For the second time in six months, the US House of Representatives has voted to dramatically increase the amount of "hate crimes" covered by federal law. The new bill, passed on Thursday, is being named after Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, two victims of violent and terrible murders. Shepard was gay, Byrd was black, yet both of their murderers were tried, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison or death without the "help" of federal "hate crime" statutes.

This is why it seems odd, and politically motivated, that these two victims' names would be attached to a bill that is based on the supposed argument that without such federal protection, such heinous crimes would not go unpunished. The bill's supporters claim that it would deter people from being targeted for violent attacks because of their skin color, gender, disability, or sexual orientation.

The scariest part of this bill is the expansive power it gives the federal government over criminal activity and gives more authority to the Justice Department to overturn states' prosecutions or sentences if it is not pleased with the result.

"Hate crime" laws are bad enough, since they increase penalties for crimes supposedly motivated by bigotry, essentially punishing people for their beliefs. I am not defending the beliefs of racists or homophobes, but there is a dangerous gray line that is crossed when you can not only punish crime but also motivation. Intent should only be used to help prosecute the offender, not punish him even further. Should we punish the masks that bank robbers wear? Or outlaw Catcher in the Rye because Mark David Chapman held it when he shot John Lennon?

And just think of the term "hate crime." This implies that there must also be such thing as a "love crime," and I still have yet to hear about one of those.

The only "hate" involved in crimes is that anyone who uses aggression against someone else obviously hates private property rights, the cornerstone of freedom and a civilized country. It is completely possible to punish legitimate crime (murder, rape, theft, property damage) without resorting to the Orwellian control of our thoughts.