HATE: The answer is forgiveness

The Rachel Dolezal conflagration hurt us all, pitting friend against friend and neighbor against neighbor. Our job is not to punish, but to forgive and to do something good with the lesson learned.

Rachel is mentally ill. We should have known that all along. And we should realize that there are a few more still working to divide us.

Ending hate is your job and mine. The wealthy human rights organizations are simply not up to the task. Worse yet, their power in the hands of new bigots could cause a resumption of attacks on innocent people. If another eccentric comes to command those large treasuries, even greater damage is possible.

Genuine racists are nothing like the people you are told to hate. Their suffering and their losses are made harder to bear because they are not allowed to talk. Censorship, separation and mistreatment are all profoundly ineffective. They just don’t work. When we lie about racists, they only become harder to change.

The people on every side of this crazy argument need our love and understanding. Blind denial leaves the problems festering and the idea that somebody with a title and an organization has the right to make you and me ignore the hurts of others is nuts! There are no voices that we should refuse to hear. As for me, I will hate nobody. I will deny my friendship to nobody.

JACK WIEGMAN

Missoula, Mont.