"Special, protected class?!?" What an utterly clueless statement, and a tragically incorrect proposal.
It's true that any attack is punishable by law on its own.
The difference between a regular aggravated assault and a hate crime assault is pronounced. Hate crime offenders are far more dangerous, in that they are basically ticking time bombs, carrying around a desire to harm entire groups of the public at any opportunity they get, with zero provocation or interaction necessary. A non-bigoted, equal opportunity jerk may be charged with aggravated assault after he lays waste to a guy who was flirting with his girlfriend in a bar. That's pretty neanderthal, but after an aggravated assault charge he might get some anger management therapy and be okay. People who commit hate crimes, however, are a different breed. It's a way of life for them.
Often, they're members of organized groups which celebrate and reward this kind of behavior, and according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, there were 19 such groups in Oklahoma alone, as of last year.
These offenders are nothing short of terrorists, and need to be considered and dealt with separately.
As far as "special consideration" as a result of hate crime legislation goes, I don't know what's so tough to understand that it's not even about the victims, except to perhaps make more of an impression on and keep off the street longer the criminals who would stalk and harm them. The Hate Crimes Law is all about defining and recognizing this type of criminal behavior which is really in a class by itself.
Posted on November 17 at 11:04 a.m.Suggest removal
"Special, protected class?!?" What an utterly clueless statement, and a tragically incorrect proposal.
It's true that any attack is punishable by law on its own.
The difference between a regular aggravated assault and a hate crime assault is pronounced. Hate crime offenders are far more dangerous, in that they are basically ticking time bombs, carrying around a desire to harm entire groups of the public at any opportunity they get, with zero provocation or interaction necessary. A non-bigoted, equal opportunity jerk may be charged with aggravated assault after he lays waste to a guy who was flirting with his girlfriend in a bar. That's pretty neanderthal, but after an aggravated assault charge he might get some anger management therapy and be okay. People who commit hate crimes, however, are a different breed. It's a way of life for them.
Often, they're members of organized groups which celebrate and reward this kind of behavior, and according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, there were 19 such groups in Oklahoma alone, as of last year.
These offenders are nothing short of terrorists, and need to be considered and dealt with separately.
As far as "special consideration" as a result of hate crime legislation goes, I don't know what's so tough to understand that it's not even about the victims, except to perhaps make more of an impression on and keep off the street longer the criminals who would stalk and harm them. The Hate Crimes Law is all about defining and recognizing this type of criminal behavior which is really in a class by itself.
On