Over the past twenty years, evangelical fundamentalism has preyed upon some of the worst fears and prejudices of Americans. Liberals have retreated to security and privacy and the quality of public life has deteriorated. I think that many hate crimes that occur in this country are simple crimes that happen to be committed against a minority. Certainly, many are blatantly racist, but a growing number of reported crimes are being considered hate crimes because this makes what may be a misdemeanor into a felony. Personally, I think they are simple cases of vandalism.
All crimes are crimes of hate.
Burglary, armed robbery, rape, murder, are all rooted in some form of hate, whether it be hate towards the victim or merely ones self, the act of the person committing the crime and the reason for committing the crime is still rooted in hate. There is no justice left in America today, there is only the law, and the more laws we pass, the less freedom we have. WE have become a government of the lawyers, by the lawyers, and for the lawyers. Those who propose to pass specific hate crime legislation are looking for a new avenue to bring attention to their personal social agendas. To pass special hate crime legislation is to say that a crime against a minority or a homosexual is more heinous than the same crime against a white, middle class, father of two teenage boys.