"If a person of the same race creed religion or he/she/it sexual orientation is murdered, is it a lesser crime? What crime against persons isn't hateful?"
Exactly - the argument for hate crime legislation hinges on the idea that a crime against a member of a protected class effects the whole class and thus is a bigger crime.
But you know what, if somebody in my neighborhood got mugged it would effect the whole neighborhood. Maybe my neighborhood should be a protected class too?
An excellent point. I'm putting that one in the ammo box.
Do you think we can raise some support here to go after the Senate to clean up this bill. All the Feds are needed for is to facilitate interstate manhunts and perhaps require extradition and cooperation between the States.