Thursday, March 02, 2006
Leonard Pitts Lays The Wood To Fred Phelps
In his column earlier this week, Leonard Pitts sent the most appropriate message I can imagine to Fred Phelps.
Phelps has dedicated his life to campaigning against homosexuals, particularly those in the military. He is warped enough to organize protests at the funerals of soldiers. Protesters hold up signs with such gems as "Thank God for IED's" and "Your Pastor Is A Whore". Since Phelps has also defended spousal abuse as Biblical, I think it is pretty obvious how badly his brain is miswired.
But back to Pitts' column.
Pitts theorized that Phelps must be gay and have an extreme case of self-hatred to spend every ounce of his being bashing gays. If his theory is correct, Pitts has outed Phelps. In the more likely case Pitts is just funnin' with the pseudo-pastor, he served up the worst possible insult to Phelps. I liked the column either way.
I never have understood why so many people spend so much time worrying about gays. Every gay person I have ever known has been defined by typical human strengths, weaknesses, hopes, and fears - pretty much like the straight population.
Disagreeing with the lifestyle is fine, but no one is forced to approve, watch, or participate. For those who object to certain lifestyles they disdain so strongly that they have to take action, perhaps they should start by working in prisons to help rehabilitate inmates who actually made poor life choices, rather than protesting war heroes.
Twice in my life I have been actively pursued by gay men. One worked with my sister in Greensboro, and the other was a fellow graduate student at NC State.
Being pursued by a man felt strange to me, and I did not particularly appreciate their persistence. But I was sure that plenty of women had endured that type of behavior from men a lot more than I had, so I saw no reason to get all worked up about it.
Singling out a group for protest, particularly those who have lost their lives in service to their country, is pretty sickening. It's also free speech. I am glad Pitts exercised his freedom of speech to expose Fred Phelps for what he is - a turd.
Phelps has dedicated his life to campaigning against homosexuals, particularly those in the military. He is warped enough to organize protests at the funerals of soldiers. Protesters hold up signs with such gems as "Thank God for IED's" and "Your Pastor Is A Whore". Since Phelps has also defended spousal abuse as Biblical, I think it is pretty obvious how badly his brain is miswired.
But back to Pitts' column.
Pitts theorized that Phelps must be gay and have an extreme case of self-hatred to spend every ounce of his being bashing gays. If his theory is correct, Pitts has outed Phelps. In the more likely case Pitts is just funnin' with the pseudo-pastor, he served up the worst possible insult to Phelps. I liked the column either way.
I never have understood why so many people spend so much time worrying about gays. Every gay person I have ever known has been defined by typical human strengths, weaknesses, hopes, and fears - pretty much like the straight population.
Disagreeing with the lifestyle is fine, but no one is forced to approve, watch, or participate. For those who object to certain lifestyles they disdain so strongly that they have to take action, perhaps they should start by working in prisons to help rehabilitate inmates who actually made poor life choices, rather than protesting war heroes.
Twice in my life I have been actively pursued by gay men. One worked with my sister in Greensboro, and the other was a fellow graduate student at NC State.
Being pursued by a man felt strange to me, and I did not particularly appreciate their persistence. But I was sure that plenty of women had endured that type of behavior from men a lot more than I had, so I saw no reason to get all worked up about it.
Singling out a group for protest, particularly those who have lost their lives in service to their country, is pretty sickening. It's also free speech. I am glad Pitts exercised his freedom of speech to expose Fred Phelps for what he is - a turd.
