I used to harbor hope that the bigots would eventually just die off. However, horrific articles like this one and comments routinely posted on this site and others by (presumably young) bigots have disabused me of that notion.

Race, gender, sexual orientation, religion -- take your pick. There will always be people willing drive wedges, hurl insults, and pound fists.

Blacks are dragged behind trucks and beaten in fields in our state for entertainment. (See http://www.texasmonthly.com/2007-02-01/feature4.php?click_code=951dd85652d91ac65d27cc07182e7bc8)

Gays are routinely kicked around like a political football (while others are kicked in an even more direct fashion). Gay teenagers commit suicide because of the unrelenting hostility they face day in and day out.

This backwards madness has to stop, and it has to stop now.

Please take a moment to look at the work being done by the Southern Poverty Law Center: www.splcenter.org

Awful, just awful. It is so disappointing to be from an area associated with this type of event happening.

there is a special place in hell for sadist bigots in trucks. i'll add to that list deadbeat employers who don't pay day laborers, child predators, anti-abortion activists, evangelical hypocrites, gay republicans, and bush/cheney.

From the linked article:
"She said Wright had gotten into a verbal altercation with the suspect and stuck his head into the vehicle

While there does appear to be plenty of racial animosity involved here, the dragging appears to be incidental to the fight between the two. This is a world different from Good Ol' Boys wrapping a chain around someone and dragging him all over town.

My comment got cut off and then I couldn't add another comment due to system set up. But, basically it was similar to OhGodlamFrom Texas's comment. If someone I've had an argument with is crazy enought to stick his head in my car while I'm driving away, I just might drag him a bit, regardless of the color of his skin.

Cynical Optimist and OhGodlamFrom Texas:

The article also reports that the driver of the truck had a problem with Wright dating a white girl...wonder if that made it easier or harder for him to decide to drive off with Wright's head in his car.

No one is saying this wasn't a racially motivated attack, Kelly.

But we do the memory of James Byrd no justice by equating a violent and nasty bar brawl to a premeditated torture-murder where a man was dragged TO PIECES while chained alive to the back of a truck.

I agree with you, Blue. There was probably enough racial motivation to elevate this to a hate crime, though. Too bad Texas doesn't really have any hate crime laws worth using.

Yeah, it was all just one big accident, I guess. I mean, how many times have I been driving down the road after an argument only to notice that I've got a guy's head stuck in my door and I've been dragging him for awhile? It happens all the time, I'm sure.

So here are the likely defenses:

1) It's just boys being boys. We don't want to ruin their lives for a simple "bar brawl," do we?

2) It was just an accident (or an "incident" of the fight). If that black guy didn't want to get dragged by the truck, he shouldn't have gone and stuck his head in there.

It won't be long before someone blames the victim for "inciting" the fight by dating "outside his race." Or that he "shouldn't have been looking for trouble by being in that part of town at night." Or maybe "he was attacking them and just couldn't run fast enough to keep up with the truck."

And yes, of course, since this man wasn't actively chained to the truck, it's hardly worth mentioning at all, right? Wrong.

If that was your loved one being dragged, would you be so quick to make excuses for the attacker?

Go read the Texas Monthly article about the beating of Billy Ray Johnson in Linden and see how people are quick to rationalize and justify these acts of senseless brutality.

No one is advocating a rush to judgment. We believe in due process in this country (or at least we used to before this adminstration took over). But the facts, as they are known now, are damned disgusting.

Byrd was dragged on the pavement for two miles. This guy was pulled along with his head stuck in the door for 100-120 feet.

Byrd was an absolute innocent. This guy was involved in an altercation.

Byrd was murdered in the most brutal fashion imaginable in an act of premeditation. This guy was hurt in the passion of the moment.

Yes, clearly this was a racially-slanted attack.

But FACTS MATTER. And the FACTS of this case indicate that it is NOT directly comparable to what was done to Byrd.

Which is why, incidently, two of Byrd's attackers will be executed and these attackers will simply serve time.

Blue wrote: "Which is why, incidently, two of Byrd's attackers will be executed and these attackers will simply serve time."

I disagree...I believe that the only likely reason that Wright's attacker will only serve time as opposed to the death penalty is because he was lucky enough that Wright didn't die. Dumb luck given that he was thrown from the truck and landed straight on his face.

I know the Weaver Kid, He isn't racist, As a matter of fact, He has an African American COUSIN!!! his white female cousin his married to an African American! So How can they even say he is Racist! What would you do if someone put their arm in your car! Would you set there and let them hit you> or would you drive a little, thinking they would remove their arm! I would think they would remove their arm, Weaver Prolly got Scared when Wright Put his Arms in the window, and the only thing he thought was drive forward, and maybe he will take his arm out. It was accident! Weaver isn't a racist and Wrights own girlfriend, Said that she DID NOT HEAR weaver say any thing Racial! But what she did say, was OTHER people had been calling her phone for weeks and beening mean to her for dating Wright, Weaver doesnt even know Them> I think before people decide someone is Racist they need to wait and hear the whole story. Which the truth will come out!

p.s. Why to get out Comment Publish we have to type that horrible"adios mofo" I don't like mofo, I shouldn't have to type that to get my comment Printed!

Right, just b/c someone has a black cousin, they can't possibly be racist, right? Um, no. Let me guess, Weaver has black friends, too. Is "one of his best friends" black? That doesn't mean someone isn't racist. You can be racist and still have friends of other races. Racism doesn't simply mean you hate people of another race, wish them ill will, won't talk to them, etc. It's far more complex in most cases.