When North Dakota father Pearce Tefft saw his son Peter among the white supremacists and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia, this weekend, he was heartbroken, as any parent would be. While he knew his son held some vile political opinions, he didn’t know quite how bad things were.
So, he sent his neo-Nazi son something that he would never forget: an open letter, published by the Fargo Forum. In it, he denounced the beliefs his son adopted when he became an adult, said that he was disowned until he disavowed his hateful ideology, and urged his “prodigal son” to “renounce the hate, accept and love all.”
“I, along with all of his siblings and his entire family, wish to loudly repudiate my son’s vile, hateful and racist rhetoric and actions,” Tefft wrote. “We do not know specifically where he learned these beliefs. He did not learn them at home.
Advertisement - story continues below
“I have shared my home and hearth with friends and acquaintances of every race, gender and creed. I have taught all of my children that all men and women are created equal. That we must love each other all the same,” he continued.
“Evidently Peter has chosen to unlearn these lessons, much to my and his family’s heartbreak and distress. We have been silent up until now, but now we see that this was a mistake. It was the silence of good people that allowed the Nazis to flourish the first time around, and it is the silence of good people that is allowing them to flourish now.”
TRENDING: Watch: Liberal Tells Conservative He Could Rape Her, Then Says Don’t Tape This
“Peter Tefft, my son, is not welcome at our family gatherings any longer,” he continued. “I pray my prodigal son will renounce his hateful beliefs and return home. Then and only then will I lay out the feast.”
Tefft also noted the abuse that the family had suffered over his son’s decision to march in Charlottesville. “His hateful opinions are bringing hateful rhetoric to his siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews as well as his parents,” Tefft wrote. Why must we be guilty by association?”
Advertisement - story continues below
In conclusion, Tefft urged his son again to turn away from his hate.
“(Peter) once joked, ‘The thing about us fascists is, it’s not that we don’t believe in freedom of speech. You can say whatever you want. We’ll just throw you in an oven,’” Tefft wrote. “Peter, you will have to shovel our bodies into the oven, too. Please son, renounce the hate, accept and love all.”
This is something that no parent wants to face, but Pearce Tefft has faced it the right way: with tough love and sobering truth. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Tefft family that their son will turn away from his vile beliefs — as they are with all of those affected by this weekend’s tragedy.
H/T The Blaze
Please like and share on Facebook and Twitter if you agree with what this father had to say.
What are your thoughts on this father's letter? Scroll down to comment below.
