Rhetorical Attack Of The Anti-LLEHCPA White Guys

Reason Magazine posting on this diary entry.

*****Update*****

Jacob Sullum responed to this blolg entry in Reason Magazine posting.

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~~Autumn~~

As if there were safety in stupidity alone.
--Henry David Thoreau

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by: Autumn Sandeen @ Wed May 09, 2007 at 20:13:35 PM CDT

Misguided, I'm afraid

Autumn, I agree with Mr. Sullum and others on this issue.  It is important to me that you understand why.

First of all, the several states are quite capable of defending life and limb themselves in this case.  The federal government has no business legislating on the matter.  The constitution specific denies to it any powers that it does not specifically grant to it.  I have not heard a convincing argument that this proposed law fits within the consitutionally-granted regulatory powers granted to the federal government. 

Yes, consitutional matters, all very exciting, aren't they. :-)  But I very strongly feel that Washington has for years been acting outside of its mandating, and that it is to the continuing and increasing detriment of our welfare.

Perhaps more importantly, it seems clear to me that hate crime laws are attempts to legislate morality!  It is unfortunate that some people have bigotry in their hearts.  But I don't believe that it is right to use the power of the law to coerce them into acting as if they were not bigots.  I don't think it's right, and I suspect that doing so brings unintended consequences, driving bigotry underground, granting the bigots a sense of victimization that draws them together and earns them sympathy with others, and inciting bitterness against the targets of their intolerance, who don't need more people against them.

It frustrates me that those who care so passionately about the well-being of the various unfairly persecuted people of the world are so wiling to dedicate themselves to lobbying governments to legislate their way.  There's nothing liberal about it.  I am a liberal, my friend, the old-school kind, and I know that there's rarely anything liberal or freedom-loving about passing laws to make life harder for those people you disagree with.

To summarize: lives are already sufficiently protected.  The federal government doesn't have the right to do this.  It's not right to legislate morality like this.  It backfires, too.  Liberals should know better, dammit!

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by: ladlestein @ Thu May 10, 2007 at 03:26:05 AM CDT