HATE CRIMES LEGISLATION-This candidate is admantly opposed to hate crimes legislation as a violation of First Amendment rights. Hate crimes laws do not unite Americans. Indeed, they are divisive in that they emphasize our differences rather than our commonality as citizens equal under the law. Violent crime should be punished to the fullest extent of the law regardless of motivation. Ferguson has already urged the legislators from his state, Congressman Jerry Moran and Senators Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts, to oppose HR 1592 (the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2007) and S. 1105 (the Matthew Shepherd Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007), which are examples of this kind of misguided legislation.

(Bennie Lee "Ben" Ferguson is a transgendered independent write-in U.S. presidential candidate registered with the Federal Election Commission. E-mail: [email protected]. Web page: http://candidate.lpks.org/BenFerguson.)

While I agree in principle that the very idea that such a thing as hate crime legislation even should be proposed is repugnant, however, in a country where a transgender person is brutally murdered in a hate motivated attack for no other reason than the fact that they are transgender, i conceded to the necessity of such legislation as a means to increase awareness of the blatant discrimination to which transgender people are daily subjected in the US.

Further, the enactement of trans inclusive hate crime legislation is a valuable tool in the effort toward the enactment of trans inclusive nondiscrimination legislation in the areas of public accomodation, employment and housing.

The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crime Prevention Act is being dabated in the Senate this week, as an amendment to H. R. 1585, which goes to a vote next week.

Supporters of this bill, also known as the Matthew Shepperd Bill, can contact their representatives to Congress to express support for this legislation by visiting this link:
http://www.house.gov/writerep/
And your Senate representatives by visiting this link:
http://www.senate.gov/gen[...]cfm.cfm

Perhaps the true value of laws which specifically address crime against specific groups lies in two points:

1. It clearly states, for those of limited insight, that attacking members of these groups is NOT acceptable and that they do have the protection of any other group.

2. If someone tosses pink paint on your house and you have to repair the damage, it hurts financially and is upsetting. If you are gay and they do it, you suffer additional stress and fear because the true damage is not property but, as intended, emotional. The crime is not the same. It's intent was not the same. It requires a specific law and penalty.

Recently there has been an uproar over Muslim students being permitted to pray in school while Christian studanets have been legally denied this in the past. However, it is a REQUIREMENT of their faith to pray during THAT time. It is not for Christians, who can pray at any time of the day they choose. Ignoring this difference ignores the underlying dynamics. Ignoring the specific issues of hate crimes ignores the underlying dynamics. If this was not true, rape would be treated simply as assault, like bing punched. Clearly, the crime is recognized as having different dynamics. Failure to recognize this issue is failure to understand the essence of such issues.