Dwight Watt Internet Article #27

#27 - Hate Crimes - What is new? 5/27/1999

#27 - Hate Crimes - What is new?

Congress is considering a bill to make hate crimes a federal crime. There are groups advocating that Congress pass this legislation. What is a hate crime and is it not already illegal in the cases people want to make it illegal?

People are saying we need laws to stop crimes such as gays being murdered, women abused, blacks killed by whites, Asians killed by non-Asians, etc. The last I checked these are already all against the law. The only problem is it says it illegal for anyone to kill any one, except in self-defense, and does not say these specifics. However unless someone shows me otherwise gays, blacks, whites, heterosexuals, non-whites, etc. all fit in the category of anyone. In each of the killings just listed the existing laws work fine and they should be charged with first degree murder, because they are all premeditated. If the threat of life in prison, or execution, does not stop you from doing the crime, why would another law, this one against hate crimes, stop you from killing someone?

Most crimes, particularly murders and sexual assaults, I have always thought were hate crimes. With few exceptions, murder or assault and battery, is because you hate someone then. Exceptions supposedly occur such as the statement that O. J. Simpson has made that if he had murdered Nicole it was because he loved her.

Adding laws to make hate crimes a federal offense will not reduce crime. Enforcing the existing laws will make a difference in reducing crime. Lets not pass a new law unless we need it to make things that are not crimes into crimes. Let's also stay to the constitution and most of these items that people want to make federal hate crimes should b legislated by the states, not Congress, according to the Constitution. Contrary to what these bills say they have nothing to do with interstate commerce. Let's follow the Constitution.

Dwight

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