It does not get any clearer than this -- such statutes are under-inclusive in their application.

If their overarching purpose is to affirm the equality of all people, then the law should punish all assaults the same, regardless of the race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or veteran status of the victim. The "protected class" should be human beings.

Cut through all the arguments about freedom of speech, freedom of thought, and "perceived harms" from crimes based upon bias, and this is the heart of it -- no person should be victimized by crime, and differential treatment based upon "protected class" status undermines the very notion of equality that we as a society strive for in our attempts to wipe out racial bias.

Posted by: Greg at 08:26 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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