Dear Editor:

First, you hear a story about your enemy that is filled with perceived abominations, and you gleefully tell all the world about it because your gut tells you it is true, even though you know the evidence is circumstantial.

Then, some information comes your way that suggests the story might be wrong, or maybe not as bad as it was made out to be. Your first thought is charitable, “Thank God, that person was not as bad as I thought.” Your better nature gives you a chance to right your wrong.

Over time, though, your suspicious nature convinces you this “new” information must be false, and eventually you become more determined than ever to cling to the first story, believing with sadistic pleasure that your enemy really is every bit as bad as you “knew” he was to begin with. And so, you renew your attacks with increased fury, intent upon complete destruction, no matter what the collateral costs. Grimly and inevitably, you fatefully cross over, without a hint of self-awareness, into that shadowy world of fear, hatred, and vengeance, where black grows blacker, and eventually, white itself turns into black. You have arrived to where you naturally belong.

Not to celebrate excessively, though, because by design, there is no possible exit from this most sorry place that you now find yourself in. I do feel some pity for those unwitting friends you dragged down with you, but only a little, as they really should have known better than to associate with the likes of you.

Phil Molvar

Southport