There have been bizarre yet serious efforts made to categorize certain criminal activities as being worse than others, depending on the suspect's motive. Yet "crimes of passion" are certainly not motivated by love. Usually they are fueled by uncontrolled anger, or jealous fits of rage. Nowadays in our politically-correct world we worry about the motives of the murderer, not the impact of the crime on his victim. We tend to worry as much or more about the color of the victim's skin than the actual nature of the crime. According to some, like U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Savannah Police Chief Willie Lovett, only certain crimes involving perpetrator and victim of different races or religions rise to the level that can be classified as hate crimes. Apparently, only certain suspects, or members of specific religions, can be accused of actually "hating" their victims. Other criminals are presumably more dispassionate about their evil deeds. For them, criminal activity must be nothing more a business opportunity. Eric Holder testified before Congress that all criminals are not created equal, saying that he doesn't believe members of "protected groups" who have suffered from historic racism are even capable of committing hate crimes. How can this be possible? Obviously, Holder believes that only minorities can be victims. So...when exactly is a crime not a "hate" crime? Tom Barton of the Savannah Morning News wrote an opinion piece in which he discussed the recent savage assault on a young white man at Ellis Square by several black men, in an … [Read more...]