I think about Fred Phelps and his pack of "in-breds" as radio talk show host, Mark Levin calls them, and I get pissed. The very thought of these so - called "Christians" raping the dignity from the families of the fallen heroes who've died so that their sorry asses could spread their hatred makes my blood boil.
I hear a lot of talk about the First Amendment and free speech. That's all well and good, but just because you have the right to say what you want doesn't mean you really ought to say it. Why do you think that the word "nigger" has such drama surrounding it ? If you're White, you can say it as long as you're prepared to deal with the consequences that go with its utterance.
What of the consequences for the Phelps klan ? They cowardly hide behind the First Amendment much like a racist hides behind Christianity or the American Flag. The same American flag countless soldiers have died for. The same American flag that's given to those the soldier has left behind and the same American flag that Fred Phelps shits on every time he and his pack of animals stage another hate-fest at a military funeral.
What pisses me off even more is the seemingly deafening silence from the Religious Community and from the Gay Community. Where are the voices of outrage that yelled so loudly when it came to the proposed New York City Muslim Community Center and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ? Where are the voices that in no uncertain terms, denounce what Fred Phelps and his so - called "church" are doing in the name of their God ? Where are the "We're Queer ! We're Here" voices that were so loud in the streets of San Francisco ? Answer ? I haven't heard them. I haven't seen any covert action by way of a direct confrontation with Phelps and his homophobic perversions of Christianity ?
I'm neither Gay nor a Christian, so the only dog I have in this fight is the fact that someone who died protecting my right to write this can't be buried with the honor and dignity that is most certainly called for. If I'm wrong, please let me know because I'm in the media and even I haven't seen the kind of outrage that needs to be displayed.
I thank groups like the Patriot Guard, a motorcycle club made up of mostly veterans, that take an active role in countering the Westboro Insane Asylum. I can't even call it a church. Now if only "Queer Nation", "Act Up", "GLAAD" and those that run some of this country's largest mega-churches would get involved at the same level. I don't give a rat's ass about your view of homosexuality, but I do care about the right that a soldier has more than earned to be buried in peace and with dignity.
Mark Gunn
Radio Personality
American Citizen
Human Being
