Now why would someone go and do that?

I refer to "The Ricin Letters", which a bitter, angry individual sent out to 11 gay bars around the Hill on Tuesday. It was enough of a threat that the CDC and the FBI are involved, but the general sentiment is that if we all watch our drinks, we'll get through this ok. The main threat to the bars was economic - a threat like this on top of the present downtown could keep everyone away, putting our favorite homosexual watering holes into a financial bind.

I am delighted to write that the response on the Hill has been to support the threatened bars and to pity the poor benighted soul who thought writing those threats was a good idea. Of course, there will be a pub crawl this Friday through ten of the eleven bars targeted.

What could be more thoughtful than a community pub crawl? This message from the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce:

The Capitol Hill Community is very concerned about the hostile threats made to 11 gay bars in our neighborhood and we would like to encourage everybody to come together to show their support.

James Kearny of Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church is arranging a prayer walk this Saturday at 9 am (Jan 10) and has invited members of his church as well as members of a couple other churches on the hill and would also like to extend an invitation out members of the Chamber.

Participants will meet at the church steps and split into groups to walk over and pray at the various locations. It should take an hour or so. Pastor Kearny hopes this will help lead us to being a better, safer, more loving neighborhood.

This is the sweetest damn thing I've ever heard. I am absolutely serious when I say thank you, Capitol Hill Presbyterian, for showing your support to one of the pillars of our community - gay bars.

They make night life delightful, relatively safe, and karaoke-filled, and they've been suffering in this economy like the rest of us. It's really nice to hear that there will be spiritual as well as economic support from the community in the face of this latest kick to the nads.