Hate crimes

I remember when this legislation went through,anyone who disagreed with it was often labelled a racist or biggot.The legislation passed and the other day, a man near my town was arrested for such a crime and he is now potentially looking at a ten year stretch in prison.Here's what he did:When a family of African Americans were looking at the house next door to his,he made some derogatory comments to them and later put out a cross on his yard and set it ablaze.The family elected not to move there and this guy was arrested.

Now,yes,I'll agree,this was a stupid and hateful act and he deserves to be punished,but ten years?C'mon,all he did was hurt someone's feelings,they'll get over it.

Personally,here's what I think would be a fitting punishment.First off,the crime is more of a cival court nature than criminal.The offended family should sue and sue big.This asshole deserves to have to pay for this family's mental anguish and inconveneince.Next this racist prick needs to do several hundred hours of community service in predominately black areas of town.Ten years of prison will only harden him and his racism.Perhaps with a punishment that fits the crime, he might possibly learn his error and change.

The problem as I see it with PC laws is they seem to be based on emotional knee jerk reactionary attitudes from special interest group lobbyists rather than common sense.The punishment should fit the crime.Hate crimes??Please!If a person is murdered or assaulted,that in and of itself is a crime that merits serious punishment .What difference does it make if the motive is racial biggotry or robbery?

Good point,Alex.My problem with hate crime legislation is that it smacks of thought crime from Orwell's 1984.

You can't take away a person's right to be an asshole.

It's interesting because what the guy did was basically be honest. He honestly hated blacks and wanted them to know it.

Would he have better served the community by not letting his feelings out in public (and on his own lawn no less) and instead stewing on the inside and then once the black family moved in just doing little annoying things day after day?

Before your story I actually totally believed in hate crime legislation, but now after your story I think the man has a right to say how he feels on his own property.

It's really up to the rest of the local community to try and allay the mans fears about the possibility that a black family might move in next door.

What might be considered a creative lawsuit would be for the present owner of the house next door to sue the neighbor who burned a cross on his lawn for devaluing the house that was for sale, because that is what the cross burning neighbor basically did.

What would be ironic about that would be that now the neighbor selling their home could choose to sell it for any price and the cross burning neighbor would be responsible for the difference.

Now that would give the cross burner a reason to hate EVERYBODY.