Beware Abhorrent Hate Crime Legislation  David Limbaugh
4/28/2009 12:01:00 AM - David Limbaugh     If states want to
pass their own hate crime legislation, they are free to exercise
such poor judgment. But they don't need the long arm of the
federal government cramming it down their throats.  Not only is
there little constitutional justification for the federal
government to legislate in this area but also the bill further
impinges on state sovereignty by subjecting people to criminal
liability for acts for which they've already been acquitted
under state criminal systems.  As others have noted, the bill
also violates the constitutional guarantee of equal protection
by codifying the notion that certain groups of citizens, such as
homosexuals, are entitled to greater legal protection than
others, such as, say, older ladies.  The bill attempts to
justify itself and its broad sweeping federal jurisdiction by
reciting dubious "findings," such as, "The movement of members
of targeted groups is impeded, and member