Reuters: Barny Franks calls for hate crime laws for gays Reuters: Barny Franks calls for hate crime laws for gays

In a Reuters article titled: "Bloody attack on Massachusetts gay bar stuns region", a neo-Nazi is accused of shooting two people and bludgeoning a third with a hatchet in a Massachusetts gay bar before fleeing. In response to this, Barry Franks (D-MA) is quoted calling for extending federal "Hate Crime" laws to protect gays. However, he fails to note that the attack occurred in his home state of Mass. which already protects gays against "Hate Crimes". Also, he ignores that the guy was going to face a dozen or so counts, including three for attempted murder. And, as a final note, he was apparently killed in a shoot-out with police in Arkansas yesterday.

This is the absurdity of Hate Crime legislation. First, as is obvious here, it doesn't prevent crime. The crime occurred in Mass. which already enhances punishment for Hate Crimes against gays. Why adding federal penalties here would help at all is never answered. Rather, as usual, we are left with the impression that the whole purpose of extending Hate Crime laws to gays is to make them feel better.

Indeed, that is the absurdity of Hate Crime legislation in the first place - much of the violence in this country is hate based, but inelgible for federal or state Hate Crime enhancement because the reason for the hate is not a protected class. Thus, if two men start fighting over a woman, it isn't a hate crime, unless they are of different races, and, in particular, if one uses racial epithets. Well, wouldn't you expect racial language when in the heat of passion, two men start fighting? Yet, that somehow makes it a Hate Crime.