Where has Civility Gone?

There’s free speech and then there’s civility and empathy for our fellow citizens, which is become a rare commodity. This past week we were served another example of the price we sometimes pay for free speech when the Westboro Baptist Church decided to visit Palo Alto. Their goal was to preach to us all that our children are throwing themselves in front of trains because God hates us. Our homosexual loving ways have caught up with us and our innocent children are paying the price. Many of their signs were actually to offensive to be posted on this site.

involved in, the families of our soldiers deserve a little quiet dignity when burying the loved ones.

The Westboro Baptist Church is headquartered in Topeka Kansas and they traveled a long way to find God’s wrath. I’m wondering why they had to travel so far?

• Between 1995-1998 there were 1,296 suicides in Kansas.
• On Jan 7, 2010 a state of emergency was declared by the governor due to torrential rains and heavy snow.
• In 1966 Topeka was crushed by a disaster which leveled a chunk of the city killing 17 people and 550 injured.

Just a quick Google search turned up the information above which would make it seem like God is punishing Kansas. Why is the Westboro Baptist Church derelict in its duty of trying to save its own citizen’s souls first? Obviously God is just as angry at Kansas as he is at the Bay Area?

There are only a few things that I’m certain of:

• The vast majority of people that live in Kansa are wonderful, hardworking Americans and I do not suspect that God is angry at them. So perhaps the unfortunate events that occurred both there and here are not due to God’s anger.
• The people of Kansas are likely ashamed of the Westboro Baptist Church’s behavior and lack of civility.
• We have to tolerate quacks like these because of free speech!

On a final note, I was proud of all the volunteers that came out to counter the hateful message of the Westboro Baptist Church with positive statements. Thank you everybody!