The bill gained support, however, after our national conscience was shaken by the horrific dragging death of James Byrd, a black man who was tied to a pickup truck by white supremacists in Jasper, Texas earlier this year and the shockingly brutal slaying of a young gay man, Matthew Shepard. This new legislation comes at a cost and it's high indeed. What makes hate-crime legislation hateful is that it creates a special, protected class of citizens. If a victim fits the government's class or group description, their life is deemed more valuable than a non-protected victim. This is evidenced of the greater punishment.
Critics argue that hate-crime laws punish people for their thoughts.
They have a point. If A murders B because he hates Jews, he is punished more severely than if A murders B for money. In both instances, B is equally dead, and A is equally guilty, but the punishment is enhanced for reasons of bigotry. Admittedly, there is something especially reprehensible about crimes motivated by bigotry. And by passing laws recognizing this, we state, as a society, that committing a crime based on prejudice is unacceptable.