Re: Civilization and Enemies, was Re: CONFESSIONS OF A CHEERFULLIBERTARIAN By David Brin

From: Michael S. Lorrey (mlorrey@datamann.com)
Date: Fri Dec 08 2000 - 13:52:57 MST


Harvey Newstrom wrote:
>
> At 8:28pm -0800 12/7/00, Samantha Atkins wrote:
> >"Michael S. Lorrey" wrote:
> >>
> >> Jason Joel Thompson wrote:
> >> >
> >> > ----- Original Message -----
> >> > From: "Michael S. Lorrey" <mlorrey@datamann.com>
> >> >
> >> > > Working in Vermont as I do, with
> >> > > the current Civil Union controversy raging, it has turned out that all
> >> > > of the overt 'hate' crimes committed here since the 'Take Back Vermont'
> >> > > grassroots campaign began were actually committed by gays trying to gain
> >> > > sympathy.
> > > >
>
> Sorry, Mike, but this claim is so outrageous that I can't believe you
> fell for it. Any claim that starts with "All..." is suspect. Any
> single contrary example is enough to disprove it. A quick search
> engine check would show you how bogus this one is.
>
> <http://www.nh.com/newsstand/2000feb/000228_hatecrime.htm> shows a
> recent hate crime against a gay student that was not committed by
> gays trying to gain sympathy.

This link is non-existent.

>
> <http://www.boston.com/dailynews/268/region/Possible_hate_crime_investigat:.shtml>
> shows a recent hate crime in Vermont that did not involve gays.
>
> <http://www.mountainpridemedia.org/jan99/hatecrime.htm> states that
> there were 48 hate crimes reported in Vermont last year. Half of
> these were against blacks (and not gays).

No, it says no such thing. It is a story about a 17 year old student
assaulted a 15 year old student, with no statements about any expressed
'hate crime' by the perp, but ,"The juvenile victim was being called a
number of names, derogatory names for homosexual, and that would prompt
us to look further to see if it is in fact hate motivated.."

How many of us (especially us geeks) have been called fags, queers, or
other derogatory names for homosexual, in high school? I was. So what?
Its a common thing to call someone at that age, regardless of actual
sexual persuasion.

Now, you expand upon my statement (which was talking about gay related
hate crimes in vermont since the beginning of the "Take Back Vermont"
campaign, so try to stay in context) in a vast generalization (now look
who it is that is generalizing, not me.)

I can tell you about a 'hate crime' that occured earlier in the year
here in White River Junction:

A black cop arrested a significantly drunken white woman, who resisted
arrest and called the officer racially derogatory names. The officer
charged her with a hate crime violation in addition to her alcohol
related charges. I am sorry, but this is what is complete bullshit, and
are what I said fall under the category of 'insignificant'.

The way the hate crimes law is written here in Vermont it is essentially
a thought crime law. Expression of any non-politically-correct statement
in Vermont in earshot of a reporter or someone who may potentially take
offense at your speech could get you charged with a hate crime. It is
the most restrictive such hate crime law in the nation. Yet you then
admit that there were a grand total of 48 of these sort of 'hate crimes'
in Vermont in a whole year. Wellll SHEEEEAAATT. I'll be you could rack
up that many offenses in less than a minute in a single square mile of
any city in the US, if they used the same standards, so you are
essentially proving my original point. Thanks.

>
> There are plenty of other news reports of other hate crimes available
> on-line. I can't imagine that anyone could believe that all hate
> crimes in Vermont have suddenly ceased, only to be replaced by gay
> frauds. It just sounds so unbelievable.

I did not say they did. It is you who are generalizing, again.



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