“Hate” crimes
Potomac News Online | Ethnicity a factor in murder?
Murder in the commission of a robbery is a capital offense, punishable by death in Virginia. A hate crime charge may also be brought against the pair, adding to the severity of the penalty, said Prince William Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul Ebert. He called such crimes “relatively uncommon” in the county.
I don’t know why we feel that it is ok to punish someone for what they are thinking. The reason someone committed murder has nothing to do with the fact that they did, and should not be taken into account. This leads down the slippery slope of thought control, à la George Orwell’s 1984.