A crime is a crime is a crime

Kudos to Representative Roy Blunt for his thoughtful decision to vote against this year's National Defense Authorization Bill because the Democrats who control Congress (for the time being, let's all hope) included new "hate crimes" laws in the Defense Authorization Bill.  The bill that funds our troops.  (Link here.)

"Creating a new classification of prosecutions based on thought compromises the very freedoms our service men and women fight to protect," said Blunt.  That's absolutely right.  Why is murder a lesser crime if your victim is white?  Why is it more okay to beat up a straight man than a homosexual man?  Why is it a federal offense to target a victim because she attends a particular church but not because she works for a particular corporation?

If I don't belong to any protected class, I am not afforded equal protection of the law.  I thought we were all constitutionally guaranteed such protection.  Didn't you?  Congressional Democrats sure don't think that.

A crime is a crime is a crime.  Laws are (at least they should be) drafted to regulate acts, not thoughts.  

{On a side note, what the fudge is "hate crimes" legislation doing in the Defense Authorization Bill?  The Missouri Constitution requires all bills introduced in the General Assembly to have no "more than one subject which shall be expressed in its title."  (Link here to article that, below the ad, quotes the provision.) Wouldn't it be nice if the U.S. Congress operated under that rule?  Might promote honesty in debate, don't you think?}