Hate Crime = Thought Crime

Scenario 1: I attack you. That is assault and/or battery.

Scenario 2: I attack you because I think you are Jewish/Gay/etc. That is a different crime, and different penalties apply.

The only difference between these 2 scenarios is a thought. (I still can't remember, are thought crimes in George Orwell's 1984 or Aldous Huxley's Brave New World?)

I don't see why people think that thought crimes are a good idea? Am I only allowed to think government-approved thoughts? So it would seem.