I haven't expressed an opinion about the McCain supporter allegedly beaten up for her political views, because it seemed likely that she had made it up, but I didn't want to risk piling on an actual victim. Now we know: it was a fantasy.

I'm sure some bloggers will cast this as a dark Republican conspiracy, or somehow symptomatic of conservatism. In reality, AFAIK, faked hate crimes are usually faked by left wing causes, if only because the left has more groups who can realistically complain of attack. But while a few of them have been faked by student groups looking for attention, as far as I can tell the overwhelming majority are disturbed people looking for attention from their ideologically supportive peers, or, a la Tawana Brawley, trying to get out of some other trouble. It isn't "symptomatic" of the fight for racial equality or gay rights that some sad members of those movements engage in false accusations; it's symptomatic of the fact that some people will do anything to feel important. I expect the same applies here.

