Re: He's dead, Jim.
"Hatred" can be a profitable niche in our culture. George Lincoln Rockwell, Brown graduate and Marine fighter pilot, headed the American Nazi Party. Stokely Carmichael was the head of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). And in one rare moment of candor answered a reporter's question about how many members his group had by saying (I paraphrase): "52 brothers and 97 national reporters." And Fred Phelps. "Hatred" was profitable enough for Phelps and his clan that they spent most of their time on the road, flying from town to town, spraying sunshine wherever they went.
It's always been an open question to me how sincere these hate peddlers are. They all get treated with deference by the media: interviews, pictures, coverage, etc. And that gives their activities a patina of legitimacy they don't deserve. Which leads to a status they don't deserve (Playboy sent Alex Haley to interview Rockwell, for the love of God). Which leads to more public appearances. Which leads, etc. etc. Phelps, Carmichael, Rockwell (just to name three) were peas in a pod. Playing the media, collecting the money, living on the uppermost part of the hog and generally having a good time. They represent nobody. They speak for nobody. They're independent contractors. Like the kid who delivers your morning paper. And we certainly don't give a sh*t what he thinks about anything.
