...I'll make the same point I made last time this "hate crimes" bill was voted on: Yes, thought crime legislation is a very, very bad idea. I encourage every legislator to vote against this bill. I opposed similar proposed legislation when I was in the House.
Having said that, where was the opposition to "hate crime" legislation when it included just race or ethnicity? Where was our hero, Gary Glenn? Jason makes great points about the double standard that exits with current ethnic intimidation laws.
This proposed "hate crime" law should be opposed on the grounds that it violates our constitutional guarantee of equal treatment under the law and it is a violation of the First Amendment.
It's a shame that too few cared until the law was proposed to be expanded to include sexual orientation. When Republicans ignore the principles of equality under the law and selectively invoke those principles only when the issue involves gay people, observers will draw conclusions.
GOP leaders should have been out front on issues like the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative. Instead most GOP "leaders" denounced it, afraid of being called "racist". Gary Glenn was silent on the MCRI, of course.
