Portrait of a humongous a-hole: Fred PHELPS. Who IS this a-hole?!1

[UTUSN]

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Phelps

Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr

.... Phelps earned a law degree from Washburn University in 1962, and founded the Phelps Chartered law firm in 1964. (citation needed) The first notable cases were related to civil rights. "I systematically brought down the Jim Crow laws of this town," he says.<8> Phelps' daughter was quoted as saying, "We took on the Jim Crow establishment, and Kansas did not take that sitting down. They used to shoot our car windows out, screaming we were (N-word) lovers," and that the Phelps law firm made up one-third of the state's federal docket of civil rights cases.<13> ....

In the 1980s, Phelps received awards from the Greater Kansas City Chapter of Blacks in Government and the Bonner Springs branch of the NAACP, for his work on behalf of black clients. ....

An appeal by WBC was heard on September 24, 2009. The federal appeals court ruled in favor of Phelps and Westboro Baptist Church, stating that their picket near the funeral of LCpl Matthew A. Snyder is protected speech and did not violate the privacy of the service member's family, reversing the lower court's $5 million judgment.<41> On March 30, 2010, the federal appeals court ordered Albert Snyder to pay the court costs for the Westboro Baptist Church, an amount totaling $16,510.<42> Political commentator Bill O'Reilly agreed on March 30 to cover the costs, pending appeal.<43>

A writ of certiorari was granted on an appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States, so the case will come up for review in the court's next term in October 2010. ....

Since the early 1990s, Phelps has targeted several individuals and groups in the public eye for criticism by the Westboro Baptist Church. Prominent examples include President Ronald Reagan, Diana, Princess of Wales, Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist, National Football League star Reggie White, Sonny Bono, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, atheists, Muslims, murdered college student Matthew Shepard, the late children's television host Fred Rogers, the late Australian actor Heath Ledger, Comedy Central's Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, political commentator Bill O'Reilly, Jews,<46> Catholics, Swedes, the Irish and US soldiers killed in Iraq. He has also targeted the Joseph Estabrook Elementary School in Lexington, Massachusetts, center of the David Parker controversy. In 2007 he stated that he would target the late Rev. Jerry Falwell's funeral.<47> ....

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[sinkingfeeling]

1. Read this morning that they will protest Elizabeth Edward's funeral. Said

they disagreed with some of her life choices, like anybody with a heart agrees with the Phelps' life choices!

[UTUSN]

2. Yeah, all I've known is his anti-Gay and soldiers' funerals activities

And I've never "gotten" what motivates him, it all seems so bizarre. And then the Wiki article is all over the place, saying he's run as a Dem multiple times. And his targets are all over the map. O'LOOFAH paid the court costs of the soldier-victim's family.

And it won't be over when the old buzzard kicks since he's got 13 spawn, 7 or 8 of whom follow him. At least the few rest are "estranged."

The wonderful Southern Poverty Law Center has been on his case.

[littlewolf]

3. it doesn't say that he started the church after

he was disbarred from the practice of law .... fraud or some such ...
let me look .. brb
nope perjury ... for wiki

Disbarment
A formal complaint was filed against Phelps on November 8, 1977, by the Kansas State Board of Law Examiners for his conduct during a lawsuit against a court reporter named Carolene Brady. Brady had failed to have a court transcript ready for Phelps on the day he asked for it; though it did not affect the outcome of the case for which Phelps had requested the transcript, Phelps still requested $22,000 in damages from her. In the ensuing trial, Phelps called Brady to the stand, declared her a hostile witness, and then cross-examined her for nearly a week, during which he accused her of being a "slut", tried to introduce testimony from former boyfriends whom Phelps wanted to subpoena, and accused her of a variety of perverse sexual acts, ultimately reducing her to tears on the stand.<17> Phelps lost the case; according to the Kansas Supreme Court:
The trial became an exhibition of a personal vendetta by Phelps against Carolene Brady. His examination was replete with repetition, badgering, innuendo, belligerence, irrelevant and immaterial matter, evidencing only a desire to hurt and destroy the defendant. The jury verdict didn't stop the onslaught of Phelps. He was not satisfied with the hurt, pain, and damage he had visited on Carolene Brady.<17>
In an appeal, Phelps prepared affidavits swearing to the court that he had eight witnesses whose testimony would convince the court to rule in his favor. Brady, in turn, obtained sworn, signed affidavits from the eight people in question, all of whom said that Phelps had never contacted them and that they had no reason to testify against Brady. Phelps had committed perjury.<17>
On July 20, 1979, Phelps was permanently disbarred from practicing law in the state of Kansas,<17> though he continued to practice in Federal courts.
In 1985, nine Federal judges filed a disciplinary complaint against Phelps and five of his children, alleging false accusations against the judges. In 1989, the complaint was settled; Phelps agreed to stop practicing law in Federal court permanently, and two of his children were suspended for periods of six months and one year.<18>

[gratuitous]

4. He and his followers like to pick fights with dead people

That should be sufficient information for the masses to decide how to treat with the Westboro people.

[PassingFair]

5. He get's WAY too much attention.

People should ignore this tiny little
group.

They probably get money from weirdos
every time they get press.

IGNORE these idiots.

If they showed up a the funeral of a
friend of mine, I'd consider it a compliment.