Craig won one and lost one that day.

Karsnia didn't let him cop a feel.

Karsnia did let him cop a plea.

In an attempt to ensure that minors are not sexually molested by pedophiles, a child protection advocacy group is trying to get the owners of Facebook and other sites to provide monitoring capabilities. One idea is to include icons that could be used by minors when they want to report adults who try to entice them.

Would anyone reject such mechanisms on the grounds that they are unconstitutional attempts to deny a pedophile predator's right to free speech? Most people would praise such efforts as both a deterrent and a protection method.

The age of child molestation victims is the reason why they are targeted for a crime. The motives of the perpetrators are a central part of the crime. That's why there are specific laws determining penalties for child molestation.

So why is it a First Amendment violation to factor in the motives--and the implicating speech--of a hate crime perpetrator when determining penalties? The minority status of hate crime victims is the reason why they are targeted for a crime.

Hate crime laws can deter the perpetrators from acting on their ideas. Such laws also give bigots in law enforcement and the justice system an added incentive to do their jobs when they otherwise might try to ignore or minimize a crime.

Current law determines specific penalties for hate crimes just as they do for child molestation. The motives of the perpetrators are a central part of both kinds of crime.

So we already have decided to punish pedophiles for giving into their urges and raping children. And we already have decided to punish bigots for giving into their urges and doing violence to minorities.

Adding sexual orientation and gender orientation to existing civil rights law is not a violation of First Amendment protection of free speech. Omitting these classes from existing civil rights law is a violation of constitutional equal protection.

The height of hypocrisy

Must be sad to be filled with such self-loathing. The guy is obviously gay, yet he tries so hard to deny it.

It is disgusting to see Craig's name anywhere near Matthew Shepard's. Too bad he doesn't take a wide stance look at democracy and basic human rights.

This must mean that Craig is a self hating queer, to borrow a euphemism from the Zionist zealots who describe their detractors as "self hating Jews".

Love that picture of him on the cover, stooped over with a faintly pained expression in his mug.

I am just so sick of this man. Would they just remove his hypocritical ass out of the Senate for Pete's sake!

As Dante said, in the center of Hell you find all the Hypocrits.

May this one perish.

I can just imagine the howls of outrage from conservatives if legislation were proposed that would remove religion from the various categories already in federal hate crime law. When the shoe's on the other foot ...