My mother told me as a child that people aren't bad, they just do bad things. Unfortunately for her, I grew up and learned otherwise. Over the past few years we (and by "we" I mean you, the person next to you, and me) have seen the many faces of evil, and one of those faces (along with Osama bin Laden) belongs to Rev. Fred Phelps. Do not be fooled by the title that precedes his name. He represents none of the qualities that you would associate with a reverend; the man is neither honest, noble, nor holy.

If you've seen the movie The Laramie Project (based on the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard) then you probably remember the scene when Christina Ricci leads a number of people dressed as angels to block the cruel protesters shouting anti-gay remarks outside the hospital. Fred Phelps, the biggest foe of homosexuals, was the man leading the protest.

At 78 years old, Phelps is a pastor at Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., an organization that has been named a hate group by The Southern Poverty Law. Of its 71 members, nearly 60 of them are related to Phelps by either marriage or blood. Fred Phelps and his fellow Phelps-ians, as I like to call them, will abhor you if you're one of the following: Gay, Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Swedish, Irish, Cuban, American, Republican, Democrat, a member of the government, and/or in the military; basically, anyone and everyone who isn't a member of their church.

According to the reverend, his hate does not stem from a black hole-all the people he dislikes (this, by the way, is an understatement) are supporters of homosexuality or denouncers of the Bible and Jesus. The not-very-eloquent Phelps prefers to use more graphic language when explaining where his hate comes from. Thank God For 9/11 and God Blew Up The Troops are some of the nicer signs that you will find Phelps-ians toting around while they picket military funerals, funerals in general, wedding ceremonies and gay pride gatherings.

When tragedies such as 9/11 and the collapse of the I-35W bridge occur, Phelps-ians praise the Lord. While Matthew Shepard struggled for his life in a Wyoming hospital, Fred Phelps stood outside beckoning him to walk through the gates of hell. We all know how the story ends: Matthew lost his life and Phelps became notorious. According to the reverend, he is doing the will of God because God hates people who 'enable' homosexuals and therefore is wreaking havoc upon these men, women, and children as a punishment for disobeying his word; he says, "God's hatred is one of His holy attributes."

Even Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are not immune to his wrath. Stewart and Colbert are, as Phelps states, "blaspheming comics" and scoffers and mockers of the Bible and therefore should die.

Due to his growing notoriety, many counter-protest groups, such as the Patriot Guard Riders, have been formed. This organization follows the WBC to each of its 'targets' and drowns out their hateful words by supporting whomever the Phelps-ians are there to slander.

It is often stated that tragedy brings people together, and the tragedy of a man such as Phelps walking this planet does indeed bring people together. Republicans and Democrats, for example, tend to join forces to shout out against his vicious words.

Backlash against Phelps went even higher-up recently, when the Senate passed the Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act in May of 2006 (which, by the way, was approved by President Bush; perhaps the only good thing he had done for this country). The act prohibits protests within 300 feet of national cemeteries and an hour before and after a funeral. Violating this act may get you up to a year in prison and $100,000 in fines. Phelps also lost a lawsuit last week and was ordered to pay $10.9 million to the grieving father of Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder. Phelps protested at Snyder's funeral in 2006. Matthew Snyder was killed while serving in Iraq; he was 20 years old.

I firmly believe that there is a special place reserved in the 9th circle of Hell for people like Hitler, Bin Laden, and Phelps (to name a few). Sometimes I find myself questioning the vehement dislike I have for the man; I ask myself, Are we supposed to counter hate with hate? He hates me, so I hate him back? That's probably not the way it is supposed to be; however, I'll allow myself to make an exception this one time for an exceptionally vile, repulsive and hideous man.