potential (a relevant factor in todays economy where people are watching every penny) have since then been eroded to 4s, 5s, and 6s by those who pretend to support equal rights, yet punitivively punish those who refuse to support the idea of 'special protections' for 'special targeted citizens'. How upside down is that???

There were some very well thought out responses to this discussion! Any attack on another at the very least is motivated by anger and usually by some form of hate unless the person is "Amoral". If they are "Amoral", then no form of punishment will ever have any effect on them anyway. Our world is becoming more and more filled with hate and so there are more and more forms of attacks on innocence. It does seem ludicrous to label one form of attack a Hate Crime, and another simply a crime and then to give different punishments. We need to make "punishments" for all crimes more meaningful so that they become an actual deterrent. As it stands now, jail and prison are not deterrents. They are just a place to go to learn more ways to hurt folks and avoid getting caught in the future. Criminals should labor from sunup to sundown until they are too tired each day to cause trouble in the prison or to have time to learn how to commit more crimes on the outside. They should labor at something that will prepare them to support themselves on the outside and that which will pay some return to support themselves on the inside. We should not have to pay for their incarceration. If they are never going to get out, then they should simply do menial labor that would support them on the inside. Shalom~Adoniah

To me it is what being a liberal is suppose to be about. My right not to be called a so and so and your right to call me one. What the present day liberal is doing is only observing the rights of one. You can't make law dictating a person's views, it just doesn't work. Let the laws handle the legal and people handle their own conscience.

i have not been accused of such. and i don't think that you are such a bigot person either. what makes you think that way. anyway, i think that crime is a crime no matter what it is. and sometimes i wonder why some people have lighter sentence than some one else when committed the same crime.

I think the whole idea of hate crime legislation is a waste of time money and energy. The person will have already been breaking the law. Simply enforce the laws they already have. It doesn't matter why somebody committed the crime, what matters is that they committed it. Maybe I am a bigot as well. Ya know, maybe everybody says "the man" they should be charged. Every tome a white man doesn't get a job because he isn't a minority, they should be charged with discrimination.

Do you really want me to weigh in on this subject? Let's see, am I a bigot? For I see how thee has hated me, not you, but the he or she that has falsely accused me of being something that I am not. For words spoken by others and how family members could so easily be twisted around to support their own personal gain. The old wealth with no regard for the real love that is going to be cut dry, like a beheading through emotional insult and terroristic threats. Have I ever been the victim of the lies of others? Oh' go away now, you really don't want to get me started. Why should one person be given more protection than any other? There is no reason to escalate any conflict in our world through false claims or accusations that can not be verified or supported through proper documentation. What documentation do I possess? Lot's I say I've got lots and lots of documentation. Allow me to reveal some of my facts as proof positive, that lies harm families and communities. One lie can have results that spread far and wide.

The sheep of society don't get it. Although I have no special soft spot for bigots, they do have the same right as anyone else to be as narrow minded as they wish, hate anyone they wish etc. I have an issue with all laws where basically the "quality" of the of the victim determines the seriousness of the punishment. Like when a victim's family testify before sentencing in a murder case. If a person is found guilty of murder if the victim was a homeless person or a girl scout leader shouldn't matter at all.

I suppose I understand the rationale behind hate crime laws. They're supposed to protect minority groups, who are more vulnerable to violence than the general population. But the problem is that it's hard to apply it...it's pretty hard to discern the motives.