Friday, November 04, 2005

My town is in the news.

In a few days, my smallish commmunity will be hosting, most unwillingly, I might add, a group of the most disgusting people on the face of the earth.

Yes, Fred Phelps is coming to town. He calls his organization the Westboro Baptist Church but I do not see anything about it that is 'churchy.' What I see is organized hatred.

I don't know whether to hide for three days, or to take Hub's camera and go gawking with the multitudes.

These people are walking examples of hatred, intolerance, and the unbelievable depths the human soul is capable of sinking.

I have read in many places, and my experience with the public for so many years also demonstrates, that the majority of extremely prejudiced hate-mongers have a lower-than-average IQ, which makes them tend to follow strong leaders blindly, and to copy whatever beliefs that strong leader has, instead of cultivating their OWN beliefs. It's just easier to follow and copy, than to think for oneself. And, of course, many violent people tend to have low IQ's. Put it all together, and you have Fred Phelps and his followers. And they're coming here.

The energy that some people waste on hate could be used so many different and more positive ways. . . . .

They are coming here because our representative, Brent Steele, has authored a bill making it a felony to picket a military funeral. Honestly, I have never heard people who are such name-callers in all my life. There is nothing whatsoever remotely Christian about any of them.

I was just over to my friend Scotty's blog, and he has posted about this same thing. He's not putting the Westboro Church's link on his post, and neither am I.

There are four motels in this town. I think if I owned a motel right now, I'd lock the doors and take a little mini-vacation, rather than rent to these people. I would not want their money.

And now I am the one who sounds prejudiced. I don't mean to be. But I just can not tolerate gleeful wanton cruelty to others, in the name of their god (who is not MY God) and in the name of freedom of expression. Or for any other reason.

They specialize in passing judgement on others. Preferably, to send them straight to Hell, a place they seem to know quite a bit about. Perhaps they have forgotten, or conveniently by-passed, the fact that passing judgement is God's prerogative, not ours.

I'll say this again: I wonder how some people can sleep at night.