Unremorseful tragedy
To the editor:
Again we see hate raise its ugly head in the unremorseful tragedy of senseless murders in the mosques in New Zealand. Hate crimes are no different in this instance, than in any other sectors of supremacist movements.
The real tragedy is that these supremacist movements who engage in these actions regardless of race, creed or religion open up this forum to generate more hate through ignorance.
We see a rise in these movements from those who create this fear. We as a nation should remain vigilant against this hate by condemning all inciteful rhetoric and criminal actions attributed to these movements.
We have seen this hate, for instance, fueled by anti-Semitic remarks from newly elected Muslim Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, recent false reports of hate crimes, the gloating of criminal movements by leaders condoning the destruction of historical monuments, the killings at the synagogue in Pittsburg, etc.. All this does is open up Pandora’s Box in adding fuel to each movement trying to up the ante on this ignorance.
The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, only when that speech, press or assembly does not result in actions that encourage others to commit a specific criminal action that can “create a clear and present danger.”
Although we encounter many different fights in life. The most challenging fight is that of combating ignorance. Allowing the ignorance of these movements, regardless of what sector they come from to circumvent our nation’s laws, only contributes to more tragedy.
Jack Wagner
Cape Coral