Either something is a crime or it is not. Determining the perpetrator’s motive for committing the crime and saying the motive was bad (hate) is ridiculous. If it’s arson it’s arson, not hate-arson. Hate crimes are an extension of political correctness. We need to do away with “hate” crimes like we need to do away with political correctness.
You shouldn’t be fired for making a post on Twitter or Facebook unless that post is in itself a crime. Saying you will kill the president would be a threat. I’m not sure if that’s a crime, but saying you will kill somebody is about the only thing I can think of that should get you fired by itself. (To fire somebody under Florida law there is a legal procedure you must follow. However, people are fired every day for ill-advised social media posts with no reference to the required legal procedures. I wonder if there have been any cases brought before the courts on this issue.)
Exactly. Here is a police report concerning a “hate crime” occurring on the University of California Santa Cruz campus:
“Police are also investigating this as a possible hate crime because the assault may have been committed because of the actual or perceived protected characteristics of the student,” said UCSC Chief of Police Nader Oweis in a community bulletin.
So what are actual or perceived protected characteristics?
I agree with you 100%. People should be held accountable for what they DO. Not what they think.