Second team Spotty is awarded . . .

Three letters in the Star Tribune today, February 28th. Together, they earn the second team Spotty awarded in 2006.

Enabling hate

So Gov. Tim Pawlenty attended a funeral and "was appalled by the behavior and message and insensitivity of the protesters" (Star Tribune, Feb. 24), yet he sees no connection between his support for the constitutional amendment to ban marriage or civil unions for gay couples and the division and hatred it promotes -- such as the antigay picketers at the soldier's funeral last week in Anoka.

Maybe if we called it a fee rather than a marriage or a union, he'd support it.

TROY TEPLEY, MINNEAPOLIS

Sharing a message

Outside a military funeral, they chant "God hates America." We easily recognize the hate in the actions of this antigay group from a Kansas church. Jesus weeps.

Those wanting the gay-marriage-ban amendment are more subtle in their approach. Though our law already prohibits gay marriage, they tear apart churches over this amendment issue, all the while claiming not to hate gays. Jesus weeps.

NANCY LEWIS, BLAINE

This is nothing new

I applaud the state governments that are taking steps to outlaw or limit distasteful funeral protests.

However, I would like to point out that the Westboro Baptist Church has been protesting funerals for more than a decade and has visited Minnesota before. Families that have lost a gay son or daughter have had to deal with this group's demeaning tactics while they said goodbye to their loved ones.

Unfortunately, it took the picketing of military funerals before any legislative action was considered. Everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, should be afforded the right to pay their final respects to the people they love in peace.

RYAN BOLIN, MINNEAPOLIS

Ryan makes an especially interesting point. The Westboro Baptist protesters have been around for a while. They were going to picket the Eden Prairie high school graduation at Northrup last year but got mixed up and went to the St. Paul campus; the chickens laid no eggs for a week thereafter.

Eden Prairie High's sin? It has a gay and lesbian student organization.

Tags: gay marriage Westboro Baptist Church