Monday, May 4, 2009

Gays: just a little bit more important than the rest us. (UPDATED)

(UPDATE #1):On the floor of the House last week, Virginia Foxx (R-VA) had this to say on the hate crime legislation that bore Matthew Shepard’s (the gay Wyoming teenager who was robbed and beaten to death by a couple of methed-out savages back in ’98) name:

"The hate crimes bill was named for [Shepard], but it's really a hoax that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills,"


Oops. Not quite a public image-enhancing move, Ms. Foxx.

This utterance was seized upon by the usual suspects with the predictable ferocity and Foxx was compelled to apologize, saying “hoax” was a poor choice of words. Apparently, though, slipping up in one’s terminology was not the real wrongdoing – merely harboring sentiments that run counter to the legislation’s M.O. is the real crime.

Here’s Matthew Shepard’s mother:
Mrs. Foxx has been "apologizing for semantics, but not her sentiment, her insensitivity or her ignorance," Mrs. Shepard told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow. "Everyone knew Matthew's murder was a hate crime, but it couldn't be prosecuted as a hate crime. We couldn't call it a hate crime. Getting this bill passed in the House brings gay rights up to the level of equality."

With all due respect to Mrs. Shepard, she gives evidence to more mis-interpretation of that term “equality” as in, how does the “gain of new federal protections” above and beyond other groups translate to “equality”.

And whether or not the murder of Matthew Shepard was actually a hate crime is up for some considerable debate as linked article details.

The two murderers, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson are currently serving life sentences for their crime.

Exit question: How would’ve hate crime legislation altered the ultimate outcome and results of the trial and sentencing beyond what it was and is?

(here endeth the update)






… at least in the eyes of the House of Representatives.

Gay victims of violence would gain new federal protections under a revived and expanded hate crimes bill passed by the House on Wednesday over conservatives' objections.

Hate crimes - as defined by the bill - are those motivated by prejudice and based someone's race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.


Thought crimes, pure and simple because “motivated” when used in this context can also be translated as “what you happened to be thinking”.

These so-called hate crime laws would also appear to be in violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment as it elevates the status of gays above other groups.

And proving what passes for logic here’s Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), who voted in favor of this legislation, chasing his own tail:

"We in America have said we believe all people ought to be treated equally. If America stands for anything it stands for equality under the law."

...and some just a little more equally than others.

But, wait… it gets even better:
The bill, which passed 249-175, could provide a financial bonanza to state and local authorities, with grants for investigation and prosecution of hate crimes. The federal government could step in and prosecute if states requested it or declined to exercise their authority.

A freaking financial bo-nanza! Hot damn!

Let’s just call this stimulus through thought crime prosecution. Nice to see we have a tax-payer funded cottage industry that will spring-up as a result of this bill.

Your little po-dunk town doesn’t have the resources to prosecute hate crimes? No problem, here’s some money to gin-up, err…. investigate that little incident a bit further to help you achieve the desired results. Better yet, just let the Feds come in and do it for you.

We commend Congress, though, for packing a boatload of stink into a single piece of legislation. Feats like that do not happen by accident but are achieved, rather, by years of disingenuous and intellectually lazy thinking.

Embrace the hatred of hate crime laws.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

As I understand it, it's not just what you "think", but what you think in concert with a violent act towards a person.

Nobody is being penalized for thinking something. It's when an act of violence towards another person -- just for the sake of that person belonging to a certain category -- that a person guilty of hate crime goes down the hole.

And deservedly so.

A perfectly great co-worker of mine got out of a nightclub in Hillcrest on a Friday night and walked back toward his car in the parking lot. Two men from El Cajon he had never met took a baseball bat to him, shouting slurs against him for being gay.

You should have seen his face the following Monday morning. He deserved crazy props just for showing up to work.

At least, I suppose, he wasn't left tied to a wooden fence out in the countryside.

The men were never caught.

If there's a program out there that is now funded that can catch a-holes like that, fine by me.

- Mongo Hates Rednecks, But He's Not Going to Jail Because of It

Dean said...

I've got a crazy idea. How about just prosecuting based upon the act committed. I care not a lick as to "why" or "how" the violent act was committed.

And as for referenced "a-holes". You said they were never caught. How does hate crime legislation facilitate actually catching them?

In the spirit of "equality" can we single out another group for more "equal" protection?

I love it when libs suddenly get all law and order-like when it concerned one of their pet groups. Actually, I get scared.

Dean, standing at the very front the line to throw the switch on those hillbillies that killed Matthew Sheppard and wondering why Mongo should not be investigated for his own hatred.

Dean said...

.... because he's gay or simply because it was a senseless act of violence?

You've offered no cogent defense of this legislation other than a co-worker got the shit kicked out of him which should be the sole justification for going after the assailants.

Would you feel the same if your co-worker were straight?

Anonymous said...

Yeah.

Because he is.

- Mongo Likes the Concept of "Special Circumstances" in Areas Beyond That of the G&L Community

Dean said...

Unfortunately, then, that legislation would not apply as it concerns only homosexuals that are victims of violence.

Dean, hating it when the haters suffer a case of mistaken identity

K T Cat said...

I think you're a homophobe. And a racist, but I can't figure out how that one works into it. I just know they go together.

By the way, check out the statistics of inter-racial crime. It pretty much goes in one direction.