
 |
|
February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
|
| |
Jewish World Review
May 8, 2009
/ 14 Iyar 5769
Here we go again: Annals of thoughtcrime
By
Paul Greenberg
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
It's back: the criminalization of thought.
This time the same old bad idea has been all decked out in the latest newspeak. It's now the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, aka HR 1913.
Hmmm. Sounds impressive. Who, after all, is for hate? Or crime? Surely both need opposing. This bill sounds like a two-fer. How can it miss?
But under the bill's title, like a snake under a rock, is the dubious concept that George Orwell named concisely enough in "1984": thoughtcrime.
HR 1913 has already been approved by the that citadel of Deep Thought, the U.S. House of Representatives, by a vote of 249 to 175. It establishes severe penalties for those thinking wrong thoughts during the commission of a serious crime from 10 years to life, depending on the crime involved.
And what would those wrong thoughts be? The additional penalties would be assessed if the crime were committed "because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion or national origin" of the victim.
Another section of the bill applies to crimes committed "because of the actual or perceived religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability of any person." There must be a reason for differentiating between gender and gender identity in the law, but I'd rather not guess. Space is limited in newspapers, especially in these times, and you already get the point, which is:
It's not just the crime that is to be judged anymore, but the politics of it. The accused doesn't become eligible for additional punishment unless he's motivated by one of the designated politically incorrect hates named in the bill. All others are, in effect, discounted.
That is, there's no extra penalty if you're infuriated by, say, the victim's class. Or his income. Or his taste in neckties. Or his musical preferences, sports team (Damn Yankees!), regionalism (danged hillbillies!) or the general cut of his jib. For none of those prejudices are included in the bill's designated hates.
It's an approach to crime and punishment premised on the (unspoken) theory that it's not as bad to hate some folks as to hate others, or to commit the same crime but for reasons other than the politically incorrect ones specified in the bill. Like greed, revenge, envy or just general cussedness.
Think about it, Gentle Reader, if this subject still permits thought rather than blind emotion: When we punish only some motivations for a crime, we necessarily privilege as the academics say other kinds. And we wind up with a dual standard of justice: political and nonpolitical, "bias crimes" and the dull old conventional ones, "social justice" and just plain justice,
HR 1913 is the political equivalent of a bad course in Ethnic Studies or Advanced Feminism at one of our more prestigious universities. Robert Anton Wilson, who was a combination of pop philosopher and libertarian agitator, said it:
"Academia cannot argue the rational principle that hatred of any group doesn't make sense; they dumped that when they dumped logic (as a 'male' perversion). The argument between left and right now consists only of debating which are the correct groups to hate."
The line between "1984" and 2009, sci-fi and serious political discourse, ideology and law, grows ever thinner with the introduction of measures like the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009.
Defenders of HR 1913 will explain how eminently fair and equal HR 1913 is, for it doesn't discriminate. It protects all equally. How's that again? Well, don't we all have an actual or perceived race, color, religion (or irreligion), national origin, gender and sexual orientation? And, Lord knows, plenty of us have disabilities. Ergo, this bill protects us all! What could be fairer?
Back in the real world, it's clear enough, despite the superficially neutral language of the bill, that this law would afford special protections only to special kinds of Americans. Others need not apply. Despite its supporters' talk about equal justice. Which has a familiar ring in these Southern latitudes, where "separate but equal" actually meant that some folks were more equal than others. And others less so.
There's a reason Justice is depicted as wearing a blindfold. Why rip it off? Why not have the punishment fit the crime instead of the prejudices behind it? Why not just leave the degree of punishment for vicious crimes where it belongs with judges and juries instead of making the law a respecter of persons? Or rather a respecter of their race, color, sexual identity or disability.
By the logic of HR 1913, all hatreds are not equal. Special hates merit special punishment for example, those based on race, creed, color or sexual orientation. But none of the suspicious characters mentioned in the all-points memo just sent out by our new secretary of homeland security military veterans, advocates of gun rights, opponents of unrestricted abortion or immigration are eligible for special protection in this bill. Certain kinds of prejudices draw no objections from this administration.
Thoughtcrime can be an arbitrary thing; it seems to cover hating only certain groups. If you're just an ordinary Joe without any distinguishing marks, you rate only the ordinary protection of the law. You're not part of what the lawyers call a "protected" class. There's one law for them, another for the rest of us.
How would this Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act play out in reality? My best guess: If you were lucky enough to assault somebody of the same race, religion or ancestry, or even with the same disability, you might not be assessed an additional penalty. But mess with somebody different from you in the specific ways designated by HR 1913, and, boy, you could be in a heap o' trouble.
The big problem with the concept of thoughtcrime isn't that it's arbitrary; it's that it doesn't seem to involve much thought.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Paul Greenberg, editorial page editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, has won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. Send your comments by clicking here.
Paul Greenberg Archives
© 2006 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
|
|

Arnold Ahlert
Mitch Albom
Jay Ambrose
Michael Barone
Barrywood
Tony Blankley
Lori Borgman
Stratfor Briefing
Mona Charen
Linda Chavez
Richard Z. Chesnoff
Ann Coulter
Greg Crosby
Alan Douglas
Larry Elder
Suzanne Fields
Frank J. Gaffney
Bernie Goldberg
Jonah Goldberg
Julia Gorin
Jonathan Gurwitz
Paul Greenberg
Argus Hamilton
Victor Davis Hanson
Betsy Hart
Ron Hart
Nat Hentoff
Marybeth Hicks
David Horowitz
Jeff Jacoby
Renee James
Paul Johnson
Jack Kelly
Ed Koch
Ch. Krauthammer
Michael Ledeen
John Leo
David Limbaugh
Kathryn Lopez
Rich Lowry
Michelle Malkin
Jackie Mason
Ann McFeatters
Dale McFeatters
Dana Milbank
Jeanne Moos
Dick Morris
Jim Mullen
Deroy Murdock
Judge A. Napolitano
Bill O'Reilly
Kathleen Parker
Star Parker
Dennis Prager
Wesley Pruden
Tom Purcell
Sharon Randall
Robert Robb
Cokie & Steve Roberts
Heather Robinson
Pat Sajak
Debra J. Saunders
Martin Schram
Culture Shlock
David Shribman
Roger Simon
Michael Smerconish
Thomas Sowell
Ben Stein
Mark Steyn
John Stossel
Cal Thomas
Dan Thomasson
Bob Tyrrell
Ben Wattenberg
Diana West
Dave Weinbaum
George Will
Walter Williams
Byron York
ZeitGeist
Mort Zuckerman

Robert Arial
Chuck Asay
Baloo
Chip Bok
Dry Bones
Lisa Benson
John Branch
John Cole
J. D. Crowe
John Deering
Brian Duffy
Everything's Relative
Mallard Fillmore
Glenn Foden
Jake Fuller
Bob Gorrel
Joe Heller
David Hitch
Jerry Holbert
Lee Judge
Steve Kelley
Jeff Koterba
Dick Locher
Jimmy Margulies
Rick McKee
Michael Ramirez
Kevin Siers
Jeff Stahler
Ed Stein
Danna Summers
John Trever
Gary Varvel
Kirk Walters

Mr. Know-It-All
Dr. Peter Gott
GET A JOB! by Marty Nemko
Richard Lederer
Frugal Living
Tech Maven
On Nutrition
Bookmark These
Bruce Williams
|