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All crimes are hate
Six years ago, a terrible injustice occurred. Two hikers were killed, presumably because they were lesbians. Now, however, the Federal government has added another injustice � it seeks an added penalty for the alleged killer, Darrell Rice, because of why he committed these crimes.
The Williams case is a very emotional one. This murder is an extremely senseless one, one that is difficult to think about in a logical way. We want this Rice put away on bread and water, given a quick trial and sent to the chair (or put in a particularly uncomfortable cell). We have to remember, however, what it is that we're prosecuting him for.
We're prosecuting Rice for slitting the throats of two bound, defenseless women. When it comes down to it, there really aren't any good reasons to do that. Would it really make any difference if he slit their throats to steal $5? To steal $20,000? How about $5 million?
If we're going to punish people extra for killing for the wrong reasons, we shouldn't forget greed, pettiness, and pretty much everything else that leads to murders. We should pretend it's Texas and send all first-degree murderers to the chair and everyone else to 10-20 years extra. If they can prove that their crime was sensible, we'll drop the sentence back down. Call it the "War on Senseless Crimes."
Hate-crime law advocates argue that we already make distinctions of types of murder.
These different kinds of murder, however, are defined by intent, not the reason for the killing. If Joe Allure is sleeping with my wife and I go out, buy a gun, learn to shoot, and break into his house a week later and execute him as he sleeps, I have committed first-degree murder. If poor Joe is sleeping with my wife and I run into him at the bar, get in a fight, and end up shooting him in the heat of the moment, I have committed second-degree murder. The difference in these cases is the planning � the cold-blooded intent to kill, not the reason I hate Joe.
When we punish a criminal because of the reason the crime was committed, we come perilously close to punishing because of belief. Like it or not, Americans have a right to be racists and sexists. Even when they commit crimes, for justice to be served, we must punish them for the crimes, not for what they believe.
Mike Lauterbach can be reached at: [email protected]
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