A moment of irony for the July 4 holiday

A couple of days ago, I was listening to an NPR interview with Timothy Phelps, son of Fred Phelps and, with his father, a leader of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church. Leaders of the Westboro congregation had participated in special training sessions at the FBI. Unbeknownst to Phelps, these sessions were designed to expose FBI agents to the thinking of potential “domestic terrorists.”

Westboro Baptist  is the church group that travels around the country to demonstrate at events like funerals for soldiers–by way of getting out the message that deaths like these are God’s way of punishing the United States…for “condoning” homosexuality.

The group has a history of anti-gay activity, and sees those of other faiths–Muslims, Jews, Buddhists–as sinners or worse.

The moment of irony: During the interview, Timothy Phelps refers to the technique of the FBI as their “schtick.” This is a quintessential Yiddish word. Like other Yiddish words or Yiddish-isms, like words and phrases from other languages brought to this country by immigrants, it has been so completely absorbed into the American lexicon that even Timothy Phelps was unaware that he was using the language of a people he vilifies.

A perfect moment for Independence Day weekend. Utterly American to add to our national portrait bits and pieces of the world’s cultures and ethnic groups. Also part of our portrait: bigots and martyrs, Phelps and Dr. King, another Baptist minister, both 100% American.