Phelps: a modern Hitler?

Mark D. Tooley has a brief but meaty piece on one of the most perverted souls on the planet, "Pastor" Fred Phelps. "Pastor" in this case is a misnomer - a misappropriation on the part of Phelps of a word meant to indicate the responsibility one undertakes in the spiritual shepherding of a group of souls. If anything, he's a false teacher, albeit a wolf in wolf's clothing in this case.

Media have commonly described Phelps as a "Baptist pastor" and "anti-gay activist," with the implication that he was simply a more aggressive component of the Religious Right. Nation magazine included Phelps in a profile about the "The Radical Right After 9/11."

Phelps celebrated the 9/11 attacks and the more recent al-Qaeda strikes in London as the just recompense of Western decadence. He supported Saddam Hussein and has been appreciative to Fidel Castro. Phelps is probably more appropriately described in psychiatric than political terms. But his political roots are in the Democratic Party, having run for office in Kansas five times, and actively supported Al Gore in 1988 and 1992 before turning against him.

What strikes me about piece is the similarity of error on the part of the public conscience to associate Phelps with the Right Wing as it did with Hitler, who is popularly thought of as a Right Wing Fascist. In reality, he was a Left Wing Authoritarian.

Few seem to know that Hitler was an animal rights enthusiast, an interest typically well within the domain of the left. I do not mean "animal lover", of which there are conservatives also; rather, I mean that sort of person who values the lives of animals over those of humans, either in his words or actions. Recall that Nazi is short for "National Socialist". People remember the "National" (fascist) part, yet not the "Socialist" (Left Wing). Some disagree with the position that Hitler was a Leftist. It's a good debate. Where do you fall?

Regardless, Phelps is a nut - and a very unreasonable one at that.