Frankly I'm surprised that any one is surprised to hear about Phelps. His group "picketed" in London the day after the subway bombing, displaying signs asserting that it was "too bad there weren't more killed." These "believers in Fred" did not get to London from Topeka Kansas overnight. They were already in London. This does not indicate a local and insignificant "organization."

Joe O - especially, others included:

Although his immediate "group" is relatively small, unfortunately a fairly substantial body of people are "sympathetic" to his notion that the "rapture is at hand," and that therefore freedoms, civil liberties, and protection by the law for anyone NOT OF THEIR EVANGELICAL BELIEF don't matter.

Among those who quite probably subscribing to this way of thinking may be several members of state legislatures (including Kansas, of course), state Attorney's General in several states (including Kansas own, of course) and probably(?) and most notably the "viable candidate for nomination to become the next President of the United States, Senator Sam Brownback." (from Kansas, of course).

Examples I can cite with personal knowledge obviously come mostly from my own area, although I do see evidence that other areas are equally affected.

Although Fred's little group gives every appearance of being a bunch of nut-cases, the presence of only slightly less demonstrative, although arguably not less extreme, "evangelically motivated" thought is pervasive in the US today, and appears to be growing around the fringes.

In my own opinion, this "evangelical self-righteousness movement" exactly parallels the rise in "religious conservatism" that made possible the Natzi regime in 1930s Germany.

If one doesn't believe that there are numerous politicians in Washington DC with egos and ambitions equal to those of Adolf Hitler and his cohorts, or that they are fully capable of following similar lines of political (and military) development, they are, IMO, ignoring what's in front of them.

The Wikipedia biography appears to be fairly complete, and much of it may be directly from an earlier, and possibly more "blunt" biography written some years ago by a newspaper intern who was "commissioned" to do an article on Phelps. When the newspaper declined to publish his article and said he couldn't either he filed suit to gain the right to have it published (or to be paid for writing it) and included the full text of his "book" in the filing. The newspaper requested, and obtained, an order to "seal the records" to prevent public release of the text, but it was "leaked" prior to the closure, and is widely available on the internet. As an "officially public court record" it may be freely quoted as long as it is not changed in quotation. Fred has tried to sue over it, and has lost.

You can find the earlier "biography" by searching on the title, Addicted to HATE which aptly sums up Fred's persona (in my opinion). His "Westborough Baptist Church" can also be found easily, and his two or three separate websites show how widespread his "followers" are and where his "pickets" have been, and are, happening.

To get the drift of how pervasively the "less obvious" sympathizers have slimed their way into politics, a search on "Brownback" may be helpful, provided that one looks at the Pro-Sam to see how much strength his campaign may have and at the "Anybody but Sam" side to see what his candidacy might really lead to.

Sorry to carry on, but I personally am seriously concerned about this issue. Phelps and his gang are only a symptom.

John