Replies

Hi, summer

Could you please fill me in on this "hate crimes" thing?
What, specifically, does Jeb think about "hate crimes" legislation?
Thanks,
LH

Here is the "hate crimes" part of the Debate transcript:

Putney: THE NEXT QUESTION NOW IS FROM MARWA ZEINI, WHO LIVES IN CENTRAL FLORIDA, AND IT'S ABOUT HATE CRIMES.

Marwa Zeini: WHAT WILL THE GOVERNOR DO TO REDUCE HATE CRIMES IN FLORIDA?

Putney: MR. McBRIDE, LET ME ASK YOU TO RESPONDS TO THAT FIRST. IT WAS ABOUT HATE CRIMES? WHAT WOULD YOU DO TO TRY TO REDUCE HATE CRIMES IN FLORIDA?

Bill McBride: WELL, THERE'S NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN TO ENSURE THAT EVERYONE IS TREATED FAIRLY, AND THAT PEOPLE ARE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE THEIR LIVES WITHOUT OTHER PEOPLE INTERFERING WITH THEM OR HARMING THEM. SO THE GOVERNOR OF THIS STATE NEEDS TO BE COMMITTED TO HUMAN RIGHTS AND MAKE SURE THAT NO ONE IS MIT TREATED.

AND NO ONE, BECAUSE OF WHO THEY ARE, IS TREATED DIFFERENTLY THAN ANYONE ELSE. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, AND MAKE SURE THAT THE LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL IN FLORIDA, VIEW THESE THINGS SERIOUSLY. BECAUSE THE WORST THING THAT CAN HAPPEN TO SOMEBODY IS TO BE MISTREATED BY SOMEBODY BECAUSE OF WHO THEY ARE.

AND I THINK AS THE GOVERNOR OF THIS STATE, THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING THAT YOU CARE ABOUT DEEPLY IN YOUR OWN HEART. SO RIGHT NOW, WE'VE GOT CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE PEOPLE ARE, I THINK, BEING STOPPED WHEN THEY SHOULDN'T BE.

THERE IS PROFILING THAT GOES ON. I KNOW THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE WORKING ON THIS. AS GOVERNOR, YOU WOULD SET THE TONE, TALK TO LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS, TALK TO THE SHERIFF'S, THE POLICEMEN.

AND AS GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA, YOU NEED TO SET THE TONE AND LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT THEY'RE ALL IMPORTANT, THAT EVERYBODY SHOULD BE FREE FROM THIS KIND OF THING.

Putney: HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER HER QUESTION?

Gov. Jeb Bush: ABOUT A MONTH AGO, A DERANGED MAN THREATENED TO BLOW UP MOSQUES IN THE TAMPA BAY AREA. AND WHAT I DID WAS, I CALLED UPON THE FDLE, WHICH HAS -- AFTER 9/11, WE DEVELOPED STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH ISLAMIC CENTERS ACROSS THE STATE, TO PUT TOGETHER A CONFERENCE CALL AND TO TALK THROUGH THIS, AND TO ASSURE THEM, WHETHER IT'S THROUGH THE HATE CRIMES LAW THAT EXISTS IN OUR STATE OR FEDERAL PROSECUTION, THAT THIS MAN WOULD BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE. AND I'M ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED, ONCE THIS INVESTIGATION IS COMPLETE, THAT THAT WILL OCCUR.

ON A REGULAR BASIS, WE TALK TO THE ISLAMIC LEADERS WHO DO FEEL FRIGHTENED AFTER SEPTEMBER 11th. I'VE MET WITH ARAB AMERICANS AND MUSLIM LEADERS ACROSS THIS STATE, AND THERE IS CONCERN. AND I'VE USED MY OFFICE AND LEADERSHIP TO MAKE SURE THAT THE OFFICE IS FOR ALL RESIDENTS OF OUR STATE, NOT A SELECT GROUP.

[Moderator continues with next question]

BTW, this transcript may not be complete, as others caught some errors in it elsewhere. (Also, you don't get the sense of McLawyer's actual response here-- how he paused, smiled, laughed nervously, etc.)

From the Miami Herald, August 1999