Hate to tell you

   Hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but hate crimes are on the rise in Tennessee. The state’s Bureau of Investigations has issued a report that shows an increase of over 50 percent in hate crimes in 2011. And with summer coming on, the economy spinning its wheels, and the noise swirling around such “hot-button” issues as race, religion and sexual orientation growing ever-more deafening, the number promises to keep rising along with the thermometer.

   What is a hate crime? In Tennessee it’s defined as one in which a person is victimized because of “race, religion, color, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry or gender.” People charged with such offenses face the possibility of harsher sentences.

   While “hate crime” may be a relatively new term, hate is as old as the hills. We hate what we’re afraid of or don’t understand, and fear and ignorance will never go away. But you’d better wise up enough to watch who you’re hating – or you might have more time in the pokey to think about it.