Our friend La Shawn Barber has some trenchant comments on the case of Chai Vang, the Hmong deer hunter who slaughtered six white hunters. She cuts to the chase and posits that he is probably guilty of a "hate crime" as supporters of that peculiar thought crime theory define it. La Shawn and I agree that "hate crime" laws are a travesty, but if we are going to have them, we should apply them uniformly, without regard to race or any other demographic characteristic.

Having grown up in the metroplis which hosts the largest concentration of Hmongs in the country (maybe in the world, since Hmongs are not predominantly city folk in Laos, and Vientienne, the capital of Laos, is not that big a city), I am familiar with the sociological complexities attending this particular group, and have been reluctant to comment. Hmongs have had a rough time of it for the last severeal decades. But La Shawn expresses many of the thoughts I would have had, if I had been able to cut through all the clouds in my own mind. As always, a visit to her blog is highly rewarding.

Thomas Lifson   11 30 04