Weasel of the Week: Rev. Fred Phelps

"How do I know you're not sick? You could be some deranged lunatic!"--The Fresh Prince (Will Smith), "Parents Just Don't Understand", 1987.

Yesterday, Elizabeth Edwards, the estranged wife of former Presidential hopeful John Edwards, was laid to rest, but if you thought that was the end of the story, you're in for a surprise.

Yes, it's after the fact, but the hate mongers of Westboro Baptist Church are back in the news. They're among the top searches on Yahoo! today, after announcing on Thursday that they were planning to picket Mrs. Edwards' funeral, claiming there are matters in her personal life, aside from the breast cancer that ultimately led to her passing, that these people find offensive. The article I read on CNN's website doesn't specify exactly what these venomous hypocrites are referring to, but the mere fact that Rev. Fred Phelps and his congregation decided to extend their 15 minutes of infamy yet again at someone else's expense is really all you need to know.

The tabloids had a field day when it was revealed that John Edwards had had an affair, so you'd think Phelps would've targeted him. Uh-unh. I'd say Phelps is nuttier than a can of cashews, but then again, that would be an insult to cashews and other nuts of the edible variety.

Phelps claims to be an "old time" minister. No preacher that I've known, heard, or seen on television preaches hate. In the case of Fred Phelps, hypocrisy wears weasel ears, and thus, the bad reverend becomes the 2nd person to have achieved Weasel status twice. Can someone direct the Westboro flock to the nearest sensitivity training course? Reality has called, and they don't want to answer.