Within all of us exists an inner beast, one that pokes its snarling head in moments of rage and greed. Most of us learn, for better or worse, to suppress that monstrous instinct and act civilly. But for others the creature refuses to be suppressed any longer, growing like a cancerous tumor until the distinction between the person and the animal within dissolves.
In light of recent events, most would attribute such animalism to Jared Lee Loughner, whose shooting rampage in Tucson, Ariz., left six people dead including a federal judge and a 9-year-old girl. And while this is probably an accurate comparison, I'm thinking of a different beast—Reverend Fred Phelps, leader of Topeka, Kansas' infamous Westboro Baptist Church.
Mr. Phelps and his church have gained international fame for their unabashed hatred of gays, Jews, abortionists, traditional religion, non-whites and even the Swedish.
Wait a second, what dreadful sin did my Swedish ancestors commit to deserve such condemnation? Who doesn't enjoy a little ABBA and traditional pastry?
But we're getting off point. The Westboro Baptist Church made national headlines when it announced that it would protest the funeral of Christina-Taylor Green, the 9-year-old girl needlessly slain in the Arizona shootings. The general national reaction has been one of disgust and confusion. How could a group be so inconsiderate? How could a group purposely increase the heartache of an already grief-stricken family?
The answer to that question is one I've wrestled with ever since I encountered the group in person. During my senior year of high school in Corona del Mar, Calif., our drama department decided to put on the musical ""Rent,"" whose themes of homosexuality and AIDS inspired our principal to challenge its appropriateness. The issue shortly garnered national attention, and when political influence pressured our principal to allow the play to go forward, Westboro Baptist Church felt the need to intervene. As a result, two proud delegates boasting ""God Hates Fags"" and ""Bitch Burger"" (an abortion reference) traveled all the way from Kansas only to be met with hundreds of high school students in support of our local gays. Running the roaches out of town was by far the most satisfying moment of my high school experience, and also helped shed light on the motivations of the church.
The members, who are almost completely composed of Reverend Fred Phelps' massive family, also happen to have a heavy arsenal of lawyers. And while ideology may very well be the underlying motivation for their actions, the driving force is money. Every time the church members protest a gay soldier's funeral or a Holocaust memorial, they incite physical assault in order to sue and profit from the rage of those they target. Each active member carefully hides their sharp teeth and claws all the way through law school so that they may exploit the tragedy of others for money.
It is truly the darkest shade of the human conscience, one hiding in plain sight under the protection of the second amendment. Even more infuriating, every time the group protests, taxpayers must provide the thousands of dollars necessary for police presence in order to prevent violence.
In response, many states, including swift-acting Arizona, have passed laws to prevent such demonstrations within a certain amount of feet of funeral processions. And while this is a fantastic start, a national law should be created to prevent such disregard for human decency. In purely academic terms, the constitutional literalist could argue that such prevention is unjust. But the world is not literal, and thus practical interpretation is necessary, and, in purely practical terms, these people should be stripped to their skivvies and paraded around the Capitol.
For now, I suppose it's only right to offer practical legal solutions. Well let's start by charging the cost of police protection to those who require it instead of footing the bill on the taxpayer. That money would be better spent on just about anything, perhaps even financial support for ""Angel Action,"" a wonderful organization which creates giant angel wings worn by volunteers to block such protest. And of course uniform legislation regarding the distance between demonstrations and funerals is absolutely imperative. The fact that these dolled-up creatures protest is bad enough, but the idea that we've allowed it to happen is even worse. The government must put into place preventative measures or pardon the actions of those who react. Anything in the middle isn't sufficient, either cage them away or feed ‘em to the dogs.
While I would vote for the latter, perhaps the first option is more realistic. These heinous acts of selfishness and degradation have gone on long enough, and it's time to officially recognize that everyone, even the misled members of the Westboro Baptist Church, deserve a final moment of respect.
Miles Kellerman is a sophomore majoring in political science. We welcome all feedback. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
