Nothing Says Love like Violent Crime!

George Orwell wrote "All animals are created equal, but some are more equal than others." This phrase was taken from the book Animal Farm, which was written as a satire regarding the replacement of one type of tyranny for another, masking itself as freedom. Thomas Jefferson wrote in The Declaration of Independence "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal..." Equal? It is interesting that our country was born through the bravery of men who were willing to sign The Declaration of Independence. A document that we keep protected with the most elaborate security systems imaginable. Yet there are those who would call themselves patriots while they ignore what is likely the most recognizable quote from the Declaration of Independence.

Why is this important? Hate crimes, sometimes called "Bias Crimes" impart a stiffer penalty for a crime and increase the available resources, including financial, to the agency investigating a crime that may have been motivated by demographic differences. In other words, if a crime is committed and the victim is different in some way from the perpetrator then extra money and effort may be used or provided by the federal government. Conversely if the victim and the attacker are similar then those extra resources WILL NOT be available. Differences that could potentially influence whether special treatment is given to a case include race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability. This means that some men are more equal than others when viewed through hate crime legislation. Chief Justice Rehnquist stated "Bias-motivated crimes are more likely to.... inflict distinct emotional harms on their victims." I suspect that the widowed husband of a randomly murdered woman would disagree. I am certain that the loss of a loved one for nothing more than entertainment is not likely to provide much comfort.