Don't blame Christians for act of one criminal

After reading some recent letters to the editor in the Daily Inter Lake I find that I cannot hold my tongue any longer regarding the vandalism to Susan Cahill’s clinic. 

The ideas proposed that the vandal was  a “Christian hit man” or that the “religious right” is responsible for this “hate crime” are ridiculous and border on being hate crimes of their own. I offer you the account from the Inter Lake of when this man was caught:

“A Columbia Falls man is in jail after allegedly vandalizing All Families Healthcare and attempting to break into another business on Tuesday. Zachary Klundt, 24, was arrested after Kalispell police were called to the 1100 block of South Main Street shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday. A resident had reported a man tried to pick the lock in the front and back of the combination home and business. The resident reported the man was possibly drunk and seemed unsteady on his feet.”

 While I may not agree with all my religious friends and their views, I know none of them who would be “possibly drunk and unsteady on their feet,” let alone commit a crime such as this! If this same suspect had allegedly broken in and destroyed the sanctuary at St. Matthews Church, would that be labeled as a hate crime? And would the critics of the Catholic Church all be branded as responsible for his actions?

Let’s get real here and call this what it was, a disgusting act by an apparently intoxicated criminal! And for crying out loud, the last time I looked, we still lived in the free nation of the United States of America and people have a RIGHT to protest against what they feel is wrong without being labeled as inciters of hate crimes. People have a right to disagree and when that goes past civilized boundaries, there should be consequences. That pertains to protesters AND protested.

Thoennes is a resident of Kalispell