Posted by Eugene Volokh:
Anti-Semitic Murder (and Attempted Multiple Murder) in Seattle:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2006_07_23-2006_07_29.shtml#1154147965
The [1]Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports:
Six women were shot -- one fatally -- this afternoon at the Jewish
Federation of Greater Seattle by a man who told a witness he was
upset about "what was going on in Israel." ...
"We believe it's a lone individual acting out his antagonism," said
David Gomez, who heads the FBI's counterterrorism efforts in
Seattle....
"He said 'I am a Muslim American, angry at Israel,' before opening
fire on everyone," [Marla] Meislin-Dietrich[, who works at the
center,] said. "He was randomly shooting at everyone." ...
[2]Pajamas Media has a round-up; thanks to [3]InstaPundit for the
pointer.
The law should, I think, treat such crimes with the same severity as
it would a similar crime motivated just by a desire to kill random
people. While I think many laws that enhance penalties for crimes in
which victims are chosen based on race, religion, sexual orientation,
and the like are constitutional, I think they are unwise and draw a
moral distinction that strikes me as on balance inadequate (not
irrational by any means, but on balance inadequate). Nonetheless it
certainly makes sense that we would notice these crimes for what they
are -- manifestations of ethnic hatred that needs to be recognized in
order to be fought.
References
1. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/279302_shooting28ww.html
2. http://pajamasmedia.com/2006/07/mideast_war_liii.php
3. http://instapundit.com/archives/031634.php
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