Your editorial cartoon in the April 22 issue, a deliberate and egregiously hateful misrepresentation of people who peacefully and conscientiously object – not to homosexuals but to having the glorification of homosexuality shoved down our children’s throats, and to being harassed and intimidated far worse than what the cartoon accuses us of – is the best argument against hate-crimes bills such as the one Congress is now fast-tracking.

People – and the Kirkland Reporter – who proclaim themselves the champions of open expression, tolerance and inclusiveness, and uniters not dividers, have a higher obligation to not indulge in censorship, stereotyping, bigotry, and hate speech themselves, and to act forcefully against their allies who do. They also ought to be the first to fight for, not against, our right of free speech. A neighborhood paper should oppose, not abet, such vicious demonization of your own readership.

The fact is, by far the vast majority of both volume and gratuitous viciousness of hate speech (plus rioting during church services, leaving death threats on pastors’ voicemail, etc.) comes from those who support hate-crimes bills. This hypocrisy proves that the whole idea of tolerance is a lie, disguised as principle, devised to incite harassment and intimidation of people who stop short of “celebrating” homosexuality. Their real goal is instead a shield of immunity from behind which they can spew their own hate and bigotry, and suppress dissent like tin-horn dictators do, with impunity.

Their hypocrisy shows in that they won’t admit this cartoon is a hate crime, they won’t prosecute anyone who drew, selected, distributed, or agreed with it to the full extent of the proposed bill, and they won’t publicly castigate them the way that they routinely vilify us.

The worst form of hate is to falsely accuse others of hate. If they’re sincere about eliminating hate, it shouldn’t be their weapon of choice. And again the Kirkland Reporter should stop rather than transmit this hate.

K-Y Su, Kirkland