Hate crime laws are wrong because you can go from gay to straight, but not from Christian to Muslim

[ck4829]

Also, if you lose both your legs and are confined to a wheelchair, you can apparently get your legs back because it's not immutable, so there shouldn't be any hate crime laws for disability either.

Well, that's what Republicans are saying.

"Last week, House Republican Leader John Boehner objected to House passage of a bill that would expand hate crime laws and make it a federal crime to assault people on the basis of their sexual orientation.

"All violent crimes should be prosecuted vigorously, no matter what the circumstance," he said. "The Democrats' 'thought crimes' legislation, however, places a higher value on some lives than others. Republicans believe that all lives are created equal, and should be defended with equal vigilance."

Based on that statement, CBSNews.com contacted Boehner's office to find out if the minority leader opposes all hate crimes legislation. The law as it now stands offers protections based on race, color, religion and national origin.

In an email, Boehner spokesman Kevin Smith said Boehner "supports existing federal protections (based on race, religion, gender, etc) based on immutable characteristics."

It should be noted that the current law does not include gender, though the expanded legislation would cover gender as well as sexual orientation, gender identity and disability.

"He does not support adding sexual orientation to the list of protected classes," Smith continued.

Boehner's position, then, appears to be grounded in the notion that immutable characteristics should be protected under hate crimes laws. And while religion is an immutable characteristic, his office suggests, sexual orientation is not."

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/religion-immutable-characteristic-sexual-orientation-not

[JuniperLea]

1. No, you dumbass BONEr!

No one cares what you think... it's the action. You can think hateful things all day long and there's no laws broken. There's no such thing as thought police.

[foxfeet]

2. And what is his position on Oompa Loompas?

Missionary, I'm guessing.

[Warpy]

3. Boehner's reasoning, if you can call it that, is hilariously wrongheaded

but I have to agree slightly about hate crimes legislation being perilously close to "thought crime."

Hate as a motivator should always be taken into account at sentencing, though.

[Chulanowa]

5. No, it's not

A thought crime is, by definition, a victimless crime. If a Saudi converts to Mormonism, he's tried for Apostasy in Saudi Arabia - that's a thought crime. He changed his mind, harmed no one, and is punished for it.

A hate crime however does have a victim - the person(s) the crime is perpetrated against.

So what makes a hate crime different from a "regular" crime? In most criminal situations, there's a personal motive - you shot the guy because he looked at you funny, the assault was because the other person owed you money, you blew up his car because he was cheating on you, that sort of thing. It's between you and the person you're perpetrating a crime against.

A hate crime on hte other hand, could have just as easily happened to anyone who shares the defining characteristics of the person you're engaging in crime against. If you're beating up a guy because he's black, then you would probably be just as satisfied to beat up any of his black neighbors, his black wife, probably even his black kids. if you moved to a different town you would very probably target the black people there.

This is why a "hate crime" is punished more harshly - because the perpetrator is more of a threat to more people. A man who stabs a cheating wife isn't very likely to stab someone else. On the other hand a man who stabs a woman because he hates women is very likely to hurt other women if given the chance.

[Warpy]

6. You've brought up another problem with hate crimes legislation

Women are seldom, if ever, considered, even though we're the most numerous victims of hate crimes.

[Chulanowa]

8. I thought Gender was included in the 1999 Hate Crimes bill?

Did it get cut before landing on the president's desk?

[wickerwoman]

7. There's also the terrorism aspect of it.

You're not just killing a black man; you're sending a message to all black men.

You're not just beating up a gay man; you're telling all gay men "hide who you are or you will get fucked up".

The harm to society is greater than a simple murder or assault because it tells all people in that demographic that they are unacceptable and that they should live in fear.

[morillon]

4. These guys have no freakin' sense at all.

Religion as an immutable characteristic? Wow.