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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bob who wrote (45499)	10/12/2000 4:02:40 PM
From: Rambi	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

As someone said--although I believe he was arguing the other side of the issue-- the law goes into motivation and intent already during a trial. Even initially, we make certain determinations when we bring the charge (first degree, second, etc)against someone. Trying to equate special hate crimes with some higher moral stance is a specious argument. A crime the nature of the one committed against James Byrd outrages us all and we do feel a strong need to avenge his death, to exact our pound of flesh. Hate crime laws are attractive for this reason. They are gratifying. They have enormous emotional appeal, but no legal necessity. The convicted should receive the toughest punishment available without our needing to rely on the victim being a member of a specific target group to justify a different or more severe sentence. People are saying that minorities won;t vote for Bush because his refusing to agree that minorities need special status is discriminatory. I see it as the opposite-- a declaration that we are all equal under the law- perpetrators AND victims.

To: Bob who wrote (45499)	10/12/2000 6:32:09 PM
From: haqihana	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769667

bobp, Suppose I decide to hate, and kill, a white man. Basically, I am considered a white man, so would I be guilty of a hate crime?? You dumb ass liberals don't seem to understand that murder, with malice and aforethought, indicates hate regardless of if the victim is a minority, queer, or whatever. There is no reason for a separate category of crime called "hate". Just enforce the laws already on the books to the letter of those laws, and the same, or better, results will be achieved. ~H~