At Fox Nation, the Fox News owned-and-operated website maintained by conservative jingoists too radical for the Free Republic, the Westboro Baptist Church is now a "left-wing cult."

In a write-up of a counter-protest of the infamous hate group held in Newtown, Connecticut, the protesters were labeled "conservative bikers" by Fox Nation, and their bete noire was identified as the "Left-Wing Westboro Cult" and their leader, "Democrat Fred Phelps."

Here are the actual facts: The Patriot Guard Riders, which organized the gesture, is a nonpartisan alliance of motorcycle lovers united by a single mission: "To attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family" in order to form a shield of compassion between the mourners and the WBC.

In fact, they are known to take issue with people who try to corral them into a particular political persuasion.

As for Phelps being a Democrat, while that was true at one point for reasons unknown, he has since had a very public falling out with the party. And, as others have noted, Strom Thurmond was also once a Democrat. As was Jesse Helms. And John Wayne Gacy.

It's also worth noting that his political trajectory closely mirrors that of another former Democratic candidate for local office: Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke. The only difference between the two being that Duke eventually won an election — after he became a Republican.

Last, but certainly far from least, is the audacious claim that the Westboro Baptist Church is a "left-wing" cult.

In fairness to Fox News, this assertion appears to have originated on Gateway Pundit — the source material for Fox Nation's "article" — where blogger Jim Hoft criticized criticized the Cochrane Times — the source material for the biker story — for daring to call the WBC a "right-wing Christian group."

The suggestion that they are anything but is plainly false and should be immune from refutation, but, suffice it to say, dubbing Fred Phelps a "far-right pastor" didn't seem out of line to the "liberal untruths" crusaders at Andrew Schlafly's Conservapedia.

Here's a question: How far to the right do you have to be that the Westboro Baptist Church is to your left?

[H/T: Fark]