Since many in the US support these laws, AxisMundi, just for clarification is your view an informed one? That is, have you studied the 'hate laws' in the US, some of the variations in the individual states, and how the laws are implemented in the courts, to make your 'farce' determination?[/font][/color]
I agree here. "Hate crime laws" are a farce. Crime is crime, no matter what the motivation........
According to the Wikipedia, the US top dog explained it thus:
Penalty-enhancement hate crime laws are traditionally justified on the grounds that, in Chief Justice Rehnquist's words, "this conduct is thought to inflict greater individual and societal harm.... bias-motivated crimes are more likely to provoke retaliatory crimes, inflict distinct emotional harms on their victims, and incite community unrest."[16]
Rehnquist was Chief Justice for 19 years.The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system (the judicial branch of the federal government of the United States) and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Hate crime laws in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.