Last week, RightWingWatch.org noted the decision by Westboro Baptist Church to stage a protest at Elizabeth Edwards’s funeral. Many were outraged to hear that the Topeka, KS church, led by pastor Fred Phelps and known for its virulently anti-gay rhetoric, would be taking its cause to Raleigh. They may have succeeded in getting some media coverage, but they did not succeed in making the day about hate. They were met with – and dwarfed many times over by – a “human buffer” of counter-protestors.
I share this today not to pay Westboro additional attention, but to show how important it is to take a stand against hate in all its forms.