tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10835776.post113031174940148192..comments2023-10-30T07:45:43.656-04:00Comments on Thoughts and Ideas: Lode 10-26 IIA Wiser Man Than Ihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02405864709965908573noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10835776.post-1130727897880971032005-10-30T22:04:00.000-05:002005-10-30T22:04:00.000-05:00oh yeah, i almost forgot...I wrote about this issu...oh yeah, i almost forgot...<BR/><BR/>I wrote about this issue myself, but with more of a racial focus. I like to call the way society artificially treats blacks today "<A HREF="http://standingupfornothing.blogspot.com/2005/10/reverse-racism.html" REL="nofollow">Reverse Racism</A>."Sethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14007313379469482887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10835776.post-1130727454934870022005-10-30T21:57:00.000-05:002005-10-30T21:57:00.000-05:00Excellent post. I especially liked your use of tur...Excellent post. I especially liked your use of turning the question around concerning the mother who's son didn't committ a hate crime.<BR/><BR/>I've got a question, however. Can one classify marriage--for which the state affords benefits and incentives--as a "special group receiv[ing] legal protection...beyond the standard give to the rest of the populace"?Sethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14007313379469482887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10835776.post-1130361327665868522005-10-26T17:15:00.000-04:002005-10-26T17:15:00.000-04:00Don't you think it's dangerous to start to judge t...Don't you think it's dangerous to start to judge the motives of people? From a strictly legal standpoint, I see no reason we can allow ourselves to distinguish a real hate crime from one that has nothing to do with a specific hatred towards a group. It is the cliched slipperly slope argument to be sure, but the slope is real.<BR/><BR/>It is easy to understand the reasons for hate crime legislation much like affirmative action as you mentioned. Ignoring the irony of rectifying an injustice by perpetuating a similar injustice, it remains to be seen whether or not such laws help.<BR/><BR/>And of course intolerance must not be tolerated. It is unfortunate, moreover, that those who come in Christ's name act so horribly. The love the sinner hate the sin mantra should be observed by these pitiful Christians. <BR/><BR/>Still though, instilling tolerance starts in the home, and the government should not step in to play parent, if only because it allows adults to abdicate responsibility. There is something to be said for negative sanctions, but we are not dealing with the most rational or reasonable people here. <BR/><BR/>My stance remains the same.A Wiser Man Than Ihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02405864709965908573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10835776.post-1130344368308627102005-10-26T12:32:00.000-04:002005-10-26T12:32:00.000-04:00In a perfect world I would agree with your argumen...In a perfect world I would agree with your argument,and while I am no liberal,I worked on anti-bullying statutes and hate-crime legislation in the last session with a bunch of them ( liberals and gays, we have very few racial minorities) and believe they make a good case.<BR/>Example: last week in Missoula a car load of youths yelled anti-gay epitaths at two young men then beat the shit out of them.Had our legislation passed they would have recieved harsher penalties for having yelled the slurs (exposing motive and bias) than had they not.This sends a strong MESSAGE to our community that tolerance is NOW valued and bigotry is not, reversing a historical acceptance of prejudice,which if not directly overt was certainly implied.<BR/>In other words this is a remedy for past negligence, much the same way affirmative action policies seek to remedy a past of tolerated injustice.If you don't believe in such "social engineering", you don't understand the processes of civilization.Or the concept of justice.<BR/><BR/>The anti-bullying statute ,which would have included sexual gender into the categories of unacceptable slander, and also failed by the way, sprang from a desire to raise the awareness in the community that slurs such as faggot or queer were commonplace in schools and were being tolerated. Interestingly, our opposition in both cases was the Christian fundamentalist community whose concern was the "gay agenda".<BR/><BR/>A crime against a woman or other group ( not necessarily a minority) would only be elevated to hate crime status should intent be so established under legal tests. A white male could be a victim of a hate crime should the motive be proved to include anti-straight or white or male bias. (Say you were beat up by a bunch of black lesbians)<BR/>We already have civil rights laws protecting minorities, but our society has always treated gay bias with a wink and a nod,with a direct link to Mathew Shephard.I rest my case.troutskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16020298501632120830noreply@blogger.com