Thought Crimes? Oh Really
Hat Tip to Jim at Box Turtle Bulletin
There is a story making the rounds you can expect to see the religious right latch onto in their desperate attempts to paint the pending Hate Crimes Legislation as something that will make “thoughts” illegal. They’re even calling it the “Thought Crimes” Bill. This is about the case of a 16-year-old teen in Crystal Lake, Illinois who was arrested for passing out a flyer?:
A 16-year-old Crystal Lake girl facing a felony hate crime charge alleging she and a friend distributed anti-homosexual fliers at her high school must remain locked up until her case goes to trial, a McHenry County judge ruled Tuesday.
Whoa! Now even I would agree this is probably a bit overboard…if this was all there was to the story. But it’s not, so please don’t be fooled by the emails and blog posts that are bound to be circulated.
It seems this young lady has some troubles of her own, and doesn’t seem to get much real parenting.
Citing concerns over the girl’s home environment and her already lengthy juvenile record, Judge Michael Chmiel denied the girl’s request for home detention. Instead Chmiel ordered her held in the Kane County Juvenile Justice Center while the case is pending.
The girl’s record, Chmiel said, features 13 contacts with police, including an arrest for marijuana possession in August. McHenry County court records show that within the past year the girl also has been charged for driving without a license, consumption of alcohol by a minor, possession of tobacco by a minor, trespassing and three curfew violations.
And while we don’t know exactly what’s in the flier, school officials say it is actually directed at a specific individual…a classmate and neighbor with whom this young lady has had a running feud.
So, don’t let the krazy kristian kooks get you all fired up about this. There may be more to the story, and it will be appropriate to allow the juvenile justice system to run its course. As Paul Harvey used to say…”and now…you know the rest of the story.”
