Tire Slashing is a Hate Crime, but Only If You Think The Wrong Thing While You're Doing It

From crime-ridden Chicago, where roving gangs have been having quite a time lately, comes this report:

Was the vandalism of 51 floats for the Gay Pride Parade this past weekend a hate crime?

Police say they are not investigating it as such. But the parade organizer and the owner of the floats both said they believe it was....

Associated Attractions owner Chuck Huser said all 51 floats being stored at the warehouse had two of their tires punctured. He and his staff found all the floats leaning to one side when they arrived at 5 a.m. Sunday to start pulling them out for the parade.

“Every single one,” Huser said. “They didn’t single out one float. They did them all.”

Equality. Absolutely in keeping with the theme of the parade.

Seriously, though, this story points out exactly what's wrong with hate crime legislation. Instead of punishing the act, they want to add punishment because of the thought that may have been behind the act. Since our criminal justice system has yet to come up with a way to read our thoughts, and at this point you're still supposedly free to think whatever you want to think as long as you don't act on it, hate crime legislation is quite simply unconstitutional.