Tipping my hat to Heath Ledger

I have to admit I was never a huge fan of Heath Ledger. Being a pretty hardcore movie buff and having a healthy interest in screenwriting, I absolutely have to recognize his talent, but none of his films really captured my interest beyond a fleeting hour or two of entertainment. "Brokeback Mountain" was well-acted and, what the fuck, I'm not going to sit here all uptight and say I didn't watch it. I watched it, I considered the implications to the broader human condition for a few minutes, and then I went on with my life. Whatever.

Bottom line: He was a good actor, but never in anything I feel I need to defend to the death in a battle of cinematic tastes. Some would say he was an incredible actor, and I won't argue with them. From what I've read he was purely dedicated to his craft, which I can respect and admire, and at the same time extremely troubled by his shattered relationship, which I can understand. He fell into drugs -- not exactly a new concept in Hollywood, or in any other facet of society -- and ultimately paid the price for his addiction. It's fucking sad, but so is any needless death of a 20-something. At least he didn't collapse into the public eye and make an ass of himself like some celebrities. At least he kept his dignity in the face of despair.

So it's because I respect Health Ledger as a guy following his passion and as a decent actor that I take special issue with the Westboro Baptist Church -- no stranger to my scorn on this blog -- and its mission to picket his funeral. Of course I'm not surprised; the church members are hysterical religious fanatics, and undoubtedly they view Ledger's role in "Brokeback" as a ringing endorsement of gay culture. One could even say that where Heath Ledger was passionated about his dream (acting), Westboro members are passionate about their dream (gay bashing):

A fundamentalist church whose members demonstrate at the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq and believe God hates gays will protest the Academy Awards and the funeral of Heath Ledger, because the actor played a gay cowboy in the 2005 film "Brokeback Mountain."

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., are trying to find out where the 28-year-old actor's funeral will be held and have already made signs to hold outside the Oscars that read "God Hates Fags and Fag Enablers," "Heath in Hell" and "Mourn for Your Sins," Shirley Phelps-Roper, daughter of the church's controversial founder Pastor Fred Phelps, told ABCNEWS.com.

Though Ledger was not gay, the church believes he "misused the giant megaphone given to him by God Almighty to speak the truth about fags," Phelps-Roper said, and instead "used his position of prominence to say God is a liar and that homosexuality is not an abomination."

With cheerleaders like these, I'm just glad I play for the nonbelievers. The people on my team won't be attending any funerals with Christian propaganda. Every time I see these people in the news it reminds me why I'm an Atheist.