James Byrd of Texas was drug to death behind a truck. He was black, and that was enough for the men responsible. All violent crime is atrocious, regardless of motive. But before judging any crime as a hate crime, we need to look at intent. Whatever the motives turn out to be in the most recent quadruple murders, the crimes are tragic.
All violent crimes are cause for anguish.
Several weeks ago, approximately a dozen prominent actors and actresses vowed to move from these United States if George W. Bush were elected president. In the spirit of American generosity, I would like to kick in a couple dollars to help them get started, as I'm sure about 10 million others who voted for Bush will be willing to do. People of prominence have a wonderful opportunity to promote peace and healing. I think their attitude was childish and disappointing.