Every so often I come across a political statement of such sheer stupidity that I find it difficult to wrap my mind around where the person can dream up such twisted logic. Many times, such statements revolve around bigotry and hatred. People who do this might describe themselves as members of the left or right, but to my mind they are in the political spectrum known as "hate". The so-called Reverend Fred Phelps has been spreading his hate of homosexuals for years. He is most notorious for going to funerals with small numbers of his followers, including children, carrying signs like "God hates fags".
Such actions are bigoted and disgusting examples of the hatred that people can spread against each other in the world. It is political and personal hate speech. Yesterday, in Minnesota, Phelps had his followers take it up a notch in the political hate speech when they picketed outside the funeral of a Minnesota marine killed in Iraq. Not that it matters, but there is no mention of the sexuality of the fallen soldier. Phelps and his ilk do not care. What they want to do is to use the images of patriotism in order to promote their doctrine of hate. According to the Minnesotan reporter:
Westboro member Fred Phelps said the church believes the war and the deaths of U.S. troops are God's punishment for a nation too accepting of gays.
"This is God's punishment of this nation, mocking what the Bible says about this vile issue," Phelps said.
In the Wikipedia article linked to above in Phelps name, it is stated that Phelps and a small band of his followers praised Saddam Hussein and traveled to Iraq in 1997 to protest the United States. Such actions remind me of the criticism heaped upon the left during Vietnam. Hell, during the last Presidential campaign, Americans continued to hear about Hanoi Jane (Fonda) 35+ years after the fact. Will the right be so ready to heap similar criticism at this nut?
2 comments:
Phelps and his sycophants announced they were going to bring their hatred to Poulsbo when their small community theatre put up The Laramie Project. They never showed.
Here’s one of the articles when these fruitcakes didn't come to our neck of the woods. http://www.soneighbors.org/antihaterally2.htm
Good article and heartening to see. When he was last in Seattle, the numbers protesting Phelps were overwhelming compared to his supporters. He garnered something like 15 or so supporters and 200 people protesting his vitriole.
Still, that's Seattle. It's nice to see the smaller community of Poulsbo mounting a vigorous moral stance.
Post a Comment