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user-inactivated  ·  3204 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: The Rise of American Authoritarianism

    How many straight white men were murdered because they were straight white men? I'd be surprised if there was more than 20, even though they outnumber trans women by like 100 times.

At the risk of taking the conversation off topic, this get to the root why I am against any and all hate crime laws and legislation. It should not matter WHY a crime was committed. Let's stick with murder. If the guilty party screams "jew" or "protestant" or "kraut" or "queer" should it matter to the point of whether the crime was committed? The courts in my perfect fantasy world should be focused on one and only one question: DID THE ACCUSED COMMIT THE CRIME? The circumstances can be argued in sentencing to offer leniency or throw away the key.

Adding the motive to the crime adds complexity to the prosecution that IMO distracts from the guilt or innocence of the accused. And I realize that with the emotions surrounding crime that this is a Pollyanna view of the courts. But I also will argue that the courts should not be emotional and almost detached so that they can deal with facts and reality.