terratogen wrote:
Should someone do less time for not killing a gay person because they felt like killing your Mom?

I think what you're trying to say is, and attaching a personal slant to the argument as well, that why a person kills another person is irrelevant. That is simply wrong. As has long been recognized there are cases of "justifiable homicide." There are cases that have other exacerbating factors. A rape murder has always been considered a heavier offense than either alone. Why is Hitler worse than Stalin or Mao? They all killed in similar numbers, but Hitler is worse. He is worse because of that why. Why matters.

In an ideal world you wouldn't see cases like Matthew Sheppard or James Byrd, the lynchings across the American South or the condemnation to death of rape victims in some muslim countries. This isn't that world.

RE: Pass the Matthew Shepard Act...