Hate comes in all Varieties

I grew up on the border of Louisiana and Southeast Texas. My neighborhood was inhabited by "God-fearing Christians". Lilly-white, middle class Americans which consisted of a married couple (male/female) and 2.5 children. The station wagons were the vehicle of choice and 95% of the men went to work at one of the many oil refineries. The women stayed home and raised the children.

My neighborhood was also inhabited by men who rode in flatbed trucks at night with crosses made of lumber loaded in the back. I remember one day playing outside alone in the front yard. The sun was starting to set and I heard the rattle of flatbed trucks coming down the street. In proud procession, I saw my neighbors dressed in white hoods where I felt they wore a proud, yet smug grin. I remember feeling afraid as the hair on my neck stood on end. I learned about the KKK in school and I was getting an education in my front yard as well. I've known people that were killed by the KKK. I knew the damage they were doing.

I remember I drove my friend and I to a mutual friend's wedding in Vidor, Texas. At first, she declined to go. Then, she refused to go as much as I tried to convince her. Finally after talking in earnest and swearing to her that it would be a trip to the wedding, then I would take her home immediately after.

When I picked her up, we chatted about our friend getting married and about attending college. We were having a nice time during our trip to the wedding. I looked in the rearview mirror and my stomach clenched. I tried not to alarm her, but picked up speed. The truck behind me matched me. My friend, "K" saw the look on my face and looked behind us. I remember the fear in her eyes, the tears of embarrassment, the anger of giving in and attending a wedding she was invited to.

I asked her to brace herself as I was going to try and lose them. I tried turning on various roads until I became lost myself. Finally, I lost the men in the truck. My friend was exhausted. I pulled into her driveway to bring her home safe and sound as we missed the wedding. We both cried for a moment and I tried to apologize. It was at that moment that I knew what it must feel like to be black living in the south while being chased by the KKK. I felt that instead of the year being 1982, that is was 1928. Hate comes in all varieties.

Many years later, I am watching the local news. A gay man living in Warren county, Tennessee is being tormented by 3 homophobic teens. They have tried destroying his home as well as spray painting hate slogans all over his home. He can't leave his home for fear of being killed.

Hate comes in all varieties.

I read the other day that illegal aliens are allowed to marry in the United States. Yet, 2 law abiding, tax paying citizens that happen to be the same gender are refused. Our government is saying loud and clear, "Illegal aliens are recognized in our country, even though they are breaking the law. However, Gay Americans are not valid. Period."

It reminds me of the quote:

“I am the Love that dare not speak its name.”Alfred Bruce Douglas (1870 – 1945) Uranian poet (referring to his homosexual relationship with Oscar Wilde)
Hate comes in all varieties.

Just last week, I encountered an attorney who has taken an oath to provide justice for those who have been wronged. Because, in our country, you are innocent until proven guilty. He saw me and for an instant, I could see "that look" in his eyes. The explanation that "gay partnership is not the same as legal marriage" fell in useless disarray at my feet. I've been condemned as being a sinner and less than any other United States citizen.

Hate comes in all varieties

What year is this anyway?

More Musings Later-

Ann Coulter Plunges to an All New L-O-W

Just when I think the woman can't spew any further vitriolic rhetoric, she proves me wrong. I am absolutely speechless.

Just so you can ascertain your own opinion, I am posting her entire diatribe. I warn you, this is not for the faint of heart. Read at your own risk of becoming as jaded toward politics as I am.

Ann Coulter on CNBC Show: Jews Need 'Perfecting' By E&P Staff Published: October 11, 2007 12:15 AM ET updated 1:30 PM ET
NEW YORK Appearing on Donny Deutsch's CNBC show, "The Big Idea," on Monday night, columnist/author Ann Coulter suggested that the U.S. would be a better place if there weren't any Jewish people and that they needed to "perfect" themselves into -- Christians.

It led Deutsch to suggest that surely she couldn't mean that, and when she insisted she did, he said this sounded "anti-Semitic."Asked by Deutsch whether she wanted to be like "the head of Iran" and "wipe Israel off the Earth," Coulter stated: "No, we just want Jews to be perfected, as they say. ... That's what Christianity is. We believe the Old Testament."

Deutsch told E&P's sibling magazine, Adweek, today, "I was offended. And then, and this was interesting, she started to back off and seemed a little upset."

Asked to gauge her reaction, Deutsch said, "I think she got frightened that maybe she had crossed a line, that this was maybe a faux pas of great proportions. I mean, did it show ignorance? Anti-Semitism? It wasn't just one of those silly things."A transcript, provided by Media Matters, follows.

*DEUTSCH: Christian -- so we should be Christian? It would be better if we were all Christian?

COULTER: Yes.

DEUTSCH: We should all be Christian?

COULTER: Yes. Would you like to come to church with me, Donny?

DEUTSCH: So I should not be a Jew, I should be a Christian, and this would be a better place?

COULTER: Well, you could be a practicing Jew, but you're not.

DEUTSCH: I actually am. That's not true. I really am. But -- so we would be better if we were - if people -- if there were no Jews, no Buddhists --

COULTER: Whenever I'm harangued by --

DEUTSCH: -- in this country? You can't believe that.

COULTER: -- you know, liberals on diversity --

DEUTSCH: Here you go again.

COULTER: No, it's true. I give all of these speeches at megachurches across America, and the one thing that's really striking about it is how utterly, completely diverse they are, and completely unself-consciously. You walk past a mixed-race couple in New York, and it's like they have a chip on their shoulder. They're just waiting for somebody to say something, as if anybody would. And --

DEUTSCH: I don't agree with that. I don't agree with that at all. Maybe you have the chip looking at them. I see a lot of interracial couples, and I don't see any more or less chips there either way. That's erroneous.

COULTER: No. In fact, there was an entire Seinfeld episode about Elaine and her boyfriend dating because they wanted to be a mixed-race couple, so you're lying.

DEUTSCH: Oh, because of some Seinfeld episode? OK.

COULTER: But yeah, I think that's reflective of what's going on in the culture, but it is completely striking that at these huge megachurches -- the idea that, you know, the more Christian you are, the less tolerant you would be is preposterous.

DEUTSCH: That isn't what I said, but you said I should not -- we should just throw Judaism away and we should all be Christians, then, or --

COULTER: Yeah.

DEUTSCH: Really?

COULTER: Well, it's a lot easier. It's kind of a fast track.

DEUTSCH: Really?

COULTER: Yeah. You have to obey.

DEUTSCH: You can't possibly believe that.

COULTER: Yes.

DEUTSCH: You can't possibly -- you're too educated, you can't -- you're like my friend in --

COULTER: Do you know what Christianity is? We believe your religion, but you have to obey.

DEUTSCH: No, no, no, but I mean --

COULTER: We have the fast-track program.

DEUTSCH: Why don't I put you with the head of Iran? I mean, come on. You can't believe that.

COULTER: The head of Iran is not a Christian.

DEUTSCH: No, but in fact, "Let's wipe Israel" --

COULTER: I don't know if you've been paying attention.

DEUTSCH: "Let's wipe Israel off the earth." I mean, what, no Jews?

COULTER: No, we think -- we just want Jews to be perfected, as they say.

DEUTSCH: Wow, you didn't really say that, did you?

COULTER: Yes. That is what Christianity is. We believe the Old Testament, but ours is more like Federal Express. You have to obey laws. We know we're all sinners --

DEUTSCH: In my old days, I would have argued -- when you say something absurd like that, there's no --

COULTER: What's absurd?

DEUTSCH: Jews are going to be perfected. I'm going to go off and try to perfect myself --

COULTER: Well, that's what the New Testament says.

DEUTSCH: Ann Coulter, author of If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans, and if Ann Coulter had any brains, she would not say Jews need to be perfected. I'm offended by that personally. And we'll have more Big Idea when we come back. [...]

DEUTSCH: Welcome back to The Big Idea. During the break, Ann said she wanted to explain her last comment. So I'm going to give her a chance. So you don't think that was offensive?

COULTER: No. I'm sorry. It is not intended to be. I don't think you should take it that way, but that is what Christians consider themselves: perfected Jews. We believe the Old Testament. As you know from the Old Testament, God was constantly getting fed up with humans for not being able to, you know, live up to all the laws. What Christians believe -- this is just a statement of what the New Testament is -- is that that's why Christ came and died for our sins. Christians believe the Old Testament. You don't believe our testament.

DEUTSCH: You said -- your exact words were, "Jews need to be perfected." Those are the words out of your mouth.

COULTER: No, I'm saying that's what a Christian is.

DEUTSCH: But that's what you said -- don't you see how hateful, how anti-Semitic --

COULTER: No!

DEUTSCH: How do you not see? You're an educated woman. How do you not see that?

COULTER: That isn't hateful at all.

DEUTSCH: But that's even a scarier thought.

***********************************************************************

I think Donny Deutsch "Gets it".

More Musings Later-