 |
|
|
Friday, 4/6/2001
|
|
|
|
|
Friday, 4/6/2001
|
|
 People could abuse hate crime lawsMr. Hoffman, your April 2 Exponent letter was absolutely correct about intention and legal distinctions, and about the intended application of the hate crime legislation. As a matter of fact, juries (whether the jury consists of just a judge or a six- or 12-person jury) base convictions on their perception of the intent of the accused. Also, the basic premise of the law is that it is to be applied evenly and without prejudice. That is the theory, now lets talk a little bit about reality I think that most people would be fine with hate crime legislation if they believed it would be written intelligently and difficult to abuse. Unfortunately, that requires trust in people who have shown that they are willing to go along with a knee jerk reaction now, for the sake of popularity, and try to fix it later. We all have our jaded beliefs, and we assume that most people think along the same lines that we do. These beliefs, right or wrong, give us our range of perceptions. I actually believed for a while that racism towards African-Americans was pretty much gone in this country, and if I was on a jury, that belief could have influenced my judgement, and this is were the problem lies. I am not the only person who has and/or does hold a belief to be true that is inappropriate. Knowing that others may believe differently allows people to see how laws, not just hate crime legislation, can be manipulated. Seeing a potential for injustice that is presented in the name of justice makes people worry. People can't be blamed for that. What hate crime proponents need to do is to find a way to assuage that fear, not condemn them, which seems to be your intent. Richard Hayward |
PSG damages its credibility with repeal
Police should not target spectators
Trash doesn't biodegrade faster on Purdue campus University should donate old computers, programs Basketball excites crowd with scoring People could abuse hate crime laws Advertisements don't belong on Hello Walk plaques Troubled students should get help Behavior disappoints Purdue alumna People should respect gay activists Fans shouldn't focus on NASCAR driver's death
OPINIONS DESK PHONE: Opinions editor:
|
|||||||
|
| ||||||||
