Hannity doesn’t even recognize someone on his side

September 1, 2005

We deal with plenty of far-right demagogues, activists, and crackpots here, but there’s something truly unique about pastor Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas. It’s easy to mock Pat Robertson and scorn James Dobson, but Phelps is in a league of his own.

For example, it takes a special kind of person to picket a funeral, but that happens to be just about the only thing Phelps and his “church” seem to do. For about 10 years, Phelps has gone from town to town, finding funerals for AIDS victims, so he and his sick cohorts can appear with signs and shout comments like “God hates fags” and “God hates you.” Classy.

A few years back, Phelps branched out a bit, protesting gay funerals whether AIDS was involved or not, including Matthew Shepard, the gay college student beaten to death in Wyoming in 1998. More recently, Phelps expanded his repertoire a little further.

Members of a church say God is punishing American soldiers for defending a country that harbors gays, and they brought their anti-gay message to the funerals Saturday of two Tennessee soldiers killed in Iraq. […]

The Rev. Fred Phelps, founder of Westboro Baptist in Kansas, contends that American soldiers are being killed in Iraq as vengeance from God for protecting a country that harbors gays.

We’re dealing with a man who is beneath contempt. There are plenty of right-wing nuts out there, but to be this overcome with hatred is a sign of true sickness.

But in an odd twist, as far as Fox News’ Sean Hannity is concerned, Fred Phelps is a liberal.

On the August 30 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Fox News host Sean Hannity falsely blamed “the anti-war left” for a protest at the August 28 funeral of Sgt. Jeremy Doyle of Indianapolis, who was killed while serving in Iraq. Hannity read excerpts of an article on the website of Indianapolis TV station WISH describing the protest, adding, “I guess this is just another example of how the anti-war left supports our brave troops.”

Hannity, in other words, is so far gone, he considers the far-right fringe part of the “left” — and wants his national audience to believe it.

I guess I can’t blame him. If I shared an ideology with Fred Phelps, I might go into denial too.

Phelps is the poster child for repealing the First Amendment.

  • Phelps’s “Church” is no more than his own extended (and obviously heavily inbred) family.

    Neither Canada nor any other civilized nation would permit such “hate speech”, and if it occurred, would not report it.

    Nietzsche said that health is defined, not by the absence of illness, but rather by the amount of sickness one can stand. I guess, by that measure anyway, we’re a pretty healthy country.

  • The WBC came to our town to picket our churches and our high school graduation. They pranced around with inflammatory signs in neon colors, trampled U.S. flags, and generally embarassed themselves. It was reminiscent of a circus geek show, except no chickens were sacrificed.

    A good chunk of the townfolk turned up to witness the show, and literally turned their backs on the WBC. It was a fine moment.

  • It is assumed that Phelps is a Republican. Isn’t making such a statement without providing evidence or reasons for the assumption the same thing you’re claiming Sean Hannity did?

    In reference to the first comment of ignorance, there is no reason to repeal the first amendment. And we both just exercised it freely just as it was meant to be done. Thank God for the opportunity.

  • Considering that Sean Hannity recently attended the virulently anti-gay “Values Voter Summit,” the only difference I see between Hannity and Phelps are protest signs and commitment to their agenda.

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