"Hate-crimes laws are attempts to penalize ideas—bad ideas, but ideas nonetheless. Under these statutes, those who commit, say, assault or harassment motivated by animus toward a particular group (characterized by race, religion, nationality or gender) receive harsher punishment than criminals who hate their victims merely as individuals. The extra punishment is for holding anti-whatever views. In essence, hate-crimes laws are a species of mind-control. That their proponents purport to be champions of free speech is instructive."

---Don Feder