Hate Crime Legislation

[Excerpt] On October 28, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law, as Division E of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (P.L. 111-84; H.R. 2647). This law broadens federal jurisdiction over hate crimes by authorizing the Attorney General to provide assistance, when requested by a state, local, or tribal official, for crimes that (1) would constitute a violent crime under federal law or a felony under state or tribal law, and (2) are motivated by the victim\u27s actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. In other words, hate crimes are traditional crimes during which the offender is motivated by one or more biases considered to be particularly reprehensible and damaging to society as a whole. Prior to enactment, however, hate crimes were not separate and distinct offenses under federal law. Furthermore, federal jurisdiction over hate crime was limited to certain civil rights offenses. Although there is a consensus that hate crime is deplorable, determining the definitive federal role in addressing hate crime has proved contentious, as reflected in the legislative history and congressional debate. Legislation to widen federal jurisdiction over hate crime was passed by the Senate in the 106th and 108th Congresses, by the House in the 109th Congress, and by both chambers in the 110th Congress. Opponents of hate crime legislation view separate federal offenses for hate crime as redundant and largely symbolic, arguing that separate hate crime offenses would be in addition to the legal prohibitions for traditional crime that already exist under either federal or state law. They also contend that in most cases the federal nexus is tenuous, and that such offenses are best handled at the state and local level. Proponents for creating a separate and distinct federal offense for hate crime maintain that there is a fundamental difference between ordinary crime and hate crime. They believe that hate crimes are often perpetrated to send a message of threat and intimidation to a wider group, and that the effects of hate crime extend beyond the particular victim and reflect more pervasive patterns of discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, and other characteristics. In the 111 * Congress, the House Judiciary Committee amended and ordered reported a hate crimes bill (H.R. 1913; H.Rept. 111 -86) on April 23, 2009. The House passed H.R. 1913 on April 29, 2009. Senator Reid, for Senator Kennedy, introduced the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act (S. 909) on April 28, 2009. Senator Leahy successfully amended the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1390) with language that is similar to S. 909 on July 16, 2009. The Senate passed S. 1390, amended, on July 23, 2009. The hate crime provisions were included in the conference report on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (H.R. 2647; H.Rept. 111-288). The House passed the conference report on H.R. 2647 on October 7, 2009; the Senate passed it on October 22, 2009. In addition, Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee has introduced three hate crime-related bills (H.R. 70, H.R. 256, and H.R. 262), and Representative Maloney has introduced a hate crime statistics act (H.R. 823). At issue for Congress is whether the prevalence and harmfulness of hate crimes warrant greater federal intervention to ensure that such crimes are systematically addressed at all levels of government. Another related issue is the completeness and comprehensiveness of national hate crime data. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson introduced (H.R. 3419), which would amend the Hate Crime Statistics Act to require data collection on crimes committed against homeless persons. Senator Benjamin Cardin introduced an identical bill (S. 1765). On several occasions, the Senate Judiciary Committee was scheduled to mark up this bill during the 111th Congress, but consideration of this bill was postponed

Carnap: an Open Framework for Formal Reasoning in the Browser

This paper presents an overview of Carnap, a free and open framework for the development of formal reasoning applications. Carnap’s design emphasizes flexibility, extensibility, and rapid prototyping. Carnap-based applications are written in Haskell, but can be compiled to JavaScript to run in standard web browsers. This combination of features makes Carnap ideally suited for educational applications, where ease-of-use is crucial for students and adaptability to different teaching strategies and classroom needs is crucial for instructors. The paper describes Carnap’s implementation, along with its current and projected pedagogical applications

Cooperative Learning Applied to Interpreting Education

This action research project explored whether employing cooperative learning activities would improve participants’ perceptions of working in small groups. The action research model used in this study is based on a sequence of planning, implementation, observation, and reflection (Dana & Yendol-Silva, 2003; Hopkins, 2002; McLean, 1995). Action research is conducted by educators in their own classrooms and can lead to changes in curriculum, activities, or teaching methods. This style of research allows educators to reflect upon their teaching in a structured way, supported by valid research methods. Cooperative learning techniques (Johnson and Johnson, 1998) were applied in two interpreter education courses in order to facilitate student learning. A pre- and post-course survey of student attitudes toward working in small groups was used to measure student perceptions of working in small groups. Participants in both courses showed a shift to more positive perceptions of working in small groups with a stronger positive response in the non-graded summer intensive course with working interpreters

Results of abundance surveys of juvenile Atlantic and gulf Menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus and B. patronus

The estuarine populations of juvenile Atlantic and gulf menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus and B. patronus) were sampled during two-boat, surface-trawl, abundance surveys extensively conducted in the 1970s. Juvenile Atlantic menhaden were sampled in 39 estuarine streams along the U.S. Atlantic coast from northern Florida into Massachusetts. Juvenile gulf menhaden were sampled in 29 estuarine streams along the Gulf of Mexico from southeast Texas into western Florida. A stratified, two-stage, cluster sampling design was used. Annual estimates of relative juvenile abundance for each species of menhaden were obtained from catch-effort data from the surveys. There were no significant correlations, for either species, between the relative juvenile abundance estimates and fishery-dependent estimates of year-class strength. From 1972 to 1975, the relative abundance of juvenile Atlantic menhaden in north Atlantic estuaries decreased to near zero. (PDF file contains 22 pages.

A study of zoomorphic abstractions with raku sculpture

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The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator profiles of Resident Assistants

The purpose of this study was to ascertain if there is a dominant Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) profile for Resident Assistants at three institutions of higher education in the southeast United States, and to determine if that personality profile differs based on demographic information. The MBTI is a forced-choice personality indicator that characterizes an individual as extroverted or introverted, sensing or intuitive, thinking or feeling, and judging or perceiving. The MBTI was administered to 182 Resident Assistants at three institutions of higher education in the southeast. The indicators were scored and sorted based on type of institution (public or private), gender, race/ethnicity, and field of study. A chi-square analysis was done to determine if the frequency counts of MBTI profiles were statistically significant or merely coincidence. This study found that Resident Assistants do not have one MBTI profile that is dominant. While the distribution of profiles is not even, it is not statistically significant. It was also found that there is no significant difference in MBTI profile distributions based on the Resident Assistant\u27s race/ethnicity; however, significant differences existed based on type of institution, gender, and field of study. Resident Assistants at private, religiously affiliated institutions prefer judging versus perceiving significantly more than Resident Assistants at public institutions. Similarly, male Resident Assistants are more likely than female Resident Assistants to prefer perceiving to judging. Resident Assistants majoring in business or law/government are show preference for thinking in comparison to other fields of study. A comparison between Resident Assistants and traditional age college students revealed that female Resident Assistants are significantly more intuitive than traditional age college females. Additionally, male Resident Assistants are significantly more feeling than traditional age college males. While all of these differences exist, there are no significant differences between the MBTI profiles of Resident Assistants and that of the general population

Whatever Happened to Evidence-Based Practice During COVID-19?

Contemporary medical practice is grounded in rigorous scientific evidence in concert with best clinical practices and informed shared decision making with patients. During these times of uncertainty, disruption, and even anxiety, it becomes critical that we engage with our patients and communities in thoughtful dialogue and realistic expectations regarding treatments surrounding COVID-19. The hope for a “miracle” cure and urgency to return back to normal times can stimulate irrational thought and behavior and even desperate measures by individuals or groups. It becomes especially important that we continue to use reasonable, informed clinical judgment in discussing the various options with patients