Two nights ago, the Fox News Christmas tree, which stood tall outside the Newscorp Building in New York City, was set on fire. And while the man who did it was promptly arrested, there has been little discussion of why he did it. Most on the left have stooped to mocking the occurrence, including supposed comedian Stephen Colbert, who launched into a tirade about “thoughts and prayers” that I’m assured is supposed to be funny.

On the other end of the political divide, Tucker Carlson shared his thoughts on the matter, making what I believe is an important point on the hypocrisy surrounding acts like this.

A Christmas tree is a symbol. It’s a symbol of a specific culture. It’s a symbol of a much-loved tradition that’s hundreds of years old. Above all, it’s a symbol of a religion, the world’s largest. Torching Christmas trees is an attack on Christianity. pic.twitter.com/enFRpnT0mQ

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) December 9, 2021

Imagine for a moment that this hadn’t been a massive Christmas tree, a longstanding symbol of the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Instead, imagine this had been a stolen Koran being burned on private property. How would the press react? More importantly, how would law enforcement, including federal agencies like the FBI, react? I’m pretty sure you’d be hearing the term “hate crime” thrown around as wall-to-wall coverage commenced.

Yet, for some reason, when it comes to Christianity, the rules are different. But why is that the case? It’s not as if Christians aren’t persecuted, included violently, across the globe. Shouldn’t we be concerned when any attack on any religion takes place? And it seems rather insane to suggest, as some in the press are doing, that the tree wasn’t set on fire for political or religious reasons. Are we to believe the guy did it because he was cold?

Meanwhile, the man who was arrested for setting the blaze has already been released, and take a guess at how much bail he paid. Given this is New York City, you probably guessed $0, and you’d be right. A man caused what almost certainly amounts to tens of thousands of dollars in property damage (Fox News has to pay to rebuild the tree and protect it going forward as well) by burning down a religious symbol, and he’s just back on the street, laughing about it.

Fox Christmas tree arson suspect released without bail https://t.co/WRKrZySj4x pic.twitter.com/TZDweOOFNh

— New York Post (@nypost) December 9, 2021

That’s isn’t “criminal justice reform.” It’s lawlessness, and it’s the reason New York City has descended into a dystopian hell-hole of criminal activity. An arsonist who targeted a highly-valuable religious display is released without having to pay a dime or even spend a full day in jail. It’s inexplicable.

Would this man be on the street right now if we weren’t talking about a display rooted in Christian culture and tradition? I don’t know the answer to that as I’d need another case to compare it against. I have my suspicions though, and the way the burning of Fox News’ tree has become the butt of jokes is disconcerting. What kind of country acts this way? If someone burned a Jewish menorah display, I wouldn’t be joking about it or saying they deserved it because that would make me a terrible person.

In the end, it just feels like we are going down a dark path as a society, and I see no light at the end of it.