Race/Religious war perpetrated by the government

Ha, bet that headline got your attention didn't it? Well in a roundabout way it is true. Our government at the local, state, and federal level has legislated preferential treatment in such a way that Race and Religion schisms are not mended. Instead they are perpetuated.

I'm still sick of politics in general and so am looking at social issues that ought to be non-partisan. I know it aint as sexy as bashing the crooks and liars on either side that are vying for our attention in one regard and diverting it in others.

Anyway, back to the topic. I am talking primarily about hate crimes and the legislation of same. I understand that some folks think that attacks specifically against gays is somehow worse than a mugging in the park. I cannot agree.

Assault and Battery is A&B no matter who the victim is. A violent attack has always been illegal. And obviously the victim is just as battered. I see the elevation of certain assault crimes to the level of Hate Crimes or even Domestic Terrorism as just another intrusion of the government into society. HCL unfairly elevates certain people or groups above that of society in general. It sends a message that if you are going to beat on someone it better not be anyone who can self-identify with protected label. It's a far reach, theoretically speaking, a smart mugger could simply target young to middle age, heterosexual, nonfat, christian, white males to avoid the penalty enhancement of HCL.

It isn't simply skin color or sex, national origin or sexual identity, age or gender either. There is a religious double standard as well. If you paint a swastika on a synagogue it's very likely that you will be charged with a hate crime instead of simple property damage via malicious vandalism. Dump a Koran in the toilet and you are in the same boat. Race pigs next to a mosque and watch out.

But, amazingly enough when it comes to Christianity we tolerate a lot. Dump a cross into urine and it's art. A moment of silence? It's really church v. state. None of that is a hate crime, instead it is a constitutional issue. Yet, when we accommodate Muslims in our public schools, isn't that exclusion of other faiths and thus, in an admittedly broad interpretation, a hate crime?

How about burning the Flag? I personally feel victimised every time someone does that. I am a vet. Thus the crime is obviously anti-vet. Again, in an admittedly broad interpretation, a hate crime?

The above examples are part tongue in cheek and part "Hey! Double Standard Alert!". In truth I see hate crimes as the criminalization of your personal beliefs. If you hate gays, blacks, women, crippled old people, fat people, thin people, kids, vets, hippies, girlymen, Muslims, Jesus freaks, yadablahetc...... then you may be a twisted freak, but you are not a criminal. At least not today. Hate crimes mean that your personal beliefs are now subject to government regulation. It is a short cliff to fall over.

Just think, in twenty years, an anti-terrorist rally could no longer be free speech. Instead it will be illegal to even think such thoughts.

Prosecute the crime, not the thoughts of the criminal.

hate+crime

Social Graces: Race Relations and BOND.

A buddy of mine told me that I didn't post enough to this blog. Not counting the fact that I do have a life..... heh. Plus, most of what gets blogged here is political in nature and frankly, I am sick of politics for the nonce. Everyone on the left is a socialist to some degree or other. Everyone on the right is trying sooooo hard to be conservative lite that it is rather disgusting. There are no independent candidates that have a hope in hades either. So, what are reality based folks supposed to do if they are civic minded? I guess we look at social issues and see if there is any solutions that are possible within the constraints of today.

So, this post is about race relations in America today. What are the realities? The reality is that there are more blacks in prison on a per capita basis than any other ethnic group. In fact, only recently have whites overtaken blacks in jail actual population numbers. For other stats demonstrating that blacks are still over represented in the justice system check out the first link at the end.

Here is another reality. White criticism of blacks or Hispanics as a group is perceived as racist. Black criticism of blacks isn't tolerated much better. Black pride is "cultural". White pride is associated with the KKK or skinheads. Under these conditions no dialog about the state of race in the USA is possible.

On top of that there are those that exploit racial tension for all that it is worth. Look at Jessie Jackson or Al Sharpton. Both are way too quick to point the finger and label everything as racist. Young Mr. West of course ensured we all knew that Bush abandoned the Blacks during hurricane Katrina.

There is one reasonably prominent Black Leader that seems to be pointing to the members of the black community and telling them to get thier act together. Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson isn't pulling any punches either. When discussing the conduct of Blacks during the hurricane, he openly attacked the media opportunists as well as the lawless who made it into the superdome.

Enter Jesse Jackson and Louis Farrakhan. Jackson and Farrakhan laid blame on "racist" President Bush. Farrakhan actually proposed the idea that the government blew up a levee so as to kill blacks and save whites. The two demanded massive governmental spending to rebuild New Orleans, above and beyond the federal government's proposed $60 billion. Not only that, these two were positioning themselves as the gatekeepers to supervise the dispersion of funds. Perfect: Two of the most dishonest elite blacks in America, "overseeing" billions of dollars. I wonder where that money will end up. Source

His articles are life affirming and direct. He calls for moral stances, and leads you to believe that by demanding high standards you should expect high achievement. The second link at the end of this is his website. It is worth a look. Be sure to check out his previous writings.

My questions now are: How can we eliminate the stereotyping inherent in any negative discussion on race? How can we (or should we) get big government out of the race game? Is racism demonstratably alive and well or are we seeing the aftermath? Equal opportunity is guaranteed, equal achievement is not. How can we get that message out in a positive manner? Is there a way to address the issue without using guilt and history as a club?

Or is it all a waste of time and we need to simply await the "race war" that so many groups believe is coming?

I don't have the answers. But, the first step is asking the question.

DOJ Stats by race.
BOND Website