 "Are Hate-Crime Laws Necessary? - New York Times
The attack on Matthew Shepard, a gay student, was senseless and appalling, but the usefulness of more hate-crime legislation is questionable (editorial, April 6).
Had the victim been an elderly heterosexual man, the crime would have been equally appalling but would not have qualified as a hate crime because the victim was not a member of one of the arbitrarily designated protected minority groups.
Hate-crime laws are problematic because they imply that the same attack on two different people can warrant different criteria for punishment. Hence, a value judgment is automatically rendered on the worth of the victim's life.
Mr. Shepard's killer has been sentenced to two consecutive life sentences, a punishment commensurate with the heinousness of the crime. This sentence came without the aid of hate-crime legislation, thus proving that such legislation, in addition to being discriminatory, is also unnecessary."
EXACTLY!!!!1 If at first you don’t succeed – try, try again and then quit. There’s no sense in making a damned fool of yourself. – W.C. Fields
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