Captions by a young WBC member, posted to Twitter by @meganphelps (granddaughter of Fred Phelps and WBC member)

Just kidding. Below are a few questions I’ve attempted to answer about the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC). This isn’t formal research, just a few points that I believe need to be brought to attention.The fine folks at Wikipedia have summarized that in far fewer words than I ever could have, so if you are unfamiliar with the WBC, I would suggest reading the first paragraph link Since the WBC classifies itself as a church, they are not required to disclose their finances to anyone - including church members. It wouldn't matter anyway, because about 80% of the WBC's members are members of the Phelps family so they probably know exactly what's going on. I'll get to that later.The WBC has targeted pretty much every major religion - Judaism, Catholicism, Islam, even some Christian groups that don't conform to their ridiculous ideas. They are also known for their anti-gay protests and the picketing of American soldier's funerals. More recently, however, they have been protesting celebrities like Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. Why would a group like this bother with a pop singer and some kid? Media. Think about it. Out of everything they protest, what gets the biggest reaction? What makes people truly angry? What makes the news? When their protesting hits a nerve, they get sued. That should make them pay, right? No. It doesn't.A nice group called the Phelps-Chartered represents the Westboro Baptist Church in court.Phelps-Chartered is a legal firm started in 1964 by Fred Phelps. In its early days, the firm supposedly took on clients that no other law group wanted - mostly cases involving African-Americans. This caused a stir for the Phelps family in not-quite-ready for desegregation Kansas - possibly giving them their first taste of what it was like to be controversial. Over the years, the Phelps-Chartered grew to include several of his children. The current attorneys of the Phelps-Chartered include Jonathan B. Phelps, Shirley L. Phelps-Roper, Rachel I. Hockenbarger, Rebekah A. Phelps-Davis and Margie J. Phelps. Eleven of the thirteen Phelps children are lawyers, with the exceptions being Mark and Nate, who have been estranged from the family.There's a lovely little law called the Civil Rights Attorney’s Fees Award Act of 1976. Sometimes referred to as "Section 1988", this law allows a federal court to award reasonable attorneys' fees to a prevailing party in certain civil rights cases.When the Phelps-Chartered law group wins a case defending the Westboro Baptist Church in civil rights cases, the federal government pays them an attorney's fee because of this law.Pretty much.It is my somewhat humble opinion that these people aren't really as crazy as they look. Their tactics are so shocking and inhuman, most people can't (or won't) see past that. The protests and the picket lines are a front – they do it to get attention and for the money. Maybe the Westboro Baptist Church and the Phelps family really does believe all the crazy things written on their picket signs, but there is also the possibility that they're just conning everyone in one of the most shocking money-making schemes the US has ever seen. link (the official site for the Westboro Baptist Church)