For her, the salutation was the title. Which brings me to the second reason. I have no particular idea what your stance is with respect to the hate words issue. This is no mystery. As I see it, the alphabet isn't magic.
Nothing is created by arranging or rearranging letters, much less something so powerful as hate.
Words can be used to express hate, but they are not hate in and of themselves. How someone uses words, what they choose to express, reveals much about their beliefs but nothing about the words. The meaning of a word is created solely by the intent of the speaker, so it's not only possible to change a word's meaning, but to change it instantly. Dear Dan, Love your column, but disappointed to know that you've dropped the salutation. I wasn't in on the joke, so pardon me for thinking you had some self-loathing issues.