New Hate Crimes Bill Criminalizes Words And Thoughts
Wednesday night, while President Barack Obama held his televised press conference marking his first 100 days in office, the federal hate crimes bill — HR 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 — passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 249 to 175.
But not everyone believes this piece of legislation is a great idea. They are cautioning many supporters that such a law is a two-edged sword and may have unintended consequences that includes misuse by overzealous and politically motivated prosecutors.
Critics fear that this legislation would prosecute individuals not on the basis of their crimes but on their alleged motivations for committing those crimes. It requires law enforcement officials and prosecutors to gather evidence of the offender’s thoughts rather than of his actions and his criminal intent.
Harold
ACGR's "News with Attitude" 