An Open Letter to Kathie Lee Gifford

Dear Kathie Lee,

I'm normally pretty easy-going, and when I heard all of the hullabaloo about what you recently said about pagans on the Today show, I had to look at the video and decide for myself.

Now, normally I think the best of people. I figured that it might've been just innocent ignorance on your part. "Oh," I thought. "Maybe she just doesn't realize." True, your tone was pretty hateful, but I honestly didn't think you knew what you were saying.

But then I saw the video where you "apologize", and, frankly, you made this normally easy-going girl fairly angry, and so I have a few things to say.

First of all, yes, there are "nasty" and "bad" pagans, the same way that there are "nasty" and "bad" people of all different faiths and spiritualities. For example, it is well-known that you are a Christian and take pride in your faith, but I would certainly not declare that all Christians are sanctimonious, ignorant and spiteful, just because you appear to be all those things.

Regardless of whether or not you feel you should apologize, taking an entire religious group and characterizing them in the most negative of terms, in the most snide tone possible, then making a mockery of an apology, is still wrong. This kind of hateful behaviour, when let to slide by, time and time again, eventually becomes acceptable. Taken to extremes, it can ultimately lead to genocide. You might think I'm being overly dramatic, but do you really think Hitler felt he needed to apologize to the Jews?

I try to think the best of most people, and I respect people's rights to choose their spiritual path (even if it should be none at all). But, Kathie Lee, I find you repugnant, and you are doing your Church an utter disservice by being such a shining example of intolerance, arrogance, and ignorance.

Neither "nasty" or "bad" (most of the time),
Rowan Brooks

PS -- How are those warts coming along? Frog in your throat?