For reasons too numerous to mention, I'm really looking forward to seeing this reported in a local or national news outlet,

I'm afraid that charges of thought crimes are more common than we would like. I have a friend whose son is facing felony charges in Oklahoma for having written a piece of fiction which was never even made public.

Rich:

"Hate crimes" are a form of thought crime.

Hate crimes aren't thought crimes. It's perfectly legal to hate someone, that's not a crime. A hate crime is when you act on the hate, making it a crime.

I am so sick of the term "Hate Crime".

People don't rape out of love.
People don't kill out of affection and admiration.

Most violent crimes are committed because of hate.

Are they not?

Yep.

dowingba:

It's perfectly legal to hate someone, that's not a crime. A hate crime is when you act on the hate, making it a crime.

You mean like writing a story, or calling someone a name?

It's perfectly legal to hate Castro in Cuba, too. The crime is when you act on the hate, making it a crime.

I think the crime part occurs when the act inspired by the hate actually causes harm to someone. I hate the fact that Shrillary still has a national platform to spew her drivel, and I would be perfectly legal in telling her so, but (as Jefferson said), "My right to swing my fist ends at your nose." I wouldn't be legally allowed to physically express that hatred, and I'm okay with that, because the fact of the assault itself should be enough to make it a crime.

But because we have decided that the motive behind the assault is enough to cause the punishment to be worsened is yet another crime, committed against the public. It eliminates the right to think or feel a certain way. And THAT is the very definition of "thoughtcrime", as explained by Orwell.

"hate crime" is a bullshit term.

Two things.

#1. I hope this kid isn't lying.
#2. I hope someone got it on video.

Brain:

What more do you want -- it's on his blog! It must be true!

You sound like you're a lawyer or something.

Brian:

I had the same exact concerns when I first read this. Right after it got linked off Instapundit, I read the kids account and about 28 posts which followed, during the course of which several people emphatically asked this kid to take it to the media and/or get a lawyer and help the kid sue. He got very waffly. I think this could be a conservative Tawana Brawley.

Rosemary: I don't think that a majority of murders are necessarily committed out of hate. I think the criminals have a purpose (deprive woman or purse, man of wallet, eyewitness of opportunity to testify, rival drug dealer of street corner) and murder is a means to an end. I would venture to say that nearly all contract killings are completely devoid of hate.

This doesn't make the idea of "hate crimes" any less bogus. But I don't think it's possible to generalize motives.