"What do you expect out of Massachusetts?"
Honestly, what the hell does that mean? DMan, that entire node was well written and informative, but why take a cheap shot at Massachusetts? Surely you could have filled that bullet with some other text.
Really, what about Massachusetts causes you to expect its residents to falsify hate crimes? Is there a history of the state's citizens falsifying hate crimes? Any more so, than, say, New York, or Texas, or Florida? Hey, if that's true, node the evidence and I'll vote for it. Otherwise, it's just a cheap shot at the Bay State.
On another note, this is just one segment of a larger problem in America. And that's that even though you're innocent until proven guilty, the media will portray you as guilty until proven innocent. And for that reason, people will make up whatever crap they want, to get money, or to raise awareness of a cause, or to get their fifteen minutes in the spotlight. And the media falls for them hook, line, and sinker.
Take for example Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens. Most of the sports media (but, proving why they're number one, not ESPN) made it seem as though Lewis was guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt. Guess what? Prosecution cut a deal, because there was no chance of a conviction. But hey, he's a football player accused of murder. He must have done it.
And remember when a Dallas woman accused Michael Irvin or tying her up, forcing her to do drugs, and then raping her? Why were the charges dropped? Because she admitted that she made it up, and only used Irvin's name because she had heard of his legal problems on the news and thought she could get a quick out-of-court settlement from a man not willing to risk further embarassment.