I Heartily Concur: Keith Chaffee

I wasn't planning to comment on the death of Jerry Falwell; my fondest (and vainest) hope is that, in death, the memory of Falwell will fade from public consciousness and he will become less relevant with each passing day.

But Keith Chaffee (from whom I cribbed the layout for my American Idol recaps) reminded me of what is surely the most egregious of Falwell's public comments, made on The 700 Club, on September 13th, 2001:

"The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.'"

As Keith wrote, "I am not normally one to rejoice in the death of any human being, but Jerry Falwell was an evil and a hateful man, and the world is a better place for his leaving it."

Amen. Let us speak of him no more, forever.