Nick is a White and the victim, Glenn Moore, is Black...and Nick allegedly uttered some derivation of the N-word during the assault. With the hate crime enhancement, Nick will serve 15 years in prison for second-degree assault...without the hate crime enhancement, he would served maybe five.

Moore has admitted that he and his friends were in the neighborhood to steal a car so it is difficult to look upon him as a true victim—HOWEVER, he was not attempting to steal Minucci's car and it seems fairly clear that fracturing Moore's head with a baseball bat was an unwarranted assault.

(Minucci also has a history of violence including stabbing a man so it is probably safe to assume that he's a bit of a nutbag.)

All of this aside, what I found interesting was the coverage of events by the New York Daily News.

Earlier exclusive: Go easy on Nick, victim's pop says by Scott Shifrel 7/18/06

Look at this quote from Shifrel's column:

"Moore, who was clubbed and slurred more than a year ago in a crime that sparked headlines, is expected to speak at today's sentencing of Minucci, who faces up to 25 years behind bars."

Umm...he was clubbed and slurred? Seriously, slurred...when did name-calling become a crime?

Good grief, what's next? A first grader gets 18 months in County Jail for calling his classmate a Doo-Doo Head? Can you imagine the 6 year-old child of tomorrow?

Billy called me a Doo-Doo Head! He slurred me and I feel offended and oppressed...I'm calling the police and suing this school!

By all means, let's lock up the loonies who run amok with baseball bats and harm other people...harm as in fracture their skulls not hurt their feelings.

He was slurred...ooh, can you imagine if he was shushed?