…but an alert reader points out these earlier profiles of Fred Phelps, which include the revelations that he has called Jerry Falwell a “Baptist 666 Fag” and that he ran as a Democrat for governor and senator in the late 80s and early 90s. Because the IRS accepts his Westboro Baptist Church as an accredited institution — even though its only members appear to be members of his own family — Phelps is able to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars tax-free to pay for his disgusting protests.