In recent years, it’s become fashionable in America to talk about the need to stop hate crimes. But, all too often, “hate crimes” are defined as speech which questions the legitimacy of the homosexual lifestyle.
True hate crimes, however, are acts of violence perpetrated without cause but with a tremendous amount of malice. A perfect example of this is something that happened in Florida recently.
A couple of thugs attacked a homeless man, causing him to sustain serious bruises. What makes the incident newsworthy is that the assailants were ten years old.
At an age when boys should be playing soccer, hunting for earthworms, and camping under the stars, our male children are instead getting their kicks by beating up the already-downtrodden. CNN is reporting that, last year alone, there were 142 attacks against and murders of homeless people. Often, those responsible for the violence were young people looking for a cheap, disgusting thrill.
As one observer told CNN, “If we’re talking about 10-year-olds, that means we’ve hit an all-time low. The youngest person to have ever been arrested for a crime like this is 13.”
Both liberals and conservatives can agree that such street violence is an atrocity—especially when the culprits can barely see over the steering wheel of a car. However, the solutions proposed in the face of such violence differ widely, depending on where you sit on the political spectrum.
Liberals would have us believe that the answer to such decadence is more money for public schools, diversity training, and midnight basketball. Conservatives, however, are likely to give a much different response.
To begin with, the conservative sees violence as being the opposite of love and the God who is love. The conservative reasons that, when prayer was taken out of schools, God was too. Since nature abhors a vacuum, hate filled the space that should have been occupied by love of neighbor.
A young person who can’t even check in with God at the place that he spends the majority of his day isn’t likely to ooze compassion to other people—especially the poor. A heart which lacks prayer is a heart which lacks love.
The conservative also knows that young people believe life is cheap. For this we can credit the abortion-at-all-costs crowd, who never met an abortion they didn’t embrace. Young people are smart—they know that abortion is murder. And they figure, if you can go ahead and end the life of a baby in the womb, what’s to stop you from clobbering the homeless guy down the street? Abortion is violence and violence always begets violence.
It was certainly a sad sight—10-year-olds wearing white jail jumpsuits that were far too large for them. But these pathetic souls are not alone.
In 2005, four young people confessed to beating a homeless man to death in the Daytona Beach area. They overpowered him with sticks and logs, fracturing his skull and breaking his ribs. Is such a death any less vicious than a partial-birth abortion, in which an abortionist stabs a baby in the back of the head and collapses the skull?
Meanwhile, Florida legislators are working on a measure that promises more protection for the homeless. But for the homeless to truly be protected, we’d have to return to an America in which prayer is welcomed in public schools, the Ten Commandments are welcomed in courthouses, and legalized abortion is shown the door.
Nathan Tabor regularly appears on radio and is writing a book for Thomas Nelson Publishing. Nathan received his BA in psychology from St. Andrews Presbyterian College and his MA in public policy from Regent University.
In 2004, Nathan ran for Congress (NC5) in an eight-way primary. He raised over $850,000 and received over 7,500 votes in the most expensive primary in American history. Nathan's supporters included Dick Armey, Ed Meese, Steve Moore, Art Laffer, Pat Robertson, Bob Jones III, Congressman Robert Aderholt, Congressman Trent Franks, Congressman Jim Ryun, Beverly and Tim LaHaye, Mike Farris and many others. Dr. Jerry Falwell dubbed him the "young Jesse Helms."
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