In his Nov. 13 column, Jay Evensen quotes Gayle Ruzicka, the president of the Utah Eagle Forum, who twists logic by saying, "It's still a hate-crimes bill that doesn't treat all people equally under the law." Well, Ms. Ruzicka, that is exactly the point.
Those who commit hate crimes don't exactly treat all people equally when they do their thing. I believe members of groups such as neo-Nazis, the KKK and gangs should not only be punished for their crimes but should be sent the message that it is not acceptable to single out victims just because they are members of a certain ethnic or social group. Give our judges the tools they need to nip hate crimes in the bud. Of all people, we Utahns should certainly remember how hate crimes affected our ancestors.
Chuck Lambert
Pleasant Grove