Dry eyes for Fred Phelps - By Jonathan Capehart

[DonViejo]

Fred Phelps, the founder of the Westboro Baptist Church, was so odious, so hateful that a side-eye noting of the 84-year-old’s death last night is in order. The 59-year-old “church” in Topeka, Kan., gained national infamy by protesting the funerals of those in the military and gays and lesbians. Phelps and some of his extended family carry placards containing gasp-worthy messages for the grieving and passers-by that are all the more shocking because, more often than not, they are carried by children.

“God hates fags.” “God is your enemy.” “God hates you.” “USA = fag nation.” “Fags die God laughs.” “Thank God for maimed soldiers.” “Pray for more dead soldiers.” “Thank God for dead soldiers.” “Thank God for IEDs.” “God killed your sons.”

Westboro is an ugly family affair. So ugly that two sons (Mark and Nathan) and a daughter (Dortha Bird) fled their father and his “church.” Nathan Phelps broke the news on his Facebook page on March 16 that his estranged father was “on the edge of death.” While my condolences are always with those who have lost a loved one, now that Fred Phelps is dead, may we all live in peace.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2014/03/20/dry-eyes-for-fred-phelps/?wpisrc=nl_popns

[theboss]

1. Good Lord....how many posts are needed on this dude?

I will never completely understand the media fascination with the Phelps. It's not a church. It's a big messy dysfunctional family business that frankly probably did more to advance gay rights than nearly anyone in the country.

[DonViejo]

2. As many as people want to post. eom

[get the red out]

3. Abusive

I read an article one time that he was severely abusive to his children, one of the sons who escaped the family had contributed to the article. Also that the community feared him so much that even though people knew how he beat his kids, no one would take any sort of legal action against him for child abuse.

http://www.salon.com/2012/09/25/son_of_a_bigot/

He got by with doing whatever horrible things he wanted to his family. We all remember his hatefulness toward people he didn't know, but he seemed to be at his worst with people he was supposed to love.

[Gothmog]

4. Juanita Jean has the best idea as how to respond to this death-Ignore Phelps

http://www.juanitajean.com/2014/03/20/yes-i-know-that-fred-phelps-died-today-im-doing-the-meanest-thing-i-can-do-to-him-i-ignoring-him/