Love Thy Neighbor...except...

"God Hates Fags."

Not your garden variety Christmas greeting. Not your average loving thought. Not your run-of-the-mill perspective. Brought to us by the lovely folks over at The Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, ministered by the Right Reverend Fred Phelps...Man of God.

Correct me if I'm wrong here but wasn't Jesus, whose birthday we're purportedly about to celebrate...wasn't he all about love and forgiveness and inclusion?

Wasn't Jesus the guy who said, "Turn the other cheek" and "Love thy neighbor as thyself" and other things in the same vein?

At this time of year we are brought to near nausea by the incessant preaching about Peace on Earth and Good Will Toward Men. But the men part only refers to real men...not quiche eating, dress wearing, men kissing...men. No they are not God's children. They are the children of the devil, of Satan himself.

Why, you ask? Because they dare to love one of their own gender (this is true of women too...Lesbians...but they don't get as much press. Probably because men still run everything and women with women is supposed to be erotic...)

Now...what's really wrong with that? It's supposed to be about love. We don't persecute people because they love their dogs or cats. We don't exile people because they love chocolate or Chardonnay. We don't murder people because they love cotton rather than polyester.

So why do we discriminate against people simply because they love another of their own sex?

It is none of our damn business what people do within the confines of their hearts...or bedrooms for that matter.

Imagine the shoe on the other foot. Imagine all of the self-righteous people who go around preaching "family values" being the minority, being the ones who are shunned.

Wouldn't that be a spectacle. All of the lily-white, self-appointed custodians of society's rules being the ones who are ridiculed and denied respect and value. All because they love one of the opposite gender.

It would be ridiculous. And so it is with the Gay population. It is ridiculous to cast judgement on a person simply because they feel love for one of their own gender.

Love, mind you. The thing we make this whole holiday season about. Jesus and love and peace and harmony...and the hypocritical position of Gay exclusion and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

We should be ashamed. What would Jesus do? First he would be ashamed of us and then he would extend his hand of love to everyone...Gay, Straight, Bi, Republican, Democrat, Tea Party...even Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck who so ruthlessly take his name in vain every single day when they marginalize and hate.

Which brings us back to The Westboro Gang. Who in the hell do they think they are anyway? God's Army? Not even close. If God gets wind of what they're up to he'll strike the church with bolts of lightning and the whole thing will burn to the ground and every one of the congregation, led by the cartoonish Rev. Phelps, will be led right to the Gates of Hell where a chariot will be waiting to take them to the fires of eternal damnation.

"Love Thy Neighbor."

All of thy neighbors. There is no asterisk. It's not "Love Thy Neighbor*"
Love everybody...even the Westboro Gang...

So there!

Merry Christmas.