Fred Phelps group to picket Palmer H.S. in Colorado Springs, March 11.

[MissMarple]

This is in the Saturday Gazette, in the "Briefly" Metro section. They are to protest student efforts to have a Gay Straight Alliance club officially recognized by the school district.

They plan to meet at 7:15 a.m, Friday, March 11. School starts at 7:45. There will be counter demonstrators from Citizens Project, our home grown civil rights group, and several local churches and other organizations.


I guess I'll have to be there. Oh, dear!

on edit: I can't find a link in the online edition.

I did find this on google.

http://gazette.com/newbbs/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=17887&

[jonnyblitz]

1. standby to be completely offended.

If you go. and good luck. :hi:

[realFedUp]

2. The Phelp's family live off lawsuits

A lot of the "kids" are lawyers and they
sue people who attack them during these
protests, so you really want to avoid
them, or stay on the other side of the
street. They want to provoke people into
attacks.

[ClintonTyree]

3. Yes, by all means, don't touch them..................

not only because of law suits, but you might "catch something" from them. Just being in the same vacinity as them would make me ill. Somebody should smack some sense into these assholes, but not you.

[MissMarple]

4. Not to worry. I'll just smile and perhaps take some pictures.

Palmer has a city campus, and is divided by several city streets, some of which are quite busy in the morning. It is right downtown. They will probably be near Acacia Park which is cornered by one of the busiest intersections in the city. A statue of General Palmer on his horse sits smack dab in the middle.

[rockymountaindem]

7. That's one of the dumbest things in the world.

The statue is in the MIDDLE of the intersection. Of course the intersection is one of the most dangerous in the city, and everyone sits with their thumbs up their asses and wonders why. Don't statues belong in parks, like the one on the NW corner of the intersection? Please...

OTOH, at least the statue doesn't get vandalized.

[paineinthearse]

5. Crossing a state line to spout hatred & stupidity ...

... should be a federal offese.

See Fred Phelps 101 at http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3221790

[CO Liberal]

6. I Bet Mike McKee Will Be There

Colorado Spring's resident homophobe. He dresses in sackcloth and ashes ever yeaer to protest the Gay Pride Parade, and calles in to local talk shows to spin any discussion to his particular brand of hate-mongering "Christianity". I got in an argument with him one day on Joseph Michelli's show on KVOR. I called him a sad excuse for a Christian - he called me the "Anti-Christ".

I told him that I would wear that as a badge of honor.

[CO Liberal]

8. According to Local Reports....

Fred Phelps didn't show up, but only a handful of his family/church members did. And there were 500 counter-protesters!!!!

Vice Mayor Richard Skorman told the Phelps people that they were not welcome in Colorado Springs.

Here's an except of the report on the Western Skies web site. I know I've included more than four paragraphs, but I wanted to inclide the significat stuff. A link to the entire report appears at the bottom of this message:

* * * * *

WESTERN SKIES - March 12, 2005

*** PALMER HIGH SCHOOL PROTEST ***

ERIC WHITNEY: High Schools across Colorado were feeling extra pressure last week, getting ready for the pending state assessment tests. But Palmer High, in downtown Colorado Springs, got word that they'd be facing an additional challenge.

The Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas announced that some of its members would be gathering on the sidewalk in front of Palmer on Friday to protest students there who are trying to establish a gay-straight club at the school.

<snip>

WHITNEY: But at least four hundred people decided not to ignore Westboro, and were spilling off the sidewalks on the three corners of the intersection across from Palmer in counter protest.

<snip>

WHITNEY: Across the street, Westboro's group had only ten people. One of their signs depicted a homosexual sex act. Vincent (a counter-protester) said he found it disgusting that they were allowed to protest in front of the high school.

<snip>

WHITNEY: The message, (Fred Phelps' grandson Ben) Phelps says, is simple.

PHELPS: God hates people, he hates all workers of inequity. He says that in Solomon 5:5, he hated Esau, Romans 9:13. He hates people.

WHITNEY: Phelps and his crew left after about half an hour. Springs Vice Mayor Richard Skorman said they shouldn't hurry back.

VICE MAYOR RICHARD SKORMAN: and I want to say loud and clear that these people are not welcome in our city, and I have the support of all of council to say that. And I wish they would go home and leave us alone. People in Colorado Springs do not support what they do, and they need to leave us alone and mind their own business, because we're a city of everybody.

WHITNEY: The counter-protesters, many of whom showed up at six-thirty in the morning, started dispersing soon after the Westboro group left. But a lot lingered in the morning sunshine, many clearly feeling like they'd won a victory or at least made a good point.

http://westernskies.krcc.org/transcripts/3-12-2005/WS_3122005_A.html

[MissMarple]

9. Here's an article from the Rocky Mountain News.

I lot of the kids are pretty disgusted with the Phelps family and their questionable antics. They tended to dismiss the tirades as "stupid".

I can't find a link to our Gazette on their article but one of the security guards was reported telling a couple of girls going outside to view the activities to be careful and be sure to wear their kindness buttons.

What is incredibly hilarious is that Palmer was having Kindness Week. The kids have Kindness buttons and were prepared to view the decidedly unchristian Phelps people in an appropriate light. Pretty much, the day was business as usual. But it was a good educational moment for the kids about people who hate.



http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3616311,00.html

Here's a snip:

"Across the street, hundreds faced them shouting "No more hate" and other chants.

More than 30 police officers stood by, but demonstrators remained peaceful.

Some took the opportunity to create some street theater.

A group posing as highway workers in yellow hard hats held up faux traffic signs to oncoming vehicles that read: "Warning: Dangerous Fanatics Ahead" and "Left Brain Closed."