Fred Phelps To Erect Matthew Shepard Monument

[QC]

Anti-gay preacher Fred Phelps has announced intentions to erect a monument to Matthew Shepard the gay college student brutally murdered five years ago near Laramie.

But, the monument will be no memorial. Phelps says the monument would be 5 to 6 feet tall and made of marble or granite. It would bear a bronze plaque bearing the image of Shepard and have an inscription reading "MATTHEW SHEPARD, Entered Hell October 12, 1998, in Defiance of God's Warning: 'Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind; it is abomination.' Leviticus 18:22."

The monument would be erected in downtown Casper, Shepard's home town.

Phelps has sent details of the monument to the city of Casper city council and there may be nothing the city can do to prevent it.

http://www.365gay.com/newscontent/100303phelpsMemorial.htm

[Classical_Liberal]

1. Fred is an asshole not a christian!

Even Conservative Christians know they don't ultimately determine who goes to heaven or hell. They also know if they are judgemental they are subject to the same judgements by god.

[regnaD kciN]

38. No, he's a psycho...

...who has created a god in his own image.

See http://www.10percent.org/exposephelps.html for further information. Scary stuff.

[ibegurpard]

2. I have a feeling it won't be there long.

n/t

[Outvoicer]

35. i have it feeling it will never actually be built ...

certainly not displayed in Casper.

[Andy_Stephenson]

3. I'll tear the fucking thing down if he does

Felps is an ASShole of the first degree.

[blondeatlast]

20. This Christian will be right beside you, honey.

Despicable. This man makes it hard for me to "love the sinner." Every act he makes seems contrary to Jesus' and God's words and practices.

I have a feeling that Phelps is gonna be as surprised as the 9/11 hijackers were. Especially when St. Peter lets Matthew Shepard push the button!

:evilgrin:

[LeftCoast]

24. I'll be right there with you!

:nuke: :grr: :nuke:

[JanMichael]

31. I'll bring the "cotton candy".

Phelps is one sick bastard.:mad:

[regnaD kciN]

40. Make sure you let me know...

...so I can help out. There are events that cry out for civil disobedience -- this is one of them.

[ozymandius]

50. Does anyone know if this will be at street level?

Sure would be a shame if some big ol' truck were to hit it, smash it to bits.

[realFedUp]

4. omigod

I don't like hearing about this guy, but I guess
we need to know the devil in order to deal with him.

[Red_Viking]

5. Wonder if Phelps wears mixed fibers?

That particular sin is covered in Leviticus, too. And his punishment would probably pull the economy out of recession were it broadcast PPV.

What an absolute fucking monster of a slimeball. Perhaps he'd like to take Matthew's parents on a personal tour of the monument and explain how their son is in hell. His killers, naturally, have their reward waiting for them in the next life. Right.

Phelps makes me puke.


:dem:

RV

[regnaD kciN]

41. Well, if the Branch FredPhelpsians are right...

...maybe Matthew is having a good time hanging out with the Rev. Fred ("Mister") Rogers and Princess Diana, both of whom Phelps has proclaimed to be in Hell as well.

:puke:

[mitchtv]

56. somehow I get theimpression of Polyester FROM fred

100% genuine synthetic

[kainah]

6. The Casper Star-Tribune article

http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2003/10/03/news/casper/f060e8d5f0ddf401c07f72e2617c79c6.txt

Rev. Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., announced plans Thursday to erect a monument in Casper's City Park.

The monument would be made of marble or granite, stand 5 to 6 feet in height, with a heavy bronze plaque bearing the face of slain University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard and an inscription reading "MATTHEW SHEPARD, Entered Hell October 12, 1998, in Defiance of God's Warning: 'Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind; it is abomination.' Leviticus 18:22," a letter from the Westboro Baptist Church signed by Phelps sent to the city of Casper states.

The church plans to place the monument in City Park because the park is already home to a Ten Commandments monument donated to the city by the Fraternal Order of the Eagles in 1965.

snip...

"Nothing has so occupied and mysteriously seized the imagination of the world media to compare with Matt Shepard," Phelps said. "It is a phenomenon. It all comes back to Casper, Wyoming. That is his home, that is where he was born, where that church is, where those institutions ... conspired in a confluence of evil resulting in a Zeitgeist that is extraordinarily evil.

"He (Shepard) was not a hero," Phelps added. "This is a great monster sin against God. It is not an innocent alternate lifestyle. And all that has come down in that one little evil town called Casper, Wyoming. And we can't ignore that."

more...

This is building off another controversy. As alluded to in the first paragraphs, there is a monument of the 10 Commandments in a city park and there is a raging debate in the City Council over whether to remove it, to try to sell that little piece of the park to some private group, or to let it stay. The majority want it to stay -- in this one little evil town -- but others cautioned that it would open the gates to having to display markers by hate groups, with Phelps being mentioned prominently because he comes to Casper every year to protest Matthew Shepard. Surprise, surprise.... Within a few days, Phelps announces his plans.

[blondeatlast]

23. Topeka is NOT evil . . . I have relatives there who protest that

sumbitch.

[kainah]

26. The angel protests against Phelps are big in Wyoming

People put on winged angel costumes and then line up in front of him, spread their "wings" and effectively place him behind the shield. They started this in Laramie when he arrived for the preliminary hearing into the murder and have carried it on in Casper where, for whatever reason, he now prefers to take his protests. The man is sheer scum -- anyone who protests the funeral of a murder victim is well beyond the pale.

[Kitsune]

7. If this thing goes up, I hope some 'vandals' tear it down in the night.

And every time they replace the godawful thing, as well. Fred Phelps is, quite possibly, the lowest form of life in the known universe.

[mlawson]

8. NOTHING they can do to prevent it??????????????????????????

WTF???? Sounds to me like they don't mind it!!!

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[kainah]

18. may be nothing they can do because of the 10 Commandments marker

check my post above.... Because there is already a 10 Commandments monument in this park, court precedent suggests that they either have to remove that OR allow other markers with this kind of religious statement. The majority of the city council doesn't want to bow to the "secular leftists" who are suing them over the 10 Commandments marker so they are trying to figure out a way around it.

But it's not right or fair to suggest that most of Casper wouldn't be deeply offended by this marker from Phelps. Wyoming had to deal with quite a lot when Shepard was brutally murdered and Phelps's visits to Casper have been a horrible assault on that town. His quotes now -- about Casper itself being an evil little town -- certainly don't sit well with anyone. So don't jump to conclusions on this. The vast majority of the good citizens of Casper, both liberal and conservative, would prefer to have never heard of Fred Phelps and they do not welcome his spewing his bile. With this threat hanging over the city, I suspect you will see the council change their tune about the 10 Commandments marker, if that's the only way to stop this marker.

[elperromagico]

9. This calls for a second statue...

... of Fred Phelps, erected right next to the Shepard monument.

I suggest that this statue include an inscription suitable to the man it honors:

"Fred Phelps, Hypocrite. 'Judge not, that ye be not judged.' Matthew 7:1. 'He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone.' John 8:7. 'Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.' Matthew 5:43-44."

Think they could fit that on a plaque? Or should we even waste granite on this hypocritical, hateful blowhard?

[Andy_Stephenson]

10. We could depict Pleps bent over

Having anal sex with a big lether daddy. I'll chip in for it.

[Kitsune]

12. I like the plaque, but instead of his nasty face...

...simply have one of the good canine citizens of the town deposit, fresh every morning, an...erm...representation of what humanity in general thinks of Phelps and his actions.

[kayell]

49. I can think of good uses for large block of granite

in combination with Phelps that wouldn't be a waste, but unfortunately, I'm a pacifist.

[Andy_Stephenson]

54. A rope...granite...deep water and

Phelps sounds like a good combo to me.

[HFishbine]

55. Agreed

Here's a model for the Phelps statue:

[FlemingsGhost]

11. I erect a monument in honor of Fred Phelps every morning.

Then, I flush.

[QC]

13. There's one good thing about Phelps.

He says what the more genteel bigots--like Falwell, Dobson, and Robertson--are surely thinking but will not say.

And I think that we need to make that point every time Phelps's name comes up.

[Booberdawg]

14. What a Christian thing to do

:eyes:

[Dookus]

15. I simply cannot fathom...

the desire to inflict such pain on people.

As Truman Capote was fond of saying, "The only unforgivable sin is intentional cruelty."

[mlawson]

16. Okay.... The commercial boycott of Casper will begin soon.

No conventions there (do they have the facilities, anyway?). No overnighting or eating at restaurants; just like Cracker Barrel. Only the RW nuts will have anything to do with that place, if they allow THIS!!!!!

[kainah]

21. That's ridiculous -- please read my post(s) above

and stop generalizing about what the people in Casper -- or Wyoming, for that matter -- think and feel until you take some time to actually understand the situation. I am no RW nut and I will continue to have much to do with Casper. Anyone who boycotts Casper because Fred Phelps is already exploiting them is doing a serious disservice to the principle of secondary boycotts.

on edit: and yes, mlawson, Casper does have convention facilities. It's not just filled with cowboys, bigots, bison and cattle. Incidentally, you might want to pick up an issue of the Intelligence Report from Southern Poverty Law Center and check out all of the hate groups in NC that they track. Maybe you should focus some of your outrage closer to home.

[mlawson]

25. IF the city allows this, then hell yes, boycott!!!

Maybe you are not gay, but I happen to be. I know little about that city, but if they allow such a thing, then they deserve the most effective boycott in history! Total financial ruin!

Preventing it could hardly be that difficult: The city leaders tell phelps that any 'monument' he tries to build will be immdiately destroyed. Period. No court anywhere is going to side with that sort of appalling hatecrime -- the city would receive tremendous support from the entire US.

[kainah]

33. your facts are simply wrong

I do not believe it will come to it because I think the city council will vote to remove the Ten Commandments marker before they allowed this to go up ... but that will be the cost. In a strange way, Phelps has probably bailed them out. As I mentioned, those arguing for removing the 10 Commandments marker specifically mentioned Phelps having to be allowed to erect a marker. I suspect they did that so that Phelps would take the bait and make the threat and now they will have to vote to remove the 10 Commandments marker. The vast majority of the citizens who might have been upset by that move will acknowledge its wisdom, if the alternative is this marker by Phelps. And if they remove the 10 Commandments to avoid the Phelps marker, they will also avoid the protracted legal dispute they would probably ultimately lose over keeping the marker in a city park.

I am not gay, mlawson, but believe me, even straight lefties in Laramie have been scarred deeply by the Shepard assassination. I'm just not sure why your anger is being focused on Casper ("that evil little town") rather than Phelps. Casper hasn't done a damned thing -- except openly rebuke Phelps at every visit and listen to what their attorneys are telling them. Phelps laid this horrible idea out last night & you're already ready to indict Casper! Give them a chance.

[mlawson]

39. I said, "If" every time.

Again, IF they allow it.... Also, I was going by the line in the original post, that 'there seems to be nothing the city can do about it', or something to that effect. I naturally assumed that such a 'monument' would never be allowed anywhere, and to even imagine that any city would say that there is no way to prevent it, really got me going.

I wish the people of Casper all the luck in the world fighting this demon. But in the final analysis, the 'monument' CAN be prevented, one way or another.

[queer outlaw]

17. Thou shalt have no other gods before me

Wonder if they'll bow down and pray to the freakin' marble statue. What a bunch of hateful hypocrites! With a little luck, maybe all 12 members of their church (all in one family) will have to spend all their time protecting the thing instead of picketing funerals.

The unprinted life story of the Phelps clan, "Addicted To Hate":
http://www.blank.org/addict/orig.addict.html
Read the text of the book below the legal complaint. It's absolutely DISGUSTING!!! The Phelps family is full of lawyers, and so far, they have been able to stop this book from being printed. But they couldn't stop the contents of the lawsuit from being published on the internet! LOL!!

[blondeatlast]

28. Cripes, that's just sick.

That man is seriously bent, kind of like Jeffrey Dahmer.

[alphafemale]

19. Fred Phelps is already in hell.

And the poor fool doesn't even realise it.

I get angry...really angry sometimes at this kind of hateful nonsense.

But, can you imagine how much it must completely suck to BE Fred Phelps?

I can't imagine living daily with hate like that oozing from my pores.

[bluestateguy]

22. It's time to play hardball with these people

Somebody needs to make it clear to the Westboro Baptist "Church" that there will be severe consequences if this monument is erected. I'll leave it at that.

Oh, I'm against violence. Yeah, um, sure, yep.

[blondeatlast]

29. Ahem. Me too.

[Padraig18]

27. I will PERSONALLY drive to Casper...

... rent an endloader and smash the damnable thing to BITS in broad daylight on a weekday! :puke: :grr:

[Duncan Grant]

30. The man is a mental case. Ignore him.

He has no real power, just a megalomaniac (a delusional mental disorder that is marked by infantile feelings of personal omnipotence and grandeur) who's looking for some attention.

Granted, he is a tacky, evil, heartless son of a bitch. See for yourself: http://www.godhatesfags.com/

Ignore him, it's the best revenge.

May the Shepard family have peace and serenity while this mad man Phelps walks the earth.

[blondeatlast]

44. "May the Shepard family have peace and serenity while this mad man

Phelps walks the earth."

I don't think they are superhuman, or God, or Buddha, etc.

They are human, they are hurting. This buttvoid is using their precious child, taken far too soon and with utter cruelty, as an example to foster hate and violence.

He needs to be stopped for Matthew's family and for Matthew, and all the others that we don't hear about.

Phelps is not a Christian, he is evil in the flesh. Interpret any way your belief or lack of belief allow you to; just don't ever forget it.

[Duncan Grant]

48. Have you seen "The Laramie Project"?

It's very powerful. The citizens of Laramie responded to Phelps in the most beautiful and noble way...that's all I'm advocating here.

It's hard to find someone more offensive than Phelps but my guess is that Judy Shepard would rather have us ignore him than to devote any attention or energy to his hatefulness. There's no way in hell that Phelps is going to get that statue put up...it's simply a "hey, pay attention to me" ploy hatched in his sick little mind.

Phelps has no real power -- other than the power to offend. How we choose to recognize that fact is important.


link to the Laramie Project Archives: http://www.nytimes.com/ads/marketing/laramie/


edit: added link

[madmax]

32. What the hell is going on in our country!!

Please all DU'ers I beg you. We all need to stick together and win this next election. And as many local, so called insignificant elections from dog catcher on up.

UNITED WE WILL KICK THEIR ASS'S OUT!!!

If there is a Heaven and a Heavenly Father Matthew is sitting there with him.

[JanMichael]

34. As a planner I'd say there's probably something that they can do...

...about it.

For one it's in a city park, town council has to give him permission to erect anything there. People can't just request and automatically recieve approval for just any permenant structure.

So really it's up to the city to do the right thing.

[Kitsune]

37. Yes, but -

Because they already have a 10 Commandments monument there, the theory is that they have to allow any 'religious' monument anyone wants to put up.

Of course, I fail to see any sort of religiousness in pure, unbridled hatred, but maybe I'm just missing something glaringly obvious.

[mlawson]

42. If nothing else,

the city council tells phelps, "Under no conceivable circumstances, do we allow this THING!! PERIOD!!" The implication being that 'we will do whatever we HAVE to, to stop it!'. He will know what they mean.

[kainah]

43. that's exactly right, kitsune

no doubt that's why phelps has inserted all these Biblical quotes. However, as I said above, I suspect a couple council members baited him into this threat so that they could push the rest of the council on removing the commandments marker without the lawsuit or the fallout from the religious right. Only a few crazies will support keeping the Ten Commandments marker if the cost is this phelps invitation to vandalism.

And, trust me, there will be plenty of folks in-state who will vandalize it. But if it goes up and anyone wants directions to the park, just send me a private email............

:grr:

[leesa]

36. How will the devil have time to check in all the Fundie assholes!

This is the most disgusting anti-Christian thing I have ever read!

[sujan]

45. oh yes, he is a true Christian

Indeed.

[Rowdyboy]

47. Please, my friend, there's no need to attack

your liberal Christian allies by insinuating that we're all that evil. I'll drive the dozer to bury this monstrosity if it is ever erected (and it won't be). Phelps isn't a Christian...Phelp's is a facist, brown shirt, nazi.

[Loyal]

46. The only person entering hell will be

Fred Phelps, and I'll be so glad when the bastard finally gets there.

[maxanne]

51. I don't believe it will ever be put up

Too many people would go out there and prevent it from happening. I would - and I live in NH. This will create a huge outpouring of civil disobedience. Fred makes me understand tree spikers a little better.

[Terwilliger]

52. I hope you people realize how some see your compatriots

Aren't you all following the same book? What's the malfunction?

[ButterflyBlood]

53. Just when you thought Phelps couldn't get any lower...

ugh. There are no limits to how low he can go I guess :puke:

[Fixated]

57. ....

I will personally smash that fucking statue to pieces.