Based in Topeka, Kansas, WBC is a small virulently homophobic, anti-Semitic hate group. Headed by the pastor Fred Phelps who was also a disbarred lawyer, the church consists primarily the members of his extended family including his equally toxic (and licensed attorney) daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper and her *eleven* children.
The Phelps spawns regularly stage protests around the country, often several times a week. In obvious abuse of the protected freedom of speech, they hold up some of the most obnoxious signs you can ever imagine, picket institutions and individuals they think support homosexuality or otherwise subvert what they believe is God’s law (They have famously proclaimed their intention to picket actor Heath Ledger's funeral because he played a gay character in Brokeback Mountain).
Their extreme view and action has drawn intense criticism and monitoring around the world which eventually led to father and daughter being banned from entering the UK. However, the church obviously relishes the notoriety and attention they are getting, resulted in many of the media ignoring the church in order to deny the publicity the Phelps crave. In response, the church started to push the envelope even further by picketing the funerals of soldiers who perished in the war, where the controversy followed will ensure them staying on the public’s radar.
Perhaps as what the Phelps might have hoped, Albert Synder, the father of a deceased marine whose funeral in 2006 the church picketed, had filed a lawsuit against WBC, citing that their repugnant action has constituted "intentional infliction of emotional distress". The Synder family won the first round in a Maryland court against Westboro Baptist Church and awarded $5 million for the damage. However, that award was overturned during appeal when the court ruled that the protesters were exercising their right of free speech. Last week Albert Synder took the legal battle all the way to Supreme Court where the justices heard the oral arguments from both sides in the case
It is safe to say that I along with 99.9% of the American population would like to see the church pay for their repulsive behaviour. On the other hand, the freedom of speech is too sacred to be compromised for what amount to a household of loons. I wouldn’t be too concerned about the WBS preaching of hatred since their views are so extreme that it could only appeal to people with severe mental issues. However, if I were the authority I would seriously look into issue of child abuse within the church. The children of the Phelps family were fed and bred into their delusional world from day one. They need to be really alienated from reality in order to practice what they believe in. I have tremendous doubt if these children will be able to cope with the rest of the world once outside of such an institution. No matter how much you dislike your own family, you should consider yourself lucky that you weren’t born into this house of wackos!
