I have on occasion, looked into the eyes of some of my fellow "Westerners", and, also on occasion, have seen a brutal, simmering rage. In a few instances, I have seen it explode, and have heard of it exploding in many more instances.

For this reason, I am not surprised when I hear that a man has been dragged to death behind a truck because of his sexual orientation. I am not surprised when a teenage girl lures a boy to a secluded place by promising to have sex with him, then watches while her friends beat him to death with hammers and a hatchet. And I am not surprised when I read the our history of brutal lynchings, some more horrible than the stoning in question here.

I tend to cry when I hear about suffering. As a scrupulous student of history, I have shed tears, at one time or another, for people in every historical age, and in every part of the world. And will likely continue to do so.

I wonder about those of you who seem to angered, shocked, outraged, though, because, as literate, educated adults, none of this should be new to you--