text: I was in Amarillo for the first time a couple of years ago.  The day and night I had to spend in that hot, dreary town was the absolute low point of a otherwise great cross-continent drive.  The only redeeming feature I found was a dingy little Mexican restaurant where I had the very best guacamole I've ever eaten.
  
  But, hey, Anchorage isn't such a hot town, either.  But after living here many years (as well as elsewhere in Alaska, including the Bush), I must say I've seen very little evidence of hate, including religiously-inspired hate.  I know quite a few Christian people who firmly believe that being gay is sinful.  But they also know they live in an open society that long ago chose tolerance over conformity.  They don't force their views where they know only conflict can result--in this case, where that was the whole point.  Maybe Amarillo needs not only beautification but instruction in the fundamentals of being American.