On Monday, May 21st, one of the largest tornados in U.S. history ravaged Moore, OK, just miles south of Oklahoma City. According to various reports, the tornado's path was approximately 17 miles long and between one and two miles wide.

Casualties are estimated to be in the hundreds, if not thousands. Fatalities, as of Tuesday afternoon, were confirmed at 24, including 9 children. The economic effects figure to be in the billions, if not tens of billions, of dollars. Lives not taken have, too often, been utterly devastated. Fred Phelps, Jr., son of Westboro Baptist Church minister Fred Phelps, took advantage of Monday's devastation to continue his father's crusade against homosexuality by tweeting, "OK Thunder's Durant flips God by praising fag Collins. God smashes OK. You do the math. #GodH8sFags #FagsDoomerNations #FearGod #GodH8sU"

So the Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant showed support and compassion towards another human being, and the God of the Westboro Baptist Church responded by killing innocent men, women and children… Really?

Phelps followed up his insightful commentary two minutes later, in case his original, hate-filled thumb-diddling hadn't been clear enough before: "God's wonderful wrath in Oklahoma reminds me: #GodCursesUForFagMarriage #GodIsYourTerrorist #GodWillRepay #GodAvengesHisPeople #GodH8sU"

"Collins," in case you missed it, is Jason Collins, the man who came out as the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American sport two weeks ago when he penned an article for Sports Illustrated. The article was well-written, deeply personal (obviously), funny and smart. In the aftermath, responses seemed largely positive, though I admit my sampling size to be neither the broadest nor the most diverse.

I relied only on friends, family, acquaintances, co-workers and the like to share their personal and second- or even third-hand opinions with me; mainstream media outlets and the internet generally confirmed this rather warm response from professional athletes and mere mortals alike around the world.

There were opponents, of course, people who had "concerns" about a gay man in the locker room, but the arguments they made were generally similar to those first made by those in the military which have since been disproved following the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Personally, I wasn't the least surprised. I was happy for Collins, happy for what this decision would undoubtedly mean for him and his life, but anybody with half a brain and even the most rudimentary understanding of percentages (both of which describe me pretty well) could tell you that the odds were there had to be a Jason Collins in the NBA, that, frankly, there had to be a lot of Jason Collins's in the NBA, and in the NFL and NHL and MLB.

I'm the only person I know whose godparents are gay. To be honest, I've never known a relationship stronger and more loving than theirs. So homosexuality for me was never something different or scary or wrong. It just was, as much as breathing or sleeping or loving anybody else.

It just is.

So, like I said, I was happy for Collins, but I wasn't shocked. From 2001 through this past NBA season, Collins played for the Nets, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Hawks, Celtics and Wizards. He played center and was average, or as average as an NBA center can be, at best, a standup defender who didn't give ground when even Shaq tried to bull his way to the hoop. In fact, Collins may best be known for leading the league in personal fouls in 2004-05.

In Collins' own words, "I enter the court knowing I have six hard fouls to give. I set picks with my 7-foot, 255-pound body to get guys like Jason Kidd, John Wall and Paul Pierce open. I sacrifice myself for other players. I look out for teammates as I would my kid brother." This was the guy Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder stuck up for, praised, supported. And, according to Fred Phelps, Jr., and his bile-spewing, hate-promulgating acolytes, it was that friendship, that empathy, that tolerance, that humanity that caused God to smite the city of Moore, Oklahoma.

People sometimes complain that sports is sports and should be kept separate from the rest of the stuff going on in the world, that this is no place for talk of God and homosexuals and tragedy and thinking. Those people are wrong.

What there's no place for is hate and ignorance and stupidity and the kind of madness that enabled tragedies like slavery and the Holocaust, and continues to enable people like the Phelps. I'm not a believer, but if I were I'd like to think God would be far happier to see its followers offering aid and succor than fear and loathing. And rather than delighting in the death and devastation brought upon us by yet another national tragedy, instead took the opportunity to help and give and serve. Life is too short, and nothing is promised any of us.

For the record, after this story was originally written, Kevin Durant contributed $1 million of his own money to help with Moore's recovery efforts. His team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, immediately followed suit. No word from Westboro Baptist what wrath and retribution this act of compassion will bring.