The difference between "crime" and "hate crime" is somewhat like the difference* between a "dialect" and "language." A "hate crime" implies at least a criminal conspiracy** and a gang, however loosely-connected, and is a violation of the founding principles (however confused at the time) of the USA, so might also be considered a type of treason.

The law makes reasonable distinctions between many crimes based on who is the perpetrator and who is the victim.

A "simple assault" on a police officer, for example, or a judge, is an attack on the custodians of our democracy, so is a much more serious crime than a "simple assault" on a private citizen for the purpose of robbery, despite the fact that both of the victims may have similar black eyes.

Cheers,

Puddin'
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* A shprakh iz a dialekt mit an armey un flot.
- A language is a dialect with an army and a navy.
---Max Weinreich

** Along those lines, the right wing have have *one* factoid in their general hysteria that *may* have some small basis in reality, as in Canada, a much more civilised place than the USA, a hell-fire organisation which spent its charitable dollars targeting those "sinners" who had turned aside from the "True Path" and subjecting them to an aggressive "ministry" trying to convince them of the error of their ways, and nitify them that they were, of course, going to Hell, had their charitable tax status taken away from them based on the fact that, in Canada, non-taxed charities have to actually serve the general public good, and so are not allowed to thumb their noses at *both* Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Queers *and* the revenue office.

The vicious operators of this hate group have, of course, lied about this and claimed that Canada was trying to "shut them down," and to "silence" their ministry.

The actual truth is that they were simply told that they would have to pay taxes like anyone else if they persisted in *acting* like anyone else, instead of the spiritual people they claimed to be.

In Canada, Fred Phelps and his anti-Gay crusade of stirring up "righteous" indignation and hatred against "homosexuals" would have their tax status stripped from them, not a bad reward for hatred and bigotry, and arguably consistent with the public weal.

The notion that this might somehow be expanded to include being charged as an accomplice or co-conspirator when one of their flock is so moved by the hateful rhetoric as to put words into action, is only a fantasy, I'm afraid, but a *good* fantasy.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/can_rel7.htm

P.S. Sadly, the hategroup has now left Canada and set up shop in the USA, where hatred is a treasured "family value," so their tax status is safe.