Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Hate Crime in America




On New Year's Day in Costa Mesa California a partially burnt Qur'an was found in a parking lot. The Orange County Register is reporting that Costa Mesa Police have ruled it is a 'hate crime', and are investigating it as such.

So would the same response forthcoming if the burned book were a Bible, or a Torah? Is the litmus test religion based, racial, or just what's offensive to a specific group of people?

Would that make burning the American flag a hate crime? Of course not. That's protected as freedom of speech. You have to be a minority to be protected by hate crime laws. If it's offensive and you're Muslim, it's a hate crime. If it's offensive and you're a white Christian, well then you're intolerant, and perhaps a racist.

I'm sure very few political junkies watched the Chris Matthews special on MSNBC last night, "Obama's America". Actually I'm pretty sure very few people watched it in general because very few people watch MSNBC, and true political junkies are prone to get their information from elsewhere. The highlight for me comes in the first 3:30 of this clip:


So if you openly object to the massive expansion of our government, with massive increases in out deficit in a down economy to go along with it, if you've actually read the bill and can't find any real "reform" to the health care system, but more government handouts and plenty of pork...you are a racist. BUT, if you are black and you voted for then Senator Obama for President of the United States because he's black, without any knowledge of his views and policies, well that's "problematic".

I believe that offends me. Would that make voting for Obama a hate crime?

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