"God Blew Up The Troops"...Westboro Baptist protest at soldier's funeral

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=104091

Memorial services for a Marine who died in Iraq were marred Thursday when members of a Kansas church protested outside the church where the service was held. A group of about ten protesters, including children, gathered across the street from the church silently holding signs. The signs included the messages "God blew up the troops," "Thank God for IEDs," "America is doomed" and "God hates America."

This is the second time in the last three weeks that the church has sent protesters to a dead-serviceman's funeral with a message that their deaths are a punishment from God. The church, famous for its anti-gay message, says that American troops are dying in Iraq because God is punishing the United States for an unsolved bombing of the church in 1995 that left a child seriously injured.

In a press release, the church said Opskar was killed by "by an IED (improvised explosive device), like the IED America used to bomb our church, in a terroristic attempt to stop WBC's anti-gay preaching. We may be pardoned for seeing a direct correlation between the improvised explosive devices killing American kids in Iraq and the IED that nearly killed a sleeping Westboro baby August 20th 1995," the Web site reads, continuing to cite biblical verses that it claims support its position.

The church is famous for its site GodHatesFags.com and protests at the 1998 funeral of murdered homosexual Matthew Sheppard. The church continues to earn national attention staging protests — and threatening to stage protests — at funerals and other public events. He has appeared in Minnesota before. It was not clear if the church's leader, the Reverend Fred Phelps, traveled to Minnesota for Thursday's protest.

[Greeby]

1. To anyone who goes to a soldiers funeral

And this pig shows up, slip the honour guard some live ammo :grr:

[iamjoy]

2. This Group Is Just Sick

:wow:

And people say liberals hate America and don't support our troops.

[formerrepuke]

3. No doubt some people unfamiliar with WBC think these protesters

are some 'liberal anti-war group'...

[noahmijo]

4. Not ONE word from Republicans and their ilk towards these people

Everyday on talk radio it's always "Liberals Hate America!" you know what I've seen thousands of protest signs during this war I've NEVER seen one that glorifies soldiers being blown up by roadside bombs or calling for the killing of an American soldier or even one that says "I hate America" or "God Hates America"

Using Conservative logic from seeing this and seeing the lack of response all I can say is Conservatives CLEARLY hate America.

Oh and why aren't these people being dragged to Gitmo Bay? aren't they inciting terror towards Americans? Aren't they obviously on the terrorist's side?

The American Taliban escapes without a scratch again.

[McCamy Taylor]

5. This is sick! Will it get MSM coverage?

[fudge stripe cookays]

6. These assholes may finally be....

stepping over the line for the mainstream public with these protests.

People who may have put up with them before because the gay protests didn't affect them personally may finally see just how much hate Phelps is promoting and how much he and his followers are full of.

FSC

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

7. Where is O'Lielly on this?

Oh no, he's too busy obsessing over George Soros.....

[DURHAM D]

8. Why don't the fundies think this is hate speech ? eom

[AValdoux]

9. They are pushing the envelope

They are trying to incite a reaction. Then they can file a lawsuit claiming their right to free speech has been violated. That is really the sick thing about this. Their abortion antics aren't enough to goad a reaction anymore. I think this is purely about money.


AValdoux

[Sparkly]

10. I don't get it. Are they satirical, or serious? nt

[Vickers]

11. If you are a true believer, God intended all this.

All of it.

PLANNED it even.

Every single bit of it.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

12. "If you are a true believer" in THEIR view. They don't speak for all.

I'm a Christian, and MY God didn't intend or plan this.

[Vickers]

17. Actually this is the view of the Bible (which I've read)

If you want, I could locate dozens of verses where this is borne out, but a quick reading of Genesis will confirm my statement above.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

18. Thanks, but it wasn't my intent to start a theology flame war thread...

...and if you start posting scripture, that's what we'll have.

My post was about Westboro Baptist. I think we'd be better served by having God's intentions addressed in another thread. And yes, Westboro has appointed themselves spokespersons for God's intentions, but that's all I'm addressing here...their actions.

No disrespect intended. This shit gets out of hand QUICKLY, whether you intend it or not.

:toast:

[Vickers]

20. Yeah, sorry for the thread derailment

I completely disagree with what these "Christians" are doing, but only wanted to point out that technically they are right on some of their stances (i.e., that God's Plan includes the bad stuff AND the good stuff)...but I don't think Jesus would agree at all with their methods.

:toast:

[carnie_sf]

13. These "people"

deserve to be ignored. They have nothing of substance to say, and they thrive on what little media attention they do get.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

15. Two thoughts...

Yes, on one level, they deserve to be ignored. But on the other level, Bush got a second term for two reasons. First, voter fraud and voting machines...and I don't believe we will EVER know all of the details on that.

But second, and equally as important, Rove corralled the "Fundamentalist Christian" voters. Westboro Baptist voters are Bush voters. Westboro is getting headlines, but they are not the only whack job "Christian" sect out there.

By keeping a spotlight on these bastards, it sheds light on the true face of Bush's "Christian Voting Base." Maybe it will turn off a few true Christian voters when they see what's under the hood.

Look at how quickly the Southern Baptist Convention kicked Frist to the curb when he changed his position on stem cell research. This is an uneasy marriage at best (NeoCons and Fundies) and we need to keep shaking the cage.

:toast:

[leesa]

19. I agree completely. I'm sorry for the families having to endure this

intrusion, but maybe some of the many Fundies in Minnesota will begin to shake off the kool-aid if they are offended enough.

[tocqueville]

14. from a previous discussion on this board

some Duers were planning a counter-manifestation...

what happened ?

[wtmusic]

16. whacked...just whacked

to even think of protesting at a funeral.

[hayu_lol]

21. This group is the Fred Phelps family...

from Kansas. They go all over doing this...almost all the adult members are attorneys.

One of these days, they will screw around with the wrong set of grieving parents...and.... Let your imagination complete the picture.