The only difference between a hate crime and a non-hate crime is the assumed thought process in the mind of the actor...therefore, thought is a crime.
A slug in the nose because you are ugly is punished less severely than a slug in the nose with an animous toward your victim's race. The acts are the same. The damage is the same. Now values are fair game for punishment.
Once values are fair game, Orwell's "1984" is here. We're only 20 years behind the title. Political thought will be next in line for definition as a hate crime.
"The only difference between a hate crime and a non-hate crime is the assumed thought process in the mind of the actor...therefore, thought is a crime."
While I agree with you concerning hate crimes, I do have a question: How is this different from murder vs. manslaughter? We seem to admit motive as a determining factor in other instances...