An Open Letter to My Conservative Friends

This post will not contain any humor.

No snarky responses to the absurdities of the world.

Tonight's post is one of pure, raging anger.

Sorry about that. Just bear with me.

In the days that followed the September 11, 2001, my son, then a sophomore in high school, asked me a question.

"Dad," he asked, "Why are some of my classmates being so hateful to my Muslim classmates? They didn't attack the World Trade Center. So, why are they being treated so horribly?"

I had no good answer to his question.

But, I was prouder, than you can imagine, of my son's empathy and compassion.

I guess I did something right.

Given a little over a decade to ruminate on his question, I finally have an answer.

"Hate, my son, is the strategic offensive position of fear."

So what, you may ask, does that have to do with anything?

Well, I'll tell you.

In the last 48 hours, some of the handful of my "conservative" friends have seen fit to post some seriously vile, hateful, bigoted posts about "Muslim Terrorists" and implications that our President is somehow complicit in some sort of cover up in the Boston bombing.

                                                                      Like this one.

And, I am done with it.

*Digression*

Over the last few nights, I have taken the media to task for reporting unsupported suppositions and speculation as fact.

I stand by those criticisms.

But, since I am not a journalist, but rather, an opinionated, know-it-all asshole, I am going to lay some speculation on you, right now.

The Tsarnaev brothers are not a part of some larger terrorist cell.

Yes, they are Muslims. They are also American citizens.

And, you don't have to be a criminologist to recognize that they fit a textbook profile of  "Lone Wolf" pathology.

Two people, one dominant, one follower.

Very much like Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. (Note... not Muslims. White, "Christian", anti-government, radical right-wing extremists.)

Or the father and son team known as "The DC Snipers." (Also not Muslims, or foreigners, but they were **black**.)

If the Tsarnaev brothers were backed by a larger Muslim terrorist organization, they would have not been so sloppy. For all of the damage done, the whole thing came off like an amateurish imitation of an Al Quida attack.


(And, BTW, no major or minor terrorist organization has claimed credit for the bombings. So that doesn't fit the terrorist profile.)

Had they been backed by a larger conspiracy, they would not have had to rob a 7-Eleven to finance their failed get-away.

So, in my completely irresponsible opinion, the brothers Tsarnaev were merely a couple of delusional psychos, straight out of an episode of "Criminal Minds."

*End Digression*

Back to my original point.

If you are one of the half dozen or so of my "conservative" friends that are polluting my Facebook newsfeed with ignorant, bigoted, hate-speech...

You are now on notice.

One more "All terrorists are Muslim," one more "Obama is an anti-American, anti-Christian, pro-terrorist" post...

You will be "un-friended" and blocked.

I have no more time for your ignorant, hate driven bullshit.

That is all.