[Motorboat Cruiser]

I've tried to stay out of this topic, not out of fear of repercussion, but simply because, although I fall more towards the unpopular side of the argument, I do understand and respect both sides.

I'm both a gay man and someone who literally despises any form of racism. Therefore, it should be obvious that I hold plenty of contempt for the way that Helms led his life. I truly believe the world would have been a better place without him or his ilk. I also believe that it is now a better place in his absence.

But I don't think that hatred is such a good thing to let manifest within. And I try very hard to never hate anyone. That doesn't mean that there aren't people that are deserving of it, and it doesn't mean that I am signaling approval of them by refusing to hate them. I detest just about everything that this man every stood for. I don't think that can be misconstrued as approval in any way, shape or form. I have zero good feelings for the man.

And while I think it is perfectly valid to discuss the life of this man, to condemn it (as I do) and to make very clear that his ideals are simply not acceptable, I just don't think that it does much good to, in essence, lower oneself to his level of hatred, just because it is cathartic.

I would much rather use my time to change someone's belief who is still alive and walking among us, because there isn't much I can do about ol' Jesse. I would rather live by example and try to have a positive impact. Because, I think that, in the long run, those efforts serve the cause better.

Slowly but surely, people are changing their attitudes towards homosexuality and racism. Slowly but surely, it becomes less acceptable by society with each year and with each generation. And the simple fact is that many of those who still harbor their antiquated views are dying out. And I can't help but think that this progress has been helped more by dialog than by calling a dead old bigot every name in the book.

And before anyone suggests that I just called him names, the fact remains: he was old, he is dead, and he made it painfully clear that he was a bigot. So that isn't really name-calling in my opinion, just a statement of fact.