Attacks on Kansas Jewish Community: This is What Hatred Looks Like

Since the 2010 midterm election, we’ve seen many Democrats and the mainstream media attempt to label mass shootings by deranged people as political “hate crimes” by conservatives and the Tea Party. The enthusiasm for such prejudice has declined somewhat recently, but it lingers in the background whenever such events occur.

The shootings at Jewish community centers in Overland Park, Kansas this past Sunday are a reminder of what hate crimes really look like. The alleged perpetrator had been a radical antisemite and racist for decades, was directly tied to the Ku Klux Klan, and shouted “Heil Hitler” when he was arrested after carrying out his attacks.

The man may be crazy, but in an ideological sense, not a clinical one. This was, based on the evidence, a crime that was carefully planned and long anticipated. The ironic idiocy of the act–all three killed in the antisemitic attack were Christians–does not detract from its evil. This is what hate looks like. Let’s not abuse the analogy.