Lightning Rods of Hate

Michelle Malkin is no stranger to overt displays of hatred (actually, from a distance in blogs and articles because walking up to her and expressing displeasure about her is too bold a feat of maturity). She discusses in a current article the "climate of hate". Events, recent and past, have unleashed the vilest eruptions of irrationality and loathing from self-proclaimed prophets whose armchairs are well-worn. In her article, she points out the woeful double standard and its ultimate purpose:

Why the silence? Politically and religiously-motivated violence, it seems,
is only worth lamenting when it demonizes opponents. Which also helps explain
why the phrase “lone shooter” is ubiquitous in media coverage of jihadi shooters gone wild – think convicted Jeep Jihadi Mohammed Taheri-Azar at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill or Israel-bashing gunman Naveed Haq who targeted a Seattle Jewish charity or Los Angeles International Airport shooter Hesham
Hedayet who opened fire at the El Al Israeli airline ticket counter– but not in
cases involving rare acts of anti-abortion violence.

Indeed. Isn't all hatred odious as it is irrational and unreasonable? In this day and age, no. We as a species are judged not by what we love but by what we hate. This is why columnists like Michelle Malkin "invites venom to be shot back at her", why women- particularly conservative women- can be demeaned and degraded by Playboy magazine, why someone like Governor Sarah Palin can be maligned again and again, why religious organisations and Christian religions can be ritually mocked and accused, why would-be terrorists can threaten to blow up synagogues and why the Palestinians can teach their children to hate and ultimately kill people they've never met.

Just like lightning rods, certain people or groups will attract lunatics and the hatred spewed out will travel to the ground.