Emily,Your article about Westboro Baptist Church saddens me. Like you, I find their actions deplorable, but I am not willing to hate them. Your commentary concerns me because you, in opposing them, have become like them. “The more people that hate these people the better, in my mind.” That is a statement that minister Phelps would use in describing gays. “Trying to imagine it being invaded by these cockroaches” is a phrase reminiscent of radio broadcasts that encouraged the genocide in Rwanda. You are de-humanizing people, and that is a characteristic of hate groups. If you seek tolerance, acceptance, respect and dignity, you must demonstrate these qualities. You must hold them dear to you, especially under adversity. How else can we know that you are serious about what you say? How do we know that you are not just a fair-weather friend to these principles? Oppose Westboro Baptist Church, but do it civilly, and you will be serving the greater good.
Sincerely,
Frank Dill