Now really, what difference does it make if you kill someone because you hate that person, or because you want to steal his or her money? Murder is a hate crime. Why is it worse for me to kill an African-American then it is for me to kill a Caucasian? The justice system is meant to punish criminal activity, not criminal thought. The degree of punishment should be based upon the severity of the crime committed, not the reasons behind it. The only viable exceptions to this are insanity, negligence, or self- defense.

I am as disgusted with racism, sexism and any other sort of bigotry as the next person. But it is not the job of the criminal justice system to fix people’s attitudes. That is something that we must all work together to accomplish.

Eric Baack

Senior

Mechanical Engineering