One cost of hate speech

Words, can they hurt us? Can certain words create fear, make us angry, sad or depressed? Read these words. How do you feel? What do you think?

These words are from a recent email to a Sonoma County Supervisor:  “Fat old lady… Be careful what you say about me to your friends in the press… Washed up hag… I wish the worst for you and your loved ones… Silver haired loser… Go to hell.”

The following words are from zoom comments made at the September 12, Sonoma County Board of Supervisors meeting:  “Just because you like communism, does not mean you can cut my speech off, sir. Bolshevism is the root of communism. Bolshevism was rooted in Marxism.  (Marx) was, yes – a religious Jew.”

These words were spoken in person at the October 3, Sonoma County Board of Supervisors meeting: “You want diversity, what does that mean?  White people can’t stick up for themselves?  You’re racist, she’s racist, that administrative there is racist. You guys won’t let a white man speak. I wonder why.  This county is going to get sued and I will win.”

If you read comments submitted about my past columns on Sonomasun.com, all under a variety of fake names, you will see some striking similarities in the wording and speech patterns.

While I will never know who the person is who comments on my columns, as many pseudonyms are used, anyone can access and see who wrote and spoke the words above in publicly accessible email correspondence and videos of public meetings. 

Back when the state began allowing cannabis for medical use, I began using it for pain, sleeplessness and all the health issues created by years of invasive and painful surgeries.  Cannabis tinctures truly are medicine for many of us.  

Over the years I have worked with the Sonoma Valley Cannabis Group to get dispensaries in the city of Sonoma. Just a few weeks ago, the person I am writing about opened Loe Dispensary on Fremont Drive in an unincorporated area of Sonoma County. While others can make up their own minds on whether they should patronize his business or not, I will not be going there to get my tinctures.

We can all pick and choose where we want to spend our money, who we want to patronize in any business. I have also been working with Wake up Sonoma for the past year.  As many are aware, Tim Lefever of Lefever Mattson founded two well-known anti LGBTQ and anti-women’s rights organizations. Also, Stacy Mattson made anti-LGBTQ comments on Facebook.  I have chosen not to patronize businesses they own, nor will I work as a floral designer at any of the wedding and event venues they own.

I have chosen not to patronize Loe Dispensary or Lefever Mattson owned businesses. But, we each have to make our own choices and search our own consciences when making these choices. For me that choice is not to add to the financial enrichment of those who in my opinion are racist, anti-Semitic, anti-LGBTQ rights and anti-women’s rights.