http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/16/westboro....



(CNN) -- An estranged son of anti-gay Kansas pastor Fred Phelps said Wednesday that the spiritual leader of Westboro Baptist Church hit his wife and beat his children with a mattock handle until they bled.

"I think what he does out there is evil," said Nathan "Nate" Phelps, during an appearance on HLN's "Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell."

Nate Phelps called his pastor father "one of the best reasons that America has been forced to get off the fence and address this issue (of gay rights)."

"But at the same time you can't ignore the fact that he's done a lot of damage," Phelps said. "He's hurt a lot of families, not only in the gay community, but the families of these soldiers."

(more at link, and at the KTVI link below his pic at CNN link, where they show him addressing Gay/Straight Alliance at Clayton High School club in St. Louis)