Rep. Brad Sherman claims (LA Times, 11/7) he fears "crimes that threaten to tear the very fabric of our society apart," yet he proposes remedies - increased attention toward and prosecution of so-called "hate crimes" - that guarantee his worst fear being realized.

Designating specific groups of Americans with some shared characteristics as permanent victims - in his examples, African-Americans, Jews and gays - further isolates them from the rest of society in the name of "protecting" them from assaults ostensibly motivated by hatred.

At the same time, his message to others not included in these victim groups is that crimes against them do not matter quite as much. Crime is crime, and should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Basing punishment on the presumed mind-set of the criminal turns the justice system into a perverse guessing game and undermines the rule of law.

Bill Farley
Sun Valley