hate crime

Chris Knight's avatar

I haven’t written anything in the way of an op-ed piece in quite some time now.  I’d honestly wondered if I have lost my touch.  Like, was getting my book published the peak experience I will ever have?  I don’t want it to be that way.  As I wrote in the final pages of my book, I have spent half a lifetime fighting something that has taken so much from me.  Getting that back matters an awful lot.

This morning American Thinker, a site I’ve long admired, published my first essay for a wider audience since January of last year.  “Holding the Media Responsible for the SPLC Scandal” is something that I must confess I had some pleasure in writing.  For decades I’ve watched too many journalists cite Southern Poverty Law Center as a legitimate source of information.  I can only imagine the looks on the faces ...

Read more

Chris Knight's avatar

I still can’t believe that I almost went to work for this guy…

James Dobson of Focus on the Family is telling his radio listeners that there is now “utter evil” coming out of Congress. What scares Dobson, he claims, is so-called “hate crimes” legislation: the proponents of which want tougher penalties for those convicted of criminal acts committed against others because of “sexual orientation”.

Now folks, I’m against “hate crimes” legislation myself. Because in my mind there is no such thing as a “hate” crime. Does the motive honestly matter why somebody chooses to hurt another, if the end result is the same as any other circumstance? I have as much sympathy for a victim of a criminal act as I will for any other… but I’m not gonna consider one victim to be any more “special” than someone else because of alleged precipitating criteria. So as far as ...

Read more

Chris Knight's avatar

Be careful when putting your Quizno’s sub on a table: it might be investigated as a hate crime. Here’s the story from Boston.com:

Police investigate ham incident at school

April 19, 2007

LEWISTON, Maine –Police are investigating as a possible hate crime an incident in which a ham steak was placed in a bag on a lunch table where a group of Somali students were sitting.

Such an incident would be offensive to Somalis, who are Muslims and consider pork unclean.

A Lewiston Middle School student was suspended after the incident, which happened April 11.

Superintendent Leon Levesque said the incident is being treated seriously and police are investigating. The center for the Prevention of Hate Violence is working with the school to devise a response plan.

The incident is the second of its kind in Lewiston in recent months. Last summer, a man rolled a pig’s head into

...
Read more