Voices of Hate lead to Violence and Destruction

What everyone has been saying all the time, is that hate speech eventually leads to violence. No where is this plainer than in Virginia. Frederick Clarkson reports on violence directed against a Virginia congregation of the United Church of Christ:

A small fire was set in St. John's Reformed United Church of Christ this morning and anti-gay graffiti was painted on the side of the building.

The outside of the church was vandalized with anti-gay messages and a declaration that United Church of Christ members were sinners. The graffiti's message appeared to be a reference to the national church's decision earlier this week to endorse gay and lesbian marriages.

Of course the various groups spewing forward hate against gays and lesbians will no doubt try to distance themselves from these acts like Massresistance and Article 8 tried to do with Fred Phelp's Westboro Baptist Church (apparently their form of hate is not the same as the WBC's form of hate.) However, it doesn't take an idiot to know that the hate speech these groups profess always incites people out there to take it one step further. All their talk of homosexuals being the downfall of society and their "pervert" talk just leads to destruction: physical and mental destruction.

All of this sounds all too reminiscent of the burning of black churches and crosses to intimidate.