Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church followers were brought to my attention during the Matthew Shepard trial in Wyoming. Since then, I have periodically seen his groups activities in the news. I think the media has done an admirable job as of late limiting the reporting of his protests, so as not to give them the attention they seek.
Of course, anyone with the slightest bit of humanity in them realizes that his group is not a very nice bunch of human beings. They could have made Keith Olberman's "Worst Person in the World" every day.
Phelps and his group intend to picket yet another funeral this week. Standard activity for them. However, it is the funeral of the 9 year old girl killed last weekend in Arizona.
I know they have multiple cameras with them at all pickets, presumably to capture any wrongdoing that may occur against them while picketing. Some of the family is lawyers (Phelps was famously a strong civil rights lawyer before being disbarred), and they know what would be needed in court to convict someone; hence the cameras.
I mention the cameras because they probably prevent a lot of violence that might occur against the group. Some incidences of violence against the group have been caught on film.
My question is this:
I completely understand taking the high road with a group like this, but how is it that nobody has taken legitimate violent action against them?
The piddly pipe bomb in the 90s by some Topeka youth could have been a random act of violence as other bombs by them went off in other parts of Topeka.
A few years ago, I started teaching Sociology and within the class curriculum was a unit on religion. A student mentioned fringe groups, particularly Phelps and the WBC. So, I started showing the various documentaries on the group in my classes. I would say the reaction in my students was fairly standard for anyone encountering this group--extreme rage and disgust.
How have they survived so long? How have the parents of one of the many war vets they have picketed not acted out against them? It would only prove their crazy point of view that the world is out to get them, and they are the only true Christians if one of them was taken out.
Just ranting a bit this morning.