Charlie, my son had a classmate who's father was an attorney that wrote appeals for deathrow inmates at San Quinton. Defending the dregs of society may seem like a perversion on the face of it, but history has shown that not doing so can have even uglier consequences. It's important to have institutional barriers in place to prevent societies from herding all the perceived undesirables together and lighting them up. It's a fine balancing act between a lawful, civil society and a Nazi-like state. How far do you go? when is too much too much? Personally, I breathe easier knowing there are organizations like the ACLU, NAACP, NOW, anti-defamation league, police and government watchdog groups, Amnesty Intl., etc.
