Ok, if you don't understand something, like hate crimes legislation, at least read the
wikipedia article. Disagreeing is one thing, but at least try to understand the other side's point of view.
I, for one, am generally in favor of hate crimes laws, for pretty much the reasons summarized in the wikipedia article. Hate *speech* laws are a much trickier matter. In the case of this legislation (as I understand it - I haven't done extensive research, I'm afraid), the effect is that crimes that are driven by hatred for a given race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, can be prosecuted on a federal level with harsher sentencing. This doesn't created 'protected classes' because the crime is the same whether a person is male or female, black or white, Christian or Muslim, gay or straight. The only requirement is that one of the aforementioned categories be part of the motivation for the crime.