Thursday, September 09, 2010

Leonard Pitts Gets It Right Again


I have been a fan of Leonard Pitts, columnist for the Miami Herald, for years. He's the voice of reason in this crazy post 9-11 world and I always look forward to his columns. Today he took on Rev. Terry Jones, pastor of Dove World Outreach Center in Gainsville, Florida, who plans to build a bonfire and burn the Koran this Saturday, the ninth anniversary of 9-11.

Here's an excerpt:

[Jones] proposes to commemorate an act of hate with an act of hate.
He will do this, he says, even though he's been denied a permit.
He will do it, he says, in the face of protest from Christians and Muslims.
He will do it, he says, even though half his church has deserted him.
He will do it, he says, even though it will inflame radical Muslims.
He will do it, he says, even though it might place U.S. soldiers at risk.

Another excerpt:

It's hardly news anymore when a conservative pundit or public figure -- and yes, that's almost always the profile -- says something belittling, bellicose, ignorant or hateful about gay people, Hispanics, blacks, or undocumented immigrants. And Muslims? Lord, it has been open season on them for years, the increasingly strident denunciations of Islam culminating in this summer of discontent.

ME: It's hard for me to understand how a so-called Christian can instigate something like this. As a  Christian, I find the whole thing abhorrent, to say the least. Would Jesus do something like this? I think not.

2 comments:

Patricia Stoltey said...

Hi Luana -- I've heard too many people try to characterize this minister as a "good" or "devout" Christian. I think he's just a nut.

I wish the media would stop reporting on him, and I wish they would boycott his little publicity stunt. It's a perverted and mean version of the balloon boy fiasco.

Patricia

Luana Krause said...

I agree, Patricia. The media keeps him front and center, giving him credibility, which is exactly what he wants.