
I have been in and out of that particular drug store a number of times, and I found myself wondering how easy it would be to walk past the Salvation Army kettle without feeling a little twinge of guilt. When I was a child accompanying a parent on errands, I was almost always given a few coins to put in the kettle. Of course, we did not know then what we know now about the Salvation Army. We were unaware of the Christian extremist nature of the organization. We did not know that they supported proselytizing and engaged in discriminatory hiring practices. We did not stop to consider their position on LGBT persons.
I decided I would not feel the slightest bit of guilt today for ignoring the bell. In fact, it would be something of a challenge not to inform people I saw putting money in the kettle what they were supporting.