Hate Crimes Bill Still Stalled in Congress

I was just updating myself on the news of the day when this article came across my screen.  With the economy, the war, and everything else going on now it seems that the issue of strengthening laws regarding hate crimes has taken a back seat.  Of course, this isn't terribly surprising since the individuals who are the targets of hate crimes are already marginalized and deprived of their voices.  Whether it's disability, race, gender, sexual orientation, culture, or religion the people who are targets of hate crimes are usually members of oppressed minority groups.  Without a strong voice and political presence how can they reasonable expect legislation like that discussed in this article to overcome the hegemonic discourse of the ruling class(es).  It's these issues of discourse and voice and how they are used and abused within our society that really worry me.  We use these discourses of power to move people with silenced voices to the margins of society where they are more vulnerable to predators.  It's essentially the use of hegemonic discourse to perpetuate a largely invisible system of social Darwinism.

Okay, I'll stop my ranting.  Read this article and let me know your thoughts...