Man to protest at soldier's funeral

[kweerwolf]

At a time when his loved ones are making funeral arrangements for a dedicated family man killed defending his country, a Kansas minister is making plans to use the funeral of Sgt. Christopher Taylor as a platform to push his anti-gay agenda.
Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan sent out press releases Wednesday announcing that his group would picket and preach at the Opelika funeral. The release is filled with anti-gay language and is headed by the line “Thank God for Improvised Explosive Devices Killing Americans in Strange Lands.”

Phelps grabbed national attention with his disruptive messages at the funeral of Matthew Shepard, the who was murdered in 1998 in an anti-gay hate crime in Laramie, Wyo. Since then, he has taken every opportunity to spread his message.

What do homosexuals and a tragic war death have in common? Phelps has a theory.

Using words not suitable for this newspaper, Phelps said that the government has allowed gays to take over America. He claims that the government allowed his church to be bombed by gays. As a result, Phelps claims that “God is punishing the government by killing soldiers with bombs and sending them home in body bags.”

http://www.oanow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=OAN/MGArticle/OAN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784110949

There's also a follow-up under the headline "Clergy slams funeral protest" at:
http://www.oanow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=OAN/MGArticle/OAN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784134227

***********

I find it odd that Freddie would claim the government allowed his church to be bombed by gays. Not only would that have made at least the local news here, but there's a good chance anyone bombing the church of such a repellant piece of shit would have been given a community improvement award.

[bluestateguy]

1. Remember this folks

25 years from now when some whitemaleconservative starts fulminating about how them "libruls" spat on the soldiers coming home from Iraq, remind them that no liberal ever picketted a dead man's funeral before.

[Brian_Expat]

11. "But Phelps is a Democrat." -- Neocon n/t

[noamnety]

2. Is he getting tax breaks for this crap?

Aren't we at the point yet where we could mount a campaign to at least get that revoked?

[wake.up.america]

3. Wow!!! This guy must be reading a different Bible than I.

To hate someone is bad enough, but to hate someone who has done nothing against you.

[friesianrider]

6. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

Christ teaches us we are all sinners, and therefore none of us can judge others; only He can.

Such visceral hatred is completely un-Christian and unnecessary. I really feel sorry for Fred Phelps. I just do not understand this hatred of gays...I just don't.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

4. "Clergy?!?!" That headline pisses me off.

Giving him a hell of a lot more respect than the bastard deserves.

[wli]

5. prosecute him for hate crimes, slander, etc.

[motely36]

7. I fucking hate that man

I don't use that word very often (hate, not fucking!)

He is the most evil person in the world. His "church" is just his family. How he manages to get so much press is beyond me.

:mad:

[Meldread]

8. I love Freddie.

Oh, I used to hate Freddie so much. Then I realized that he was the best thing that ever happened to the gay rights movement. He is so whacked out, so utterly bat shit insane, that even wacko fundies want to distance themselves from him.

I say give the man a microphone and a TV Camera. He is what the Christian Right is unveiled and unscripted. Let him appear into every American's home for a full 24 hours, and by the end of the day at least 45 out of the 50 states of America will have gay marriage. I guarantee it.

He can't open his mouth without offending at least 95% of the American population. By the end of the day even completely straight guys will be giving other completely straight guys blow jobs just because they know it would piss Freddie off.

[we laugh indoors]

10. That is not a bad idea at all.

Although I really hope he dies soon.

[Siyahamba]

9. They like when Americans die.

And I'm assuming they're Americans...why don't they set an example?