Two thugs killed an Ecuadorean immigrant and city officials were just on the news letting us all know that, god damn it, they’re not going to stand for hatred, for cowardice, for racism and homophobia. Oddly enough, they didn’t mention murder. As if beating a person to death with a bat were a lesser crime than hating the dude because they thought he was a gay Mexican. They’re facing second-degree murder charges and assault as a hate crime.
Indeed, just a few years ago writer-director-actress Adrienne Shelly was murdered in her apartment by an Ecuadorean immigrant, who apparently wasn’t guilty of harboring hatred in his heart.
But the end result is still the same. People were robbed of their lives. Families were robbed of someone they love. Should one murderer be punished any less because he didn’t shout out a few racial slurs before taking a life?
Twenty-five years for manslaughter for beating and choking a woman to death–and no outrage from the city council.
In the world of “hate crimes,” the answer to that question is yes.
Hate crimes are incredibly stupid invention – basically it’s a form of thought crime. You are punished for what you think rather than for what you do. Pretty scary thing.
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