Why I Don't Like Hate Crime Laws

A few days ago I linked to an article that pointed out that the federal government was close to passing a federal hate crime law. At the time I mentioned that I mentioned that hate crime laws in general are too vague which could lead to potential abuse.

Now today, I find an article about how the Australian hate crime laws are being perverted and used for religious persecution. Currently they have a case pending against two Christian pastors for "vilifying Islam" while a witch has filed a complaint against a councilman, claiming that he made warnings about potential occult activity.

Common denominator? The law is being used to attack Christians.

That's why I don't like the hate crime laws. They are being used by the out of power organizations, whether they be Islamic or Wiccan, to destroy the effectiveness of the primary religious institution in the region. Rather than competing for adherents and power on the basis of responding to the needs of the people, they try to drag Christianity down.

That's the basic problem with the hate crime laws, they are not a tool for the government, they are a tool for weak and unpopular special interest groups to attack and tear down the foundations of our society through the court system, since they cannot compete in the court of public opinion.

Orrin Hatch and Teddy Kennedy are enabling this kind of behavior here with their proposed federal hate crime law. If it passes, I can't wait for the first time that one of those two complains about the overcrowding of the court systems.