Fred Phelps

Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr. (born November 13, 1929) is the pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), an independent Baptist church in Topeka, Kansas. Phelps is also a disbarred lawyer and founder of the Phelps Chartered law firm. WBC is listed as a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center.1 He is known for preaching with slogans and banners denoting phrases such as "Thank God for 9/11", "God hates fags," "AIDS cures fags," and "Fags die, God laughs (or mocks)," and claims that God will punish homosexuals as well as people such as Bill O'Reilly, Coretta Scott King, Ronald Reagan, and Howard Dean, whom his church considers "fag-enablers".[2]3 His church says he is a "Five-Point Calvinist".4 He has also thanked God for the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.5

Phelps and his followers frequently picket various events, especially military funerals, gay pride gatherings, and high-profile political gatherings, arguing it is their sacred duty to warn others of God's anger. When criticized, Phelps' followers say they are protected in doing so by the First Amendment.67 President Bush recently signed the Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act in response to Phelps' protests at military funerals.8 Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius recently signed into law a bill banning the protest of funerals in response to Phelps.[citation needed]