Hanging Witch Decoration a Hate Crime?

It seems the next logical extension of the noose craze going on around the country these days - using a noose to hang a witch for a Halloween decoration is being called a "hate crime":

In the state made famous for persecuting witches in the late 17th century, a modern day sorceress in Massachusetts is burning mad about a neighbor's Halloween decoration depicting a witch hanging from a noose, calling it a hate crime against her religion.

"I want to seem him take it down," said Kelly Lynch of Chicopee, Mass. "Look at what's going on in Louisiana. That would be the same thing. If a black family had ... crosses outside of their house or nooses hanging from their trees, it's basically the same thing."

The witch is hanging from wooden gallows in front of a home on East Street, but Lynch finds the decor offensive.

She told WSHM-TV she's been studying witchcraft since she was a child, and says it's her way of life.

"We're not casting spells against people, we're just worshipping the moon, the goddess, the Earth," she said. "Just like the Christians, Muslims, people have their own religion."

When Lynch saw the lifelike witch hanging in effigy in a neighbor's front yard, she went to his door to confront him.

"He told me that people should lighten up, and that it's a Halloween decoration. You know, to hang a witch from a real gallows and to have that as your only Halloween decoration, is kind of odd."

But the homeowner reportedly is not caving in. His neighbor, Kevin Belder, says he has every intention of keeping it up.

Just wait - it won't be long until using a noose for any purpose, including Halloween decorations, will be illegal.