"Hate crimes do more than threaten the safety and welfare of all citizens. They inflict on victims incalculable physical and emotional damage and tear at the very fabric of free society. Crimes motivated by invidious hatred toward particular groups not only harm individual victims but send a powerful message of intolerance and discrimination to all members of the group to which the victim belongs. Hate crimes can and do intimidate and disrupt entire communities and vitiate the civility that is essential to healthy democratic processes. In a democratic society, citizens cannot be required to approve of the beliefs and practices of others, but must never commit criminal acts on account of them. Current law does not adequately recognize the harm to public order and individual safety that hate crimes cause. Therefore, our laws must be strengthened to provide clear recognition of the gravity of hate crimes and the compelling importance of preventing their recurrence. Accordingly, the legislature finds and declares that hate crimes should be prosecuted and punished with appropriate severity." - The New York State Legislature.

I was watching a programme the other day (American Justice with Bill Kurtis); and of course noticing how sad people really can be. Take the case of a young homosexual male. Who basically was a good kid and all. But society as a whole couldn't stand such a thing. Said societal homophobe, murders young homosexual male because Said societal homophobe feared he'd be raped by young homosexual male. He gets a non-premeditated murder charge. With'a circumstantial sentence. Was this really premeditated murder ? Or paranoia? Let's get one thing straight; Murder is Murder, period!