That's my esteemed colleague Michael Tomasky's view of Ron Paul. I'm not sure how one locust, let alone a little one, could be "pestilential", but leave that as it is. Michael then says:
My esteemed colleague Andrew Sullivan should bear in mind that while it’s nice that Paul supports everyone’s right to privacy in the bedroom, if someone gets beaten to a pulp on the street simply for being who he is, don’t go knocking on Paul’s door, as he’ll be nowhere to be found, hate-crimes laws being a threat to the freedom of the hater and all.
But that's one reason I like him! I despise hate crime laws, and all the claptrap associated with them. And Mike's logic here is bizarre. If I got beaten to a pulp for being gay, any president is required to enforce the laws against assault, as are the local police. There is absolutely no need for hate crimes laws to bring violent individuals to justice. If the authorities tried to turn such an assault into a hate crime, I would strongly object. I am not a gay person first and foremost. I am a person. I need no liberal sanctimony to remind me of that.
The Dish 