Nate Phelps: a personal history with national implications
All this week we’ve been covering the developments in Synder vs. Phelps, currently being heard before the U.S. Supreme Court. The question at the heart of the case is whether Westboro’s members have the right to protest at the funerals of fallen soldiers, gay people and young chlidren, in order to put forward their message: that America is being punished for its tolerance of homosexuality and abortion.
On Wednesday we spoke with Larry Flynt about his landmark free speech Supreme Court case and his thoughts on the Westboro case. One person who commented on that interview was Nate Phelps, one of Fred Phelps’ sons, and estranged from his family for many years. Nate wrote:
I’ve been asked by a lot of people what I think about this case against my father. My own opinion on this matter flows from the certainty that no founding father could have imagined ever having to deal with people standing outside a funeral taunting the family and loved ones of the deceased. It is my hope that this is the reason the Court agreed to hear this case and that they will find good cause to protect the rights of mourners from the untimely exercise of free speech rights.
Phelps says it’s hard to separate his personal history with the drama that is unfolding in our nation’s highest court. But he feels it is his duty to counter the hateful rhetoric that his family preaches.
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