Subscription: $15 / year Membership: $15/year All correspondence to: Editor: Duane Bates All correspondence to: P. O. Box 1744 Greenville, SC 29602 September, 2007

The Voice of Sanity THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UPSTATE S.C. SECULAR HUMANISTS Visit our web-site for current and back-issues at: www.uscsh.org e-mail: secularhmnst@aol.com

HATE CRIMES AND THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY

Many jurisdictions in the United States have enacted criminal statues penalizing criminal acts against a person(s) based on the persons race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity/national origin or disability. The FBI compiles statistics on these hate crimes and publishes them in the Statistical Abstract of the United States. All 2004 data in this article is based on the published statistics in the 2007 edition of the Abstract.

An examination of the detailed hate crimes that were committed in 2004 indicates that a number of US historical social prejudices are still very well represented in the our culture in spite of efforts to eliminate them. In 2004 there were a total of 7,679 hate crimes reported by 12,723 law enforcement organizations representing 254 million of the 293 million US population in that year.

Hate crimes based on race totaled 4,067 in 2004, 53% of the total hate crimes in 2004. Hate crime committed against African-Americans in 2004 totaled 2,751, or 67.6 percent of all race-based hate crimes. African-Americans make up about 13% of the US population, but were the victims of 67.6% of all race-based hate crimes. In contrast whites, which make up about 70% of the population were victims of hate crimes only 828 times, or 20.4% of the race-based hate crimes.

In religiously based hate crimes the historical bias is even more pronounced, with Jews, who represent less than 2% of the US population, being the victims of 70.0% of the 1,382 hate crimes in this category. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, you would expect hate crimes against followers of Islam to be a major factor, but there were only 157 hate crimes reported against this group, 11.3% of the total, although this is certainly more than their representation in the population.

There were 1,192 hate crimes based on sexual orientation reported in 2004. Of these 738, or 61.9% were directed toward male homosexuals, but when you add in the 245 hate crimes directed toward homosexuality in general, the percentage increases to almost eighty percent.

It is not difficult to see the social, historical and religious contexts of these hate crimes. Our history of racial prejudice, slavery, and segregation, legal and de facto, is still reflected in virtually every social indicator, education, earnings, home ownership and many others for the African-American community that lag behind the white population. While America escaped the worse of the anti-Semitic history and behaviors of our European ancestors, there is still a residue of prejudice against Jews that is fueled by the white supremacy movement, proponents of the worldwide Jewish domination conspiracy theories and the belief in some Christians that Jews were the “killers of Christ”. We saw the same type of prejudice begin to develop against Muslims after 9/11 when the entire religious group was tainted by the actions of a few violent extremists.

Prejudice against homosexuals is deeply rooted in some Biblical verses that clearly condemn homosexually. Most of the objections to gay marriage, civil unions and all other efforts to extend comparative equal to gay couples is based on religious beliefs and theology.

This information reinforces the concept that the rate of possible social change is inversely proportional to the willingness of the population to cast aside or revise religious or historical prejudices that justify discriminatory laws or social stigmas against a specific group of people. Prejudices based on religious theology or beliefs are the most deeply rooted because of their origin from the authority of religion and the fact that most of us are indoctrinated with religious beliefs by our parents, regardless of the religion, at a very early age.

One of my favorite artists is the surrealist Salvador Dali, and one of his famous works, The Persistence of Memory, with its melting watches, visually represents the social forces that transmit our cultural values, including prejudices, from generation to generation over time. Hate crimes are the extreme behavioral representations of our historical prejudices. Everyone has the right to their own beliefs, but when those beliefs are translated into physical attacks against person(s), a just society has an obligation to criminalize and punish those attacks.

Each of us, to some degree, harbors some irrational prejudices. Xenophobia, the fear of persons who are different from us, was a survival factor at some time in our collective history when we lived in small tribal groups, but now we live in large societies that are blends and mixes of many different cultures, religious and social histories and the rate of social change is often more rapid that the average person can assimilate.

All of us need to take an inventory of our irrational prejudices and try to determine how they developed, where they came from and how we can reduce or eliminate their effect on our interactions with other people. It is acceptable and normal to have a dislike or prejudice against a specific person after you meet them and have time to evaluate their behaviors, but a blanket prejudice against a group based on skin color, race, or other basis hurts all of us.

In our role as parents we must be especially careful not to transmit racial, religious, or ay other type of irrational prejudices that violate individual rights to our children. Virtually all our prejudices are formed in childhood, absorbed from our family, peers of our society. As adults we need to have the confidence and courage to speak out against prejudice in all its forms and to model the behavior we expect from others.

The good news is that the annual number of hate crimes is declining. In 2001 there were a total of 9, 728 hate crimes reported, declining to 7,679 in 2004. Of course, these numbers represent only the hate crimes reported to law enforcement and, like rapes, more crimes may be going unreported. Let’s hope the numbers of these, and all crimes, continue to decrease.

THE SUB PRIME LOAN CRISIS AND THE COSTS OF NON-REGUALTION

We are constantly being warned by “conservatives” about the dangers of oppressive and costly government regulation and how it threatens business expansion, creativity and job creation. There is certainly some truth in these arguments and it doesn’t take much effort for anyone to come up with a number of stupid and counterproductive rules, laws or regulations at any level of government to prove the case.

The ongoing sub prime loan crisis is an example of the cost and stupidity of the opposite case: little or no government oversight and the financial consequences to all of us of allowing irresponsible, and in some cases, outright fraudulent behavior by a relatively small number of persons and firms. The loss in the equity markets as the result of the sub prime-lending crisis certainly exceeds $1 trillion. Everyone who has a 401(k), pension, or any other assets that have investments in the financial market has lost money in the past month, and there is no way to know when the lost assets will be recovered.

At the heart of this crisis are the mortgage brokers and what is referred to as a “no doc” loan. The revolution in the financial markets gave rise to the business of mortgage brokerage, a person or firm whos business is to locate home financing for individuals and families who cannot qualify for a conventional mortgage, one that has strict down payment and earnings requirements. The no doc loan often used by mortgage brokers interested in making a quick buck is a loan that requires no income verification, no credit report and a little or no down payment and normally carries a higher than market rate of interest because the borrower cannot qualify for a conventional mortgage. The mortgage broker works on a commission, gets paid when the loan closes and has no liability if the borrower defaults. The loans are bundled together and sold to investors seeking a higher than market rate of return.

The heart of the current problem are ARM (adjustable rate mortgages) mortgages that were signed when market interest rates were low, but can be “adjusted”; raised when market rates increase. The borrowers who could afford the monthly mortgage payments when the loan was new now can face sharp increases in the monthly payment that they cannot make, forcing them into default. Although the total impact of all the questionable mortgage loans is very small (1 to 2%) in relation to the total financial markets, fear and uncertainty have caused a worldwide drop in confidence about the stability of returns and market prices. When the markets get unpredictable there is a “flight to quality and safety”, meaning that stocks and other financial instruments get sold and the guaranteed, stable bonds get bought.

Some friends of my wife and I illustrate the problem of no doc loans and ARMs very well. The husband and wife both have small businesses, no health insurance, no savings and two children still at home. Their total annual income is less than $60,000. Several years ago they scraped together enough cash to buy three acres of land. During the recent low interest rate period, and using a mortgage broker and a no doc loan, they were able to have a $300,000 home built on their property. The land was considered the down payment.

I‘am sure they reported their income and lack of other assets accurately on the loan application, but they still had no problem obtaining a loan for a home that was five times their annual income. Every month they struggle to make their mortgage payment, pay their normal living expenses and pay the hefty property taxes and insurance costs. The slightest financial reversal or health issue will cause them to fall behind on the mortgage payments and fall into default. They are honest, hard-working people, but their lives are full of financial stress as the result of their decision to build a house they cannot really afford.

Multiply this scenario by millions of times and you have the current financial mess we have. The real irony is that this couple previously owned a much more modest home that met all their needs and even included a in ground swimming pool, but they wanted their “dream home”. Sometimes dream homes turn into nightmares when you don’t have the financial assets and income to make them come true.

I am reluctant to call for more government regulation in any area, but I think we need to re-think our whole approach when a lack of regulation allows a few unscrupulous people to “take the money and run” leaving the rest of us to pay the ultimate costs of their behavior.

The globalization of the world financial markets and increasing rate of integration of business has great potential benefits, but with the benefits come greater risks. The current credit crisis may be warning of worse problems to come.

INCOME OF MEN IN THEIR THIRTIES DROP

A Wall Street Journal research report shows that men in their thirties in 2004 earned 12% less than their fathers at the same age after adjusting for inflation. This is another example of how the inequality of both income and wealth is increasing in the US.

In 2004 fifty percent of all Federal tax returns had adjusted gross incomes (AGI) of $30,000 or less, while 70% of all returns had an AGI of $50,000 or less. By contrast, the top 1% of Federal income tax returns in 2004 reported an average AGI of $1,002,075. Seventy-five percent of Federal returns in 2004 reported an AGI of $55,000 or less, meaning that the 220 million men, women and children out the total population of 294 million in 2004 subsisted on about 34% of all personal income. The top 25% of all tax returns had 66% of all personal income.

In the twenty-four years from 1980 to 2004, the income of the top 1% of tax filers increased by 679%, while the income of the bottom 50% of tax filers increased by 229%. Inflation during this period was 245%.

SEPTEMBER CALENDER

BRUNCH: The September brunch will held at Denney’s Restaurant, 2521 Wade Hampton Blvd., Greenville, 29615 at 10:30AM on Saturday, September 8^th.

MONTHLY MEETING: The September monthly meeting will be held on Sunday, September 23^rd at 5:00PM at the home of Joyce and Duane Bates, 231 Rainey Road, Greenville. Joyce and Duane will provide the main course and all eating utensils. Call Duane at 423-0802 to coordinate your contribution.