Thought Police Next?

Currently, congress is in the process of adding yet another category to hate crimes. First race, then religion, now sexual orientation.

To attach a "I hate you because," (choose your own category)to the crime, in many cases raises the level of what normally would be a misdemeanor to the level of a felony.

Not because the injury was egregious, but because your motives were politically incorrect. Why not add old people like me to these minority class distinctions? I certainly don't want to get assaulted by someone half my age. Equal protection under the law, is perhaps the most important of all rights. Creating special categories of people such as these hate statutes violates that right to equality.

To re-classify these acts to a federal hate statute, might or might not fly. Definitely, an appeal, or civil suit is in order. There are already laws against assault, both physical and sexual.

For the higher purpose of designating simple assault as a hate crime, elevating it to felony status, needs a very lot of discussion...