Here’s to You, Fred

Joseph Arechavala of Camden, NJ, makes a point about the ethics of drawing attention to Fred Phelps’ madness, as Josh Garrett-Davis did in his recent piece in KtB.

It’s fairly obvious, even to a layman like me, that Mr. Phelps has a serious mental illness. I believe he will switch eventually from verbally violent tirades to physical violence. In the end, he’ll be convicted of assault or some similar felony, and spend a long time in jail.

Why the press—any press—pays attention to this man and his followers is beyond my understanding. It only gives him the attention he craves.

For us, the answer is pretty simple: we loved Josh’s essay.