Sounds like a rather provocative title, doesn’t it? After all, making the claim that anyone should, or does, deserve to die because he or she wished death and suffering on others is clearly a double standard. 

I, therefore, must preface this column by stating that I do not, in any way, hope or wish that Fred Phelps dies. I am, however, pointing out that the world would probably be a better place if he did. 

To those of you who, upon hearing the aforementioned statement, immediately have the predictable knee-jerk reaction in thinking, “nobody should die because of their wrongdoings because everyone deserves a chance to change,” I advise you to seriously reconsider your reaction.

I think that most everyone would agree that if Joseph Stalin had a heart attack before he could cause the death of millions of innocent people, the world would be a better place. I’m not saying Phelps is as bad as Stalin, but this should make it abundantly clear that some people would be better dead than alive, for the good of society.

I don’t support the death penalty, nor do I believe any human being deserves to die. All I’m saying is that it’s obvious that in some circumstances, society would be better off if certain people didn’t exist.

I also feel obligated to mention I would wish nothing more than for Mr. Phelps to realize his wrongdoing and work in his last days to mitigate the profound malevolence he has brought upon the people of the United States, as many of his family members, including his son Nate Phelps, have been brave and strong enough to do themselves. Sadly, we all know that isn’t going to happen. 

I would challenge anyone who doubts my certainty to consider the legacy of pure hatred and anger of this man. 

For those of you who are unaware, Fred Phelps is the founder and head of the Westboro Baptist Church, a hate group made famous mostly for its discrimination against homosexuals, its protests of military and other high-profile celebrities’ funerals.

Phelps, as well as his group, maintains the notion that homosexuality should be punishable by death, and sin is the cause of both the deaths during natural disasters and the deaths resulting from the 9/11 attacks. Clearly, these people skipped a great number of key readings in their biblical studies before bastardizing the entirety of Christian theology to suit their prejudices. For a more detailed manifesto of the group’s ideology visit its website, godhatesfags.com or godhatesamerica.com.

Phelps has spent his entire adult life propagating dogma that will continue to contribute to suffering and even death of people who have done nothing more than protect their country or love someone of the same sex (despite his assertion that his group is nonviolent).

I never respected this man, and the fact that he may now die does nothing to change that. I do, however, have the best of wishes and the utmost respect for his family, especially his son, Nate, who broke the news of his father’s imminent death on his Facebook page.

“I’m not sure how I feel about this,” Nate said. “Terribly ironic that his devotion to his god ends this way. Destroyed by the monster he made. I feel sad for all the hurt he’s caused so many. I feel sad for those who will lose the grandfather and father they loved.”

I don’t hate Fred Phelps as a person. I hate his legacy, his ideas, his hate group and everything that he stands for. But despite this, I still hope nobody pickets his funeral.