What do we do about this guy? If you'll look back at my People We Love Who Hate (I'm sure referring to your own post must be bad form), I talk about "real haters" who can't be reached. I was referring specifically to Mr. Phelps.
Many of you believe that he is a monster. I think that he is a broken human being. Probably broken beyond repair. A person consumed by hatred is to be both feared and pitied. Feared for the pain he causes everyone with whom he comes in contact and pitied like you would pity a rabid dog. I suspect someone is going to suggest that rabid dogs get put down, and I want to make it clear that I find violence an unacceptable solution. The fact that we can't put him out of his obvious misery should make you pity him all the more.
Some states have managed to pass laws to prevent Mr. Phelps from picketing funerals and others are in the process of passing similar laws. Much like flag burning amendments, they are emotional and unconstitutional laws. Mr. Phelps will get an audience with the Supreme Court, and he will win. I understand and respect the motivation of the people trying to protect victims' families, but further erosion of the Bill of Rights is the consequence of the best intentions. Many of the soldiers whose funerals the Phelps family picket believed that they were fighting for those rights.
There are alot of Fred Phelps' out there. Alot.... ALOT! Somehow we gave this guy a stage. He ached his whole life for an audience and now he has one. It's not about hating fags as much as it is about imposing his will. He's trying to make America his bitch. But we are not children. His flock can only come from twisting the minds of babes. Anyone who has any basis in reality and morality is not subject to his tactics. Ever notice that it's always the impotent that have to proclaim their virility. His only real effect on us is his ability to offend our sensibilties. Let's not give him any more power than that, lest we encourage the closeted nuts to follow his lead.
This guy is the fringe (even O'Rielly would probably disapprove), and we should treat him as such. I love that bikers are acting as human shields at these funerals. I hope that makes it easier for the families to ignore the Phelps, because that is exactly how you treat a bully.
Finally, please bear in mind, that if we stop KKK rallies or Phelps' pickets, then we have no basis for protection for protest of any kind.
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4 comments:
Defending freedom of speech is a bitch man, but that's the way it is. Ugly speech must be protected so that beautiful speech is free to flow. And don't worry about linking to yourself, I do it all the time cause, when you’re good, your good, no point hiding from it.
Fred's coming to a town near me.
I lived in Kansas for many years, have walked by the phelps picket lines numerous times, have stood at arms length from crazy fred, have known people with whom fred feuded am married to a woman who had a "Phuk Phred" bumper sticker on her car ... they were popular in Lawrence, a gay friendly university town ... he was an everyday thing out there ... I never met anyone who liked him or approved of him outside his "church" of family members ... and some of them are estranged allegers of abuse ... the appropriate response is to give him as little play as possible ... that's what he usuall got out there ... he was more or less viewed as a fairly uninteresting freak show after a time ... and yes as the aclu has bravely maintained by going so far as to defend the rights of nazis to demonsrate, the authorities of the day cannot be allowed to pick and chose what speech is okay ... I was always amazed at the lack of violent response against him ... although once a woman was charged with driving her car into the picketers (she was aquitted, more a measure of approbation for him than the quality of evidence of guilt or innocence I would think) and on another occasion, a student threw a bucket of water on his sorry as up at KU ...
My inclintion also is not to give him the attention he craves. Then he has no power at all.
It blows my mind, too, that he hasn't yet run into someone who would be pleased to unite him with his hateful god.
Shame on the producerswho thought this was news. Must have been sweeps week. I run into a lady at the grocery sometimes who has a CIA tracking device planted in her skull. Perhaps they'd like to give her a national stage.
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