Crossing lines

Let me just say this... there's a certain point where even the rebel goes too far. The point where the actor who gains noteriety based on outrageousness passes the point of civility where even their regular supporters are left scratching their heads.

I call it the Phelps Line.

Fred Phelps is a nutjob, bringing a new meaning to the concept of homophobia. You've probably heard if him... he and his nutjob family have protested countless events with signs boldly declaring that "God hates fags." It got to be particularly low when he started doing this at AIDS victims funerals.

But recently, even some people that support his rather extreme take on scripture are probably embarassed to have considered supporting him. He has lately taken to demonstrating in front of military funerals, convinced that our morally bamkrupt society somehow has God rooting for IEDs in Iraq. Needless to say, this raises the hackles of even the most conservative of conservatives, given the craven act of disruption he and his gang perpetrate on grieving family members of our fallen soldiers.
His need to constantly outdo his outrageousness in order to perpetuate his ability to garner media attention to his pathetic "cause" has run out of room. Who, on God's earth, could remain on his side on this? Support this tactic?

Hence, the Phelps line. He's crossed it... he's now - I think - functionally meaningless. Oh, and he's getting sued by one of the Iraq vets' family. That's divine justice.

Who else may have done it? How about Ann Coulter's performance this morning? If you missed it, she criticized the 9/11 widows in a manner that certainly raised some eyebrows... something along the lines of, "I've never seen people enjoy their husbands' deaths so much." Granted, the attention she got on Today will undoubtedly sell more of her (very likely) shitty book (qualified only because I have not read it, but I suspect my reading it would only reduce my review from shitty to something sub-shitty). However, taking on 9/11 widows is certainly going to continue to whittle her own base down... one would hope. If she hasn't crossed the Phelps Line, she's dancing perilously close to it.

I'm ordinarily not one to mention a Fred Phelps or an Ann Coulter by name. Doing so just gets them exactly what they intend... publicity fueled by reaction to their outrageousness. The old saying goes, "there's no such thing as bad publicity." Perhaps that's true to a point... the Phelps Line.