Hatred

Herself speaks today:

The Westboro Baptist Church -- long known for its ugly protests at soldiers' and other high-profile funerals -- will be here in my fair city today as a soldier is laid to rest.  In this beautiful country of ours, even the Westboro Baptist Church has a right to free speech, even if that speech is crude, cruel, and deliberately hurtful.  It would be best if we could all just ignore their shrill cries of hatred entirely; if we did not give them the reaction they so desperately crave, it is likely that they would eventually go away (though unfortunately they would no doubt appear elsewhere with their inflammatory words).   

They make me seethe with rage.

While a funeral is a public ceremony, there are private griefs present there.  Children left fatherless and a woman left grieving for her man; parents having to bury their child and brothers having to face the future without their childhood companion; friends trying to come to terms with the new gaping hole in their lives.  For the Westboro Baptist Church to subject grieving individuals to their message of hatred at such time of raw and tremendous sorrow is no less than inhuman.

Yet they proclaim that their message is a religious one: 
God's word. 

I despair for the human race when I think of the atrocities committed in the name of God. 

Can we find hope for humanity?  I think we can. I look at the Offspring, who are warm-hearted and thoughtful souls, loyal and helpful to their family and their friends; at my Beloved, who works so hard for the betterment of his family, his clients and his community; at my friends, who have brought kindness and support not only to me, but to the people around them as well.  All of them shelter within them a light that can dispel the darkness.  I am grateful for that light.

There is Evil in this world, to be sure; but there is Good to be found, too.  I hope that those who are grieving today can find that Good, despite the shadow of Evil. And Godspeed, our soldier.  Thank you for your service.  We will remember you.