Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

Take your GOP plan out of the witness protection program.

No Justins, No Peace

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

After roe, women are no longer free.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

Not all heroes wear capes.

“woke” is the new caravan.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

Republicans don’t trust women.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

T R E 4 5 O N

Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

We’ll be taking my thoughts and prayers to the ballot box.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

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Reader Interactions

48Comments

  1. 1.

    Alwhite

    Not allowed video at work but I have seen and read quite enough of these troglodytes. They have a very fancy scam going on. They are a family of lawyers who do outrageous crap designed to generate lawsuits. Sometimes they sue and they have chosen cases they are likely to win – ch-ching – but mostly they let others sue and, as in the most recent case WBC wins if not originally on appeal, they collect costs from the plaintiff – CA-CHING!

    I understand why people want to punish these morans but really they are just sucked into the game and feeding them.

  2. 2.

    polyorchnid octopunch

    CBC FTW! The Republicans Conservative Party is trying to kill the CBC because they do shows like this. Any statesiders that want to kick in on public statements about this… please feel free.

  3. 3.

    suzanne

    @Alwhite: Word. If we, as a society/species, had the ability to truly collectively ignore what offends us rather than focusing an even brighter light on it, attention-whoring shit like this would disappear. I am just as guilty of it, however.

  4. 4.

    beltane

    I wasn’t going to watch this but I saw that the son didn’t have hatred in his eyes so I watched, and I’m glad I did. Recommended.

  5. 5.

    Cat Lady

    Wow. What a brave, smart, articulate and thoughtful person! If he isn’t a poster child for the resiliency of the human spirit and the power of reason, I don’t know who could be. I particularly like his response about organized religion – “we can do without it”. Amen, brotha.

  8. 8.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @suzanne: The problem is that ignoring shiny but inconsequential objects is probably a good thing, but ignoring similar looking but dangerous objects is another thing entirely. Some hate groups do nothing but talk; others actively try to harm people.

  9. 9.

    piratedan

    its “organizations” like these and those wonderful “family values” folks like Senators Ensign, Vitter and Governor Sanford that make me feel like I’m biting on tinfoil. There are loads of great examples of quiet, worthwhile faith based organizations that are out there doing good deeds and good work without any political motivation and then there are these sanctimonious arseholes that lead the parade of “religious Nazi’s” who wear these imaginary armbands signifying themselves as part of Jeebus’ front line troops of morality who are so chock full of personal fail that I can’t even begin to complete a list of what is wrong with them. They wrap themselves up in the flag and the Constitution without even an eyeblink of understanding regarding the concept of the founding fathers’ notion of separation of church and state. I wish I could reach them somehow but I don’t have enough copies of Trigun to pass around.

  10. 10.

    robertdsc-PowerBook

    So does this qualify for the Religion page at HuffPo? Is it “beyond left or right” enough?

    /snark

  11. 11.

    polyorchnid octopunch

    @Omnes Omnibus: Why, yes, the Canadian Broadcasting Company. Hence my comment about making public noise about its value… the USians here aren’t rate payers towards it, but noise will help. They intend to completely defund it if they can get away with it.

  13. 13.

    Punchy

    I really wish the media would stop referring to these asshats as a “church”. It’s one extended grouping of lawyers whose whole ruse is to ratchet up the ridiculous and sue anyone who verbally or physically assaults them. It’s not a belief thing; its a money gravy train. Too bad the media is too fuckin stupid to understand the obvious shit.

  14. 14.

    Tim O

    I don’t doubt he sees book deals and movie rights in his future. I hope he cashes in.

    I also hope he speaks with a few people in the Psych community for research purposes; It’d be and interesting case study.

  15. 15.

    Dennis SGMM

    @Punchy:
    Looks to me as though the Westboro folks have done nothing more, or less, than discover how to turn trolling into a revenue stream.

  16. 16.

    J.A.F. Rusty Shackleford

    If the world was a Highlights magazine the U.S. would be Goofus and Canada would be Gallant.

  18. 18.

    Uloborus

    @Punchy: and @Dennis SGMM:
    No, if you trust this guy in the interview – and I don’t see why you shouldn’t – they’re a church. They honestly have this belief system.

    It’s a belief system based on the pastor being a petty, narcissistic, abusive, hateful asshole. These facts aren’t contradictory. The tone and actions of your belief system (rather than the facts, interestingly) tend to match your personality. But they’re not using religion as an excuse for greed. Their greed and their assholery and their religion all tie together into a beautiful package.

    As for the main post in general, let me say that this guy’s story is pretty standard for a seriously abusive family. I had a lot of nodding along at stuff like ‘it seemed normal’ and running away at 18 because before then the father could legally take them back. And his explanations of how the violence happened, too. Some of it’s handed down righteously, and some of it’s blatantly because the abuser is just a cruel and violent person.

    EDIT THAT WAS WAY TOO HARD TO MAKE FYWP – I’m not saying I went through this. But damn if I haven’t heard this story a million times.

  19. 19.

    inahandbasket

    I hope the first three commenters actually view the video. Nathan Phelps is one of the estranged children of Fred Phelps. Nathan is speaking out on damage that being raised in a family headed by a fundamentalist sadist, aka Fred Phelps. Please reconsider watching this video.

  20. 20.

    Scott

    Don’t have time this morning to watch a 20-minute interview, but I’ve always loved reading about Nate Phelps. The guy went through hell in his dad’s church, and it’s great to see that he’s come out the other side okay.

  23. 23.

    RossInDetroit

    @jwb: \

    OT, can’t we get another front page post about McMegan? It’s been too long.

    Time magazine listed her among the 25 best economics blogs. Time, you’re dead to me.

  24. 24.

    Persia

    @Uloborus: I had a lot of nodding along at stuff like ‘it seemed normal’ and running away at 18 because before then the father could legally take them back.

    Likewise. Did you notice the one girl had to run away twice? So glad for the kids who did get out.

  26. 26.

    liberal

    @RossInDetroit:
    Heh. Fits right into the “he said, she said” mentality of the MSM—now they only have to extend it to issues of basic arithmetic.

  27. 27.

    Joey Maloney

    So if you’re economics blogger #26 are you a) furious that you’re rated below someone who can’t work a calculator and a stomach at the same time or b) just happy that your name isn’t tarred by association?

  28. 28.

    Dennis SGMM

    @Uloborus:
    I watched the interview again with your comment in mind. I agree that much of what Westboro does is driven by their belief system. In support of my original comment, though, I would note that Nate Phelps mentioned his father’s pecuniary motive for working civil rights cases and I’d suggest that, if anything, it adds an additional inducement for the peddling of hatred.

  29. 29.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @Scott:

    If I was on that list I would ask to be removed from it as I would be offended to be listed with McArgleBargle. It’s clear that Time is just giving a reacharound to a fellow shit lister.

    Maybe they were putting together a list of the top 25 incompetent ‘economists’?

    Time, your time is over.

  30. 30.

    Mike in NC

    @Odie Hugh Manatee:

    Time, your time is over.

    Time magazine rewarded Glenn Beck with a cover story and fluff piece last year. I don’t read it, but who’s on deck next, maybe Fred Phelps or Scott Walker?

  32. 32.

    Uloborus

    @Dennis SGMM:
    Oh, yeah. Human psychology is full of ‘suspiciously convenient’ moments. You find out you can make money off of your batshit insanity, and you have a reason to crank it to the next level. And then pretty soon (sometimes immediately) you BELIEVE the new level of insanity, and turn around and use it to say that your greed is righteous.

    Actually, that’s Cognitive Dissonance in a nutshell. Ask any psychiatrist. ‘I’ve done this, now I believe in it’.

    And with Fred Phelps you add a rich creamy filling of being a hateful self-centered monster just looking for any excuse to act on it. Like I said, it all ties together nicely!

  33. 33.

    Bob

    @Mike in NC:

    Time magazine rewarded Glenn Beck with a cover story and fluff piece last year. I don’t read it, but who’s on deck next, maybe Fred Phelps or Scott Walker?

    You know who else has been on Time’s cover. Yup, that guy.

  34. 34.

    giltay

    Don’t have time to watch it right now, but I might have a look later. Jian Ghomeshi is one of the best interviewers on CBC, so it’s good that he’s expanding beyond the music and arts beat.

    (Sweet, I just found out that archive.org has a collection of recordings of Moxy Früvous shows.)

  35. 35.

    jcgrim

    What a powerful interview with a brave man. He brought his experiences to us from the perspective of an emotional and physically abused child.

  36. 36.

    jcgrim

    What a powerful interview with a brave man. He brought his experiences to us from the perspective of an emotionally and physically abused child.

  38. 38.

    JWL

    Thanks for the post. I’m pressed for time, but look forward to hearing the minister’s son later today. Do you have any other videos of the family members speaking their minds? If so, perhaps you can make this a regular treat.

  39. 39.

    Bill H.

    @Alwhite: You should have watched the video before speaking, although I can appreciate the reaction at seeing the name. This is a very gentle and thoughtful man, and I was very touched. The part about ten minutes in, where he describes leaving at age eighteen, is simply heartbreaking.

  40. 40.

    Hungry Joe

    I find people like Nate Phelps fascinating: How do they acquire the vision, and the strength, to step back and reassess their perception of reality? To clear away everything that’s been drummed into them all their lives? I like to think I’d do the same were I in their shoes, but what do I know? I was raised a lefty, with Reform Judaism leaning toward atheism thrown in, and simply took that last small step into atheism. Not much of a spiritual/political journey required. But Nate, et al … man, how do they do it?

  41. 41.

    Uloborus

    @Hungry Joe:
    Usually by negative example. By looking at his father and saying ‘Whatever I am, I don’t want to be that. Are there any other options?’

    It’s still really hard to do, and usually results in someone who’s just less of a monster than the parent. It’s the only standard they know. But you have to admit, Nate’s dad gave him every reason to not want to follow in those footsteps.

  42. 42.

    Kathy in St. Louis

    Good Lord, this guy really should ever have to worry about “fags”. No self-respecting “fag” would go near this fat piece of trash.

    I’m sorry. I am going to my room to read my bible as penance for my unChristian comment.

    Or, maybe not.

  44. 44.

    Triassic Sands

    @Alwhite:

    As Bill H. pointed out above, you really should watch this video. This is not one of the hating Phelps, but a thoughtful, soft-spoken man who found the strength to break completely with his despicable family.

    The video is worth a few minutes of your time. You’ll definitely see that you misjudged the video and the man.

  45. 45.

    Triassic Sands

    @Kathy in St. Louis:

    Kathy, I’m sad to say that your comment actually aligns you more closely with Fred Phelps than with his son Nate, the subject of this interview.

    I understand your knee-jerk response at the sight of the Phelps name, but try watching the video. You’ll realize immediately how badly you misjudged the man.

  46. 46.

    rachel

    @Kathy in St. Louis: Actually, it’s his skinny dad that’s the hateful piece of trash. Nathan Phelps is an LGBT advocate.

    But why actually listen to what a fat guy has to say, amirite?

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