A Message on Hate Crimes

I've heard a bit about hate crimes legislation in Congress and here's what I have to say to those who think that it's not necessary to have "special classes" of people protected and that it violates the concept of equal protection.

What makes a hate crime a hate crime is not that it is assault or murder against a person of a "special class". It is that the crime was committed in order to harass or intimidate members of that "special class" as a whole including the individual victim because of that which makes them different.

It would be one thing if the victim of the crime just happened to be [insert special class here] and the motive for assault or murder were say, financial (mugging), road rage (guy/gal cut you off in traffic), perceived assault (drunk in a bar and someone bumped into you on their way past), etc.

It's quite another thing to actively seek out someone who is of a racial minority or different gender, different sexual orientation, etc (or thier friends and family) to send a political or social message to the larger community that "those" people or their affiliates are not welcome or acceptable in your community.

It's not about protecting individuals or even these "special classes" but protecting the community at large from harassment and intimidation. When you put it in terms of protecting entire communities or our society as a whole from the threat of harassment or intimidation, I don't see how much more equal a protection you could imagine.

As the supportive and accepting sister of an openly gay man, I feel this is important. There may be times my brother irritates the snot out of me and I can see where someone might want to deck him at times, but that has nothing to do with who he is attracted to. Heck, sometimes I wonder if I might be attacked for hanging out with some of my GLBT friends simply because someone with an agenda might think I'm either Lesbian or was born male and had a fantastic plastic surgeon. (on second thought, nobody is going to mistake me for anything but female...) In any case, I shouldn't have to worry about these things in a polite and free society. If your religious beliefs are such that anything other than a man and a woman having sex within the sacrament of holy matrimony is anathema to you, then please, by all means, practice that, but leave others to their own free will. And if you're going to be so stringent on one aspect of your faith, I challenge you to be as strict about all the rest of it. Are you? I doubt it. Consider that the next time you're oggling a bikini clad woman on the beach or at the car/gun/boat show with or without your wife present, "Gentlemen".

Neglect

Ok, so I started this blog and then abandoned it for almost 6 months. Starting to write in public even behind a handle is, well, intimidating and time consuming. But with a new season on the horizon with it's longer days and better weather, I hope that the malaise of winter will be left far behind, and that the heat will stir my passion to write on the important things in life here and not just with the yentas in private. And so I resolve to put the link for this blog at the top of the list on my bookmarks toolbar and thus be reminded to post more often than every six months.

The Buzz on Booze

What the heck is it with every time I go to a mainstream parents/mom website or pick up a magazine in the doctor's office geared toward moms that I have been finding something random suggesting that 1. It's ok to drink at a playdate, 2. Alcohol is necessary for good mental health, or 3. That the mom who brings booze around all the time is somehow better than the one that brings healthy (organic, minimally processed. etc) choices to functions is more worthy? If it were just one or two of the Adver-zines, that would be one thing, but it's ALL OVER! Is it just me being sensitive, or am I really seeing a trend here? It just seems so antithetical to responsible parenting that I'm continually shocked to read these little asides that seem to be randomly put into health and wellness articles, humor (which mom is more cool comparisons) and survival guides on playdates and pot lucks! Since when did alcohol become appropriate for every occasion?