So, the FBI just stopped by...

No, seriously. Someone from the FBI just stopped by my place. Apparently there is evidence that someone intentionally set the Islamic Center in Corvallis on fire early this morning, and they are investigating. I am guessing that this happened because this was the place of worship for the man accused of trying to blow up a van in Portland a few days ago. I just think that it is horribly sad that someone did this act of violence to our Muslim community in Corvallis, and so I wanted to just say a few words about this.

First of all, let's be grateful to our government because based on the articles that I read, they did a great job of keeping us safe.

Second, please remember that it is a relatively small number of radical individuals (compared to the entire number of Muslims in the world) who act violently and want to harm our country. When you are in conversations about these or similar events, please consider reminding people that this is just a small group's actions.

Finally, fear and hatred will not solve this terrible problem. It will probably just add fuel to the fire. Try to replace your fear and hatred with more productive emotions and actions. Gratitude for what's good, prayer, and acts of love would be a good start.

Thanks for reading this, and thanks for helping to make Oregon a safe place for all people to live!