Hi, I'm Jim Denison, and this is the Daily article.

I will be away the remainder of the week on vacation.

In my absence, my research associate and son, Ryan Denison, will write the daily article.

It will be read daily by Denison Forum Brand Director, Chris Elkins.

I will return on Monday, November 19th.

I hope you enjoy Ryan's approach to news discern differently.

Why are hate crimes on the rise?

The FBI recently announced that reported hate crimes in the United States increased by 17% in 2017.

That marks the third consecutive year that the number has gone up and the single largest spike

since the months following 9-11 when Muslims became the target of such attacks across the country.

To compound the problem, officials speculate that only 1% of hate crimes around the nation

are actually reported due to such issues as police precincts not responding to FBI requests

and strange laws defining what constitutes a hate crime. In Kentucky, for example, homicides are not considered

hate crimes even when racially motivated. These trends are troubling, to be sure, but perhaps the greatest concern

is that it's hard to look around us and conclude that the situation will improve anytime soon.

But why is that? While some will be quick to point at the rising animosity in our culture

as the reason for the escalation and hate crimes,

that explanation only scratches the surface of the true problem. To be sure, the rancor of our day,

whether it comes from the president's Twitter page or the headlines of CNN, contributes to the

rising hostility. And there is some merit to the argument that when

our cultural leaders seem to embrace hate and derision, it gives license for others to do the same.

Yet, placing the blame on public figures only further removes the responsibility that every

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