Fred Phelps protests at the funeral of a female US soldier.

[Eric J in MN]

Carrie French



She wasn't a lesbian, as far as I can tell. Fred Phelps' protests at gay people's funerals were as bad, but this is bizarre.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/228401_westboro14.html?source=rss

BOISE, Idaho -- A Kansas preacher and gay rights foe whose congregation is protesting military funerals around the country said he's coming to Idaho tomorrow to picket the memorial for an Idaho National Guard soldier killed in Iraq.

...Phelps said the fact that French led an all-American life gives him all the more reason to picket her final public tribute.

"An all-American girl from a society of all-American heretics," he said.

"Our attitude toward what's happening with the war is the Lord is punishing this evil nation for abandoning all moral imperatives that are worth a dime," Phelps said.

[Mythsaje]

1. Do you think

the RW pundits will attack this asshole for 'not supporting the troops?'

Doubt it.

He needs to be caught behind a bar by a bunch of irate marines and taught a lesson in civil behavior.

[Eric J in MN]

10. My guess would be Bill O'Reilly doesn't talk about Fred Phelps.

It doesn't fit in with his model that being religious means being wonderful and being "secular" (a word he misuses all the time) means one has no values.

[MuseRider]

14. He has a new sign.

I was stopped at a stop light next to one of his 3X per day stops. There they were, singing hymns. One of them was standing in front of the church display of little white crosses with dead soldiers names on them holding a sign that said, Thank Goodness for IED's. I am hoping to get my husband to drive me by there so I can get a photo. It made me so angry considering where they were standing. It was stunning in it's cruelty but then they have always been stunning in their cruelty.

[malmapus]

31. Let's see them have an IED explode under them and see if they

still thank goodness for them!!!

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

[marmar]

2. Phelps...

is one sick mofo.

[Dulcinea]

50. Why is he doing this?

Is he that much of an attention whore that he'd disrupt the funerals of servicemen & women?

[Jack Rabbit]

3. Apparently Phelps' problem is with the church she attended

Freddie, get a life!!

[Eric J in MN]

11. Are you sure? Can you explain about her church? nt

nt

[Jack Rabbit]

16. I don't know a lot about her church

From the article:

The Rev. Brian Fischer, pastor of Boise's Community Church of the Valley, and himself a past target of protest by the Westboro Baptist Church, decried Phelps' plan.

Add that to Phelps' reference to "a society of heretics" and I draw the inference that Phelps' problem is with Ms. French's church.

[Eric J in MN]

24. The Rev. Brian Fischer supported a Ten Commandments

monument in a city park.

After Fred Phelps said he has as much right to put an anti-Matthew Shepherd monument in the park, the city voted not to have either monument in the park.

http://www.fac.org/news.aspx?id=12515

It doesn't make sense per se that this would make Phelps against Fischer, but it probably has something to do with this.

[Jack Rabbit]

34. I see Fischer described as a "conservative Christian activist"

On the other hand, one can be pretty far to the right and still have room to differ with Phelps.

I'll add this link for information.

[Triana]

4. WTF is wrong with this meathead?

:wtf:

This guy is SICK!

[FreedomAngel82]

29. As Dick Cheney said

maybe his mother never loved him. (heh)

[tsuki]

47. Nothing. He is not getting enough press picketing gay funerals, so

he is moving to soldiers funerals. It is a PR move.

[brainshrub]

5. Even the Freepers don't like him anymore.

[LittleClarkie]

57. I got banned for the third time over there

for merely posting an article I found written by Phelps. They said he was not welcome there, and with no other explanation they banned me.

[PsN2Wind]

6. Don't suppose the Honor Guard

will be issued live ammo, do you? Maybe they could fix bayonets and charge.

[neuvocat]

7. Get a load of this.

"To avoid a lawsuit from his group, city officials voted in 2004 that a Ten Commandments monument be moved out of the park."

Talk about some self-defeating behavior.

[Beelzebud]

8. I'm not a violent person.

But I'd seriously like to get my hands on some of these Phelps Freaks.

I'd stoop low. I'd make them hurt........

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

19. Memo to the good people of Idaho...

Many of you are gun-toting, patriotic Americans. This Phelps person is coming to your state to dishonor her memory and to dishonor all veterans who have served their country.

You know what to do...

[HeeBGBz]

53. If he showed up at the funeral of my child

He would leave horizontally.

[Selatius]

9. He's attacking her for our "immoral lifestyle" here in the US.

Her funeral just happened to be the closest thing for him to attack. He's just going to point at her casket being lowered six feet under and say that is what Americans deserve for their immoral ways.

[Der Blaue Engel]

12. Why has no one kicked the snot out of this loser yet?

Not that I advocate violence, but I can't believe someone hasn't snapped and given him what he has coming.

Vile piece of filth. I cannot WAIT for his funeral.

[dusty64]

15. I hear ya,

if he ever tried this shit at a funeral of one of my loved ones I sincerely doubt he'd be around to do it again. Temporary insanity you know.

[geek tragedy]

18. Let's hope one of the Freepi takes care of business. That's more their

style anyways.

[acmavm]

17. I suspect that if he keeps this shit up there's gonna be a family member

of an American soldier who's going to take supreme offense to this guy and his psychopathic followers behavior. And if he gets his ass kicked (or worse), who's to say that isn't Gods way of paying him back for doing these things in His name?

[BronxBoy]

51. I was thinking the same thing!

He's going to picket the wrong funeral one day.

[DinahMoeHum]

61. And whoever gives it to him should be given a medal. . .

for doing society a favor.


:evilfrown:

[LynnTheDem]

13. Legally certifiably insane. Phelps needs to be forced into treatment.

Coz the man's flipped.

[Straight Shooter]

20. The good people of Idaho don't take kindly to insulting dead soldiers.

Maybe a Ruby Ridge fan will be there to greet him.

Just imagine a world without Fred Phelps. Think of all the extra oxygen for everyone else.

[assclown_bush]

21. Phelps' rants and raves are helping us more than they hurt us.

This crazed bible-humper is only a few shades more radical than the crazies who screamed and paraded in front of Terri Schiavo's hospice. The religious zanies who voted for Bush do more damage to the repugs than they do to us. Average Joes and Janes are revolted by people like this. I am glad that the news media plays these people up. It's when these people start to sound rational and non-threatening that we have to fear them most. George Bush's morning prayer meetings are the things that middle Americans can relate to...protests by "reverends" at the funerals of U.S. troops are not.

:freak:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

25. Completely agree

[11cents]

33. Absolutely

Even people in conservative communities fight back when he comes in and attacks their neighbors personally -- which is what he does; he targets individuals. I remember when he went into a town in, I think, Oklahoma to go after a gay high school student. An article quoted one girl telling one of the Phelpses, "Leave our queers alone!" He really takes the abstraction and veneer of high-mindedness out of hate; he let's everyone have a good look -- up close and most of all, personal.

[GiovanniC]

22. I Guess Those Assholes Changed Their Address From www.godhatesfags.com

to www.god-has-decided-to-just-fucking-hate-everyone.com

[Erika]

23. I have a friend who knows her dad

He won't put up with any shit. At the same time, she went in to get College $. The rich stay out because they don't need the bucks.

[Eric J in MN]

27. Thanks for sharing (nt)

nt

[TreasonousBastard]

26. Screw Phelps...

and realize that he just wants the publicity.

Anyone who's seen him in action knows that he blitzes in, stays the 30 minutes that he can get away with without a permit, and waits for the heckling and the cameras. Laugh at him and he gets pissed and leaves in a hurry to the next stop.

Methinks the gay rant isn't working so well any more, so he'll try something else.

I swear this sumbitch is really working for Dobson or one of the others so they can say "Look, we're not like HIM."

[FreedomAngel82]

28. What the hell??

Why are these asses protesting soliders? I thought they supported the troops?

[Eric J in MN]

30. Apparently, he regards her death as God's punishment

and wants to make that point.

After Sept. 11, 2001, Pat Roberston and Jerry Falwell said that God punished us for immorality by lifting his protection and letting 9/11 happen, and so it's not so different from more popular preachers.

[punpirate]

32. This guy is going to have quite a conversation with his god...

... on his passing... before being shown to the down elevator. And people thought Father Coughlin was bad. *sigh*

[Meeker Morgan]

35. Phelps is EXPLICITLY anti-American on one of his websites.

http://www.godhatesamerica.com/

[Stand and Fight]

63. Good grief... n/t

[Roland99]

36. Good...let the morans protest. Let more people see them for who they are.

[Name removed]

37. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Eric J in MN]

39. Did Phelps say whom he voted for in any election? nt

nt

[Name removed]

41. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sakabatou]

38. I wish Phelps would just rob a gunshop during an NRA convention...

[Old and In the Way]

40. If you travel far enough down the road of christian fundie extremism,

Fred will be there to greet you.

No such thing as bad publicity, eh Fred?

[BrightKnight]

42. A felony to disrupt any funeral.

I guess that we need a law that makes it a felony to disrupt any funeral. It is sad that a law like that is needed.

The law might be called Cpl. Carrie French's law. Add a mandatory life sentence provision for disrupting the funeral of a soldier KIA. That POS could be the first one prosecuted.

[Fleshdancer]

43. FUCK PHELPS

I can't imagine what the family of this soldier is going through. If I buried my child and this asshole came to PROTEST I'd beat him with every fiber of my being. Then I would take off my shoe and beat him with that too.

asshole. Makes me wish I lived in the area.

[NMMNG]

44. This man needs to be locked away

He is a menace to society.

Phelps said his church has been the target of hateful words and actions, including a bomb attack six years ago.

After all of the crap he has done--all of the hate he has spread, the cruel words he has spoken, the pain his demonstrations have caused, the violence his words have perpetuated--he wants sympathy?

He can hold his breath and wait until Yuma AZ freezes over.
:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

[fooj]

45. Can't they arrest the bastard for harrassment?

:grr: How about a restraining order?

This is sick. Really sick!

peace.

[Azathoth]

46. Ah, good ol' Fred is out spreading the love again

The guy celebrated 9/11 and the Indian Ocean tsunami, so I'd say this is par for the course for him.

[mogster]

48. Phelps fills the same purpose as Coulter

Making a ultimate BAD so far out the neocons seems reasonable in comparison.
Rubberbanding the public space to the right and moving the center.

[praxiz]

49. Moral values worth a dime?!

"Our attitude toward what's happening with the war is the Lord is punishing this evil nation for abandoning all moral imperatives that are worth a dime," Phelps said

Since when did moral values hold a value in gold? Has this guy ever even opened a bible?

[Disturbed]

54. I see that Freedom of Speech is popular here at DU.

Yeah, he is a vile jerk but I hope no one beats him or any of his followers up. That would add to his fame. There is a thin line between Free Speech and hate speech and inciting riots. Maybe the RW pays him to do this shit so it makes them appear sane in comparison?

[Gormy Cuss]

56. Phelps typical shtick=free speech. This is vile.

The line between free speech and inciteful speech is pretty clear here to me. Phelps is looking to provoke a reaction at an innocent person's funeral. If the soldier's friends and family beat the whole Phelps (adult)clan to a bloody pulp, it would be the Phelpses who belong in jail. Funerals are off limits.

I don't wish violence on anyone who isn't committing physical violence but I wish the whole Phelps clan were shunned whenever they 'protest.' I wish the media would stop encouraging him by photographing or filming his vile signs. If women's nipples aren't appropriate for family viewing, crude stick drawings of anal sex aren't either. If they edit out crude words and gestures in other stories, "Fags" ought to be edited out of his signs too. Media coverage isn't a free speech issue.

[LightningFlash]

52. Phelps the rapturist.....

Throw him in jail along with the no-nonsense criminals that created him. :banghead: :banghead:

[TyeDye75]

55. Hmmmmm

"Our attitude toward what's happening with the war is the Lord is punishing this evil nation for abandoning all moral imperatives that are worth a dime," Phelps said.

Hey Fred, its America either love it or geet out.... lol.... what an asshole

[leesa]

58. Good. Let him expose his vile nature for all the country to see.

[FlaGranny]

60. If it weren't for the hurt he is

going to cause this family, I would agree.

[dr.zoidberg]

59. Phelps is an idiot.

Well, Phelps has just alienated just about everybody. Liberals for his hatred of homosexuals and Conservatives for this. He also has a web address called godhatesamerica.com or something like that. Yep, I see little support for him in the future. He claims the government bombed his house. The only bad thing about that is that Phelps wasn't in the house at the time. This man protested Mr. Rogers' funeral, for cristsakes! I say the FBI and the ATF should Waco his ass.

[Shallah Kali]

62. It should be "Radical Cleric and Hate Monger" not preacher

.

[sumyungai]

64. Sadly, Phelps IS a Democrat

Gay caucus meets for first time

"The Democratic tent includes the Rev. Fred Phelps Sr., the state's best known anti-gay advocate. Phelps is a registered Democrat who ran unsuccessfully for the party's gubernatorial nomination in 1990, 1994 and 1998 and for the U.S. Senate in 1992."

I don't know why.