The Little Brown Reader

Instead of burning crosses he carries them and he doesn't actually wear sheets—that we know of. But nonetheless he is clearly one of the most vocal hate-mongers in America today. But Phelps does deserve some credit. Unwittingly -- wit and Phelps do not go together well -- he exposed the contradictions of public property.

Many people remember the vicious murder of Matthew Shepard. Shepard was just 21 years old when a group of thugs abducted him. They took him to a remote hillside outside Laramie, Wyoming and beat him viciously. They tied him to a fence and left him to die. Shepard was found in a coma but it was too late. On October 12, 1998 he died.

Shepard's death horrified most decent people. Fred Phelps was not one of them. Phelps is a verbal gay-basher. He's a man driven by his obsessive hatred of gay people. No doubt God whispers instructions in his ears much the way God instructs bin Laden to use air planes filled with innocent people as weapons against buildings filled with other innocent people. Phelps and his congregation, sans sheets, picketed Shepard's funeral. Phelps was seen screaming—he screams a lot—and carrying a sign that said: "God hates fags."

Of course if we believed the fundamentalists of the world today, we'd have to conclude that God's primary motivation for everything is hatred. These theological terrorists, not to mention their compatriots who use actual bombs, are very quick to rattle off an ever growing list of people and groups which are singled out for God's hatred. For Phelps gay people are at the top of the list.

Phelps wants to "commemorate" the murder of Shepard. But not because he finds such a murder reprehensible. He wants to place a granite monument in a city park in Casper, Wyoming—he picked Casper because Shepard was born there. The monument would say: "Matthew Shepard Entered Hell October 12, 1998, at Age 21 In Defiance of God's Warning: 'Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind; it is abomination.' Leviticus 18:22."

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The city of Casper is not thrilled with Phelps putting his monument there. But Phelps can use the park in many ways. He can hold his rallies there and as long as the parks are open for use by the "public" then can't ban Phelps. Such conflict is inherent in "public" property.

Three churches in Casper have volunteered to have the Ten Commandments monument moved to their property. The Eagles Club said they'd be happy to take the monument back. They don't want to encourage Phelps either. The mayor wants the monument put on private property as well.