WaPo’s reporting that Maryland is expanding their hate crimes act to include attacks on homeless people. Currently the groups that provide for additional penalties are “race, color, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or national origin,” with sexual orientation an addition to the list in last year’s session. Next year might see the addition of the disabled, a group that some effort was made to include in this round but the filing was too late.
I’m hopeful that in short order we’ll add the disabled, bald, hirsute, fat, anorexic, Jets fans, halitosis sufferers, and people with comb-overs. Eventually we’ll put in enough people so we can recognize that violence against people is loathsome and atrocious in all its forms and violators will be punished for all offenses equally.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
Well I used to say something in my profile about not quite being a “tinker, tailor, soldier, or spy” but Tom stole that for our about us page, so I guess I’ll have to find another way to express that I am a man of many interests.
Hmm, guess I just did.
My tastes run the gamut from sophomoric to Shakespeare and in my “professional” life I’ve sold things, served beer, written software, and carried heavy objects… sometimes at the same place. It’s that range of loves and activities that makes it so easy for me to love DC – we’ve got it all.
