6 Minutes:

I had almost forgotten about this Bob Dylan masterpiece. Someone online posted it in connection with the death of Pat Robertson. Robertson who was safely away from the hate and destruction he  worked for or supported. Robertson was kind of a poster boy for those who foment the hate and violence that is so endemic in our country these days. 

I believe the term for someone like a Pat Robertson is a stochastic terrorist – someone whose demonization of a person or group incites violence against that group or person. Robertson had many groups he demonized. In his case the most demonized was certainly the LGBTQ folks.

Honestly I have only seen a few clips of Robertson. Charlatans and hypocrites like him make my blood boil. But it was no secret that Robertson blamed anything and everything he considered evil was a consequence of people who were born gay. Two that stick in my mind were Hurricane Katrina and 9/11.

Robertson’s constant demonization of gays in particular no doubt is helping feed the current epidemic of hate that is sweeping the country against gays and trans people. The manifestation of this hate in book banning that include potential felonies for librarians stocking banned books is a particularly ugly turn of events. Several states opt for hate over learning and understanding based on their base fears stoked by the likes of Robertson.

Seems almost cosmic that Robertson would die during pride month and give his perceived enemies something to celebrate. Clarence Darrow has been credited with saying “I never killed a man,  but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.”

Interestingly, one of the groups that is spreading hate for gays and using it as their claim to fame – Moms For Liberty –  gained a bit of notoriety last week when they were named as a the group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Kudos to the SPLC for calling a spade a spade – that hate is hate no matter how you think you may have dressed it up. 

Robertson and fellow phony and hypocrite Jerry Falwell were among those who made institutional hate for LGBTQ acceptable. They seemed to be cheering on the AIDS virus as it spread fear and death particularly among the LGBTQ community. Robertson and his ilk were evil. 

Sadly, Robertson, Falwell and their ilk were able to roll their evil and hate into political power finding a very welcoming home in the Republican Party. As we in Iowa are being apprised of every move of Republican hopefuls we note that all of their campaigns are based on some degree of hate. 

Ron DeSantis whole schtick is hating gays, banning books and trying to shut down companies that are friendly to gays. DeSantis’ game is playing well in Iowa. Donald Trump spews his hate a little bit more through code words but he is also playing well. 

For anyone who is not named DeSantis or Trump, they must cozy up to the book banning and code words to even get to play. Watch in particular for the word “WOKE” in their speeches as they try to attract voters. Being anti-woke – a code word for being anti-gay – is the price of admission to the Republican Party nomination.

A note for Iowans: Remember that among those who are cuddling up with Moms For Liberty include their Governor, Kim Reynolds. Back in February, Reynolds spoke to the group at a town hall they (Moms For Liberty) organized and were then represented as Reynolds signed a law restricting access (read ‘banning’) certain books that some parents found objectionable.

Thus is the legacy of the self-styled man of God – lots of hate that spawned the current Republican Party.