Comments on: Attorney General Urges New Hate Crimes Law

In Wake Of Recent Killings, Holder Cites Need To Stop "Violence Masquerading As Political Activism"

[johninpennsyl]

Remember,people-only Whitey can hate.
If you happen to be killed or mugged by a minority....don't take it personal.

[Rebel_Rebel]

That is ridiculous!

[IrishWench01]

There have been hate crimes in this country for 2 centuries. They are nothing new and they will not end in my lifetime I'm sure.

[cbsblogger]

Quote: "A special concern is the rising number of hate crimes committed against Hispanics and gays."

I don't know what fantasy news these guys are reading or watching but I see huge numbers of violent crimes committed by those with Hispanic sounding names every day. In most cases of street or violent crime the perp is either black or Hispanic. The incarceration rates reflect that. 75% of those incarcerated are black or Hispanic.

http://books.google.com/books?id=xc-YEVDhC0MC&pg=PA35&lpg=PA35&dq=hispanic+and+black+incarceration+rate&source=bl&ots=NUohJfoWj7&sig=8hK-duerGX_A6s4nyq6TR8o-Bm4&hl=en&ei=FUU4SovlD9KEtwfaz7TVDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4

[IrishWench01]

There have been hate crimes in this country for 2 centuries. They are nothing new and they will not end in my lifetime I'm sure.

[cbsblogger]

Freedom of speech means the ability to say what is on our mind. Some may not like what we say because it may be critical or derogatory but we still have that right. It should concern us when we hear the government saying that we shouldn't have the right to be critical and truthful. The demarcation between freedom of speech and hate crime should be physical attack or violence. Anything else is subject to mind reading and interpretation.

[IrishWench01]

by bannedbystuart123 June 16, 2009 6:05 PM PDT
But it's not hard to find you stuart.

You, irish, and gravy have the whole board to yourselves. How cozy.

Here's the deal stuart.

Every time you banish me, you get another login id reporting you.

Say bye-bye to all your pretty posts.

Buh buy stuart.
..............

What on Earth is wrong with you and who were you to start with?

[lloydbest1]

OK, here's the deal. I've mentioned this before but it needs repeating:

Context IS important, in fact it is vital. Earlier today, lawgal1 had this to say to Eric Holder: "Somehow your reasoning (or lack thereof) breaks down to this: it is worse to kill a person because of a political [or racial] agenda than it is to kill someone for no reason or for money."
It IS worse; MUCH worse. Granted the victim is just as dead as (s)he would have been if it were an "ordinary" crime and it is easy to make the case that all murder is motivated by hate to some extent. I am not arguing that, but consider:

If I whack someone not of my race (or whatever) because I had a "jones" on and needed the drug money or because that individual attacked my spouse and I was too vigorous in her defense or because he was in the crosswalk and I was too stupid drunk to yield and ran over him; what I did was still homocide, still reprehensible and still would render me liable to a stiff prison sentence.
But.....
If I killed someone not of my race (and let's use "race") solely because of that someone's race then there is a new level of odium attached to the crime. The extra condemnation and the additional aggrivating circumstance does not come from the act but the reason behind it. This is why I said above that context is important. If I kill someone solely because of his race, then I am operating from an ideology whose core values allow me to consider that such a superficial characteristic as skin color renders anyone who is that color so unworthy that killing him is acceptable, even virtuous.
I do not necessarily believe more hate crime laws are the answer but those laws do not exist to punish the act but to punish the ideology. That is why they are so important

[IrishWench01]

Haaha! I think you running for Gov. is a good idea. I would vote for you if I could.

That is crazy about what the employment office told you and stupid! I would think they would be like the rest of us. Under-employed is better than unemployed. Of course, logic has never really dictated government or politics.

[armyoftwelve]

The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund reported Tuesday that the economic downturn and fear of immigrants also contributed to the increase.

Right, so the problem isn't a lack of laws or a need for new laws. We need to get the economy going by ending the export of jobs to China and we need to crack down on illegal immigration.

I;m a naturalized American, and I think it's disgusting that there are MILLIONS of illegal residents in this country.

I also don't like it that "hate" crime laws make some murders or assaults more important than others because they are not!

[gravyboat3000]

by stn_sage June 16, 2009 5:05 PM PDT
WHAT?! Holder, I'd expect you to use better judgment than this!

The answer is not NEW LAWS---we have plenty of laws already, mister!

The answer is ENFORCEMENT---enforce the existing laws! Violence is violence! When you shoot someone it's classified as anything from murder in the first degree to aggravated assault!

When these 'nut-jobs' show up at a clinic yelling threats---enforce the law that says you can't threaten people! Got it, yet?! I mean---it's very simple stuff! When they break the law---call'em on it!

General law IS APPLICABLE to ALL PEOPLE'S---you don't need to make individual laws applied to personal demographics in the field of violent criminal behavior! You're wasting time!

What Mr.Holder and his staff should be working on is the investigation and prosecution of the previous administration for crimes against the nation and the world!

Well said, and I agree!

[gravyboat3000]

by IrishWench01 June 16, 2009 5:09 PM PDT
The perfect plants for your region! How goes the career endeavor?

Yep, and many of them have very lovely flowers, when in bloom. I'm becoming a cactus/suculent expert. :)

Career wise, not so good. I'm starting to apply, but there's not much out there.

Funny story, the unemployment people told me NOT to apply for jobs that are beneath my previous pay scale, as it would look like I'm not really trying to find work. lol Something about being over-qualified.

If I do, I'm to document what about my past experience qualifies me for that work.

No wonder California's going bankrupt, it's run by, and staffed by mental midgets.

I'm thinking of runnig for Gov.

I've never acted in a movie, and I've never taken steroids, but it's above my previous pay scale.

;-)

[IrishWench01]

Haaha! I think you running for Gov. is a good idea. I would vote for you if I could.

That is crazy about what the employment office told you and stupid! I would think they would be like the rest of us. Under-employed is better than unemployed. Of course, logic has never really dictated government or politics.