We beat Fred Phelps!

[MuseRider]

We WON! We beat his ballot initiative It would have sent equal rights for our GLBT citizens in our city into a tail spin. We beat that evil son of a bitch. I am too tired to go into specifics right now but I wanted to thank all of you who sent good vibes. 3 weeks of little sleep and putting many minutes on my cell phone and this little group of citizens who did not even have the funds for enough chairs were able to reach the voters and defeat the campaign of lies and hate. It should have been easier but it is a start. I will write more tomorrow. Just had to share.

[jonnyblitz]

1. yay!!

:hug: :hi:

[WindRavenX]

2. AWESOME!!

Take THAT Phelps!

[mermaid]

3. All's I Can Say Is.....

:yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock: :yourock:

[CubsFan1982]

4. Fuck YEAH!

What a great story for progressives everywhere. There IS hope!

[sandnsea]

5. Well dang!!

That is AWESOME!!! Looking forward to hearing all the details.

:toast:

[CanuckAmok]

6. Cool...and he'll die soon, too!

Isn't he, like, 90-something?

[alphafemale]

Good Work!

:yourock:

[enigmatic]

7. Thank you...

I'd like to beat Fred Phelps.......over the head w/ a hockey stick...

[Duncan Grant]

8. Kick for MuseRider.

Dear MuseRider,
As someone who grew up in that part of the country, I can't thank you enough for all you've done in this fight. You are a great American and an inspiration!
:yourock: :hi: :kick: :loveya:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

9. That's a BIG deal in Kansas! Great work!

I had been waiting to see the results. Thank you so much for your efforts on behalf of those like myself that do not want any rights beyond those already afforded to every other American.

[Bertha Venation]

10. CONGRATULATIONS and

even though I've never been to Topeka (and just learned my mother in fact was NOT born there), THANK YOU.

[sniffa]

11. great news but

i was certainLy hoping to read somebody beat him... preferabLy with a bat.

[Beware the Beast Man]

12. Shucks...I thought you meant literally!

Congratulations anyway!

[Fenris]

13. OH! I thought you literally BEAT Fred Phelps.

One can dream...:)

But congrats!

[ronnykmarshall]

14. I LOVE YOU!!!!!

Thank you so much.

:loveya:


That evil bastard needs to be kicked in the nuts.

[CatBoreal]

15. DOING THE SNOOPY DANCE OF JOY!!!

I cannot wait for the day when that monster heads to the Pearly Gates and the long haired hippy freak sends his ass the other way. (with apologies to Eric Schwartz)

[Allenberg]

57. Here ya go

[MissMarple]

16. Well, common sense and sanity briefly prevail in Kansas. Is more to come?

Thank God. I've been having very bad feelings lately about my birth state. I was beginning to think all the crotchety curmudgeons, iconoclasts, free thinkers and descendent's of the pragmatic pioneers and of the anti slavery proponents from the 1850's had left the state. All is not lost. :bounce:

[BurtWorm]

17. Congratulations!

:toast:

I was getting a sick feeling about that. Finally some good news from Kansas!

[NewJeffCT]

18. Congratulations

Please do update us tomorrow.

[Bertha Venation]

19. a quote that must be shared

from the AP, via the Canadian Globeandmail.com:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050302.wtope0302/BNStory/International/

"One of the minister's granddaughters, meanwhile, fell short in her efforts to unseat an openly gay member of the City Council.

"The granddaughter, Jael Phelps, was among four candidates in a nonpartisan primary. She finished last."

[Fenris]

21. Jael? Odd name.

I suppose it's Biblical.

[MissMarple]

22. I found this on google. It makes you wonder about these people even more.

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=133&letter=J


"Wife of Heber, the Kenite (Judges iv. 17). Jabin, the king of Canaan, "that reigned in Hazor," had tyrannized over Israel for twenty years. Deborah and Barak aroused the northern tribes and assembled them at Mount Tabor, to throw off, if possible, the yoke of their oppressor. Jabin's general, Sisera, took the field at the head of a great Canaanitish army, but was defeated by Israel. In his flight Sisera, who was on foot, came to the tent of Jael, whose husband had been on good terms with King Jabin. She invited him into her tent: "Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not." He accepted the proffered refuge and hospitality. She gave him nourishment in the form of curds, and concealed him in her tent. He asked her to protect him against any one who should be seeking him. As soon as he had fallen asleep she stealthily crept up to him and drove a tent-pin into his temples; and when she saw Barak in pursuit she invited him in to see his enemy prostrate in death.

The poetic account (Judges v.), while it does not give all the details of the prose record, by no means conflicts; it is complementary. Jael's act, praised in Judges v. 24, is contrary to modern ideas of right and to the obligations of hospitality as recognized in the East to-day. But she was a Kenite, akin to Israel; and history contains many precedents to justify a breach of faith under such circumstances. Though barbarous to modern sentiment, her act was not below the morality of her times.E. G. H. I. M. P."

[Bertha Venation]

24. Jeebus! I once knew an Irish woman named Lael and surmised

that "Jael" might be a similar name . . . :scared:

[teakee]

61. Fred's grandbaby got her butt whooped........

[Catfight]

20. Mark 1 point for tolerance and intelligence, zero points for ignorance. nt

[xmas74]

23. Thank God!

(for a change-he actually sided with the good guys).

[CO Liberal]

25. From Google's News Search Page

Topeka voters reject discrimination against gays

Wednesday, March 2, 2005 Updated at 8:42 AM EST

Associated Press

Topeka, Kan. — A minister known for picketing the funerals of AIDS victims failed in his attempt to repeal a Topeka ordinance that prohibits discrimination against homosexuals in municipal hiring.

Rev. Fred Phelps Sr. was undaunted after voters upheld the anti-discrimination measure Tuesday and publicly dared the City Council to enact another, broader ordinance.

“If you succeed in passing a gay-rights ordinance, the next morning, we'll be back on the streets, collecting signatures,” he said.

In final, unofficial results, 53 per cent (14,285) opposed the repeal effort, while 47 per cent (12,795) voted for the repeal. Had it passed, the measure also would have blocked future efforts to reinstate such a law for 10 years.

<more>

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050302.wtope0302/BNStory/International/

* * * * *

If Asshole Phelps and his Band of Roving Homophobes are gonna be out collecting signatures, perhaps someone should be out there picketing them.....

[MuseRider]

28. There is a group

who worked with us on this campaign who do picket Fred. It started right after 9/11 and has continued. They are great.

[CO Liberal]

30. It's Only Fair

He should be picketed and protested wherever he and his homophobe misfits go.

[sakabatou]

32. Who were the 47% that voted for it?

What was the make-up?

[MuseRider]

33. Don't know yet.

I think they were mostly people we were unable to get to. We only had 3 weeks and little money and not too many people considering what needed to be done. We had quite a few, all very dedicated but considering that we started out behind and had so little time we did a great job. Most everyone we talked to ended up giving us their vote. It was all very confusing the way it was worded and people did not know what to do.

[MuseRider]

52. There is a breakdown here

in the late breaking news. I have to leave for the evening so I can't look at it and get any feel for it yet. Anyway, here it is.
http://www.cjonline.com/

[AntiCoup2K4]

65. Picketing with signs that read...

"God Hates Fucking Morans" O8)

[bloodyjack]

26. U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

[ralps]

27. Very Cool! Yay!!!!

:toast: :bounce: :hi:

[blondeatlast]

29. I am so proud of my home state today!

You get some much needed rest; you earned it.

Way to go--I'm so happy for you and my wonderful Kansas!

[MuseRider]

31. I did not see this thread

reappear! I am basking in our small victory today, trying to catch up with all I left behind to do for the last 3 weeks. Thanks for all the replies, it was an awesome experience and boy oh boy did I learn a lot. DU has been an invaluable place to learn and be ready for this kind of thing. You all are my heros for that.

[enigmatic]

34. Phelps and his clan are batshit crazy...

The fact that ANYBODY voted for her scares the shit out of me, quite frankly..

[MuseRider]

35. She did not put her last name

on her signs or fliers. If you were not paying attention you did not know she was a Phelps.

[enigmatic]

37. What???

Seriously??? Didn't the media report this as happening before the election?

[MuseRider]

38. Uh, not here they did not report it.

NOBODY in the media or most of the businesses here wants to face Fred's wrath. It was in the media that Jael Phelps was running but you must be reading and thinking to get it. I talked to people last night an hour before the polls closed who did not even know there was a vote about our issue, the Phelps petition ordinance. They were going to go vote but they knew nothing and asked me who was running in their district! I wager that this town is not nearly as homophobic as the vote count looked as we are stupid.

[enigmatic]

42. Oh man...

That's crazy..

[MuseRider]

I probably should not have said that.

There are more than a few people here who pay no attention and for various reasons and I heard them all. Some were just so very busy that they never had the time to read a paper or see the news, working 2 jobs and parenting etc. Some, not too many, are just plain stupid. That is why we spent so much time on the phones. These are good people with fair minded goals for our city, all they needed was to know what it was all about.

[enigmatic]

45. I want to get this straight..

What name did Phelp's daughter use on the ballot and in ads? I know her first name is Jael (?); did she use her first name only? And is that legal?

[MuseRider]

46. Her signs said

Jael only. I do not know if it is legal or not but I would assume that this family in particular would have been very careful to make certain something was legal before they did it. Nobody has said anything about it. I heard, but did not see, that some of her fliers said Jael and on the bottom her last name was in tiny, fine print.

[enigmatic]

47. Holy Crap.....

That's unbelieveable. I guess I shouldn't put it pass them to do so, but still.

Thanks for bringing me up to speed on this.

[MuseRider]

50. There might be some info here

and look in the late breaking news for the vote breakdown. It will be interesting to look and see what districts we lost. I have to go for this evening so I will be back and take a look at it all and figure it out later. http://www.cjonline.com/

[enigmatic]

51. Thanks for this n/m

[drumwolf]

36. so you actually live in Topeka?

I've heard that Phelps and his whole family of lawyers have pretty much terrorized that entire city, not just the gay population there.

Read "Addicted to Hate" if you haven't already -- it's an expose of the guy that's available online. The guy is far beyond just a homophobe, he's a clinical psychopath.

[MuseRider]

40. Born here

and lived here my entire life. I went to school with the Phelps kids, Fred Jr. was in my class all the way from Kindergarten through High School. I have read "Addicted to Hate", can verify much of it. Some of us are not afraid to take him on and we finally have a real movement going here. I hope we can keep it up, we became quite close. He is frightening up close, seriously disturbed and that makes him scary but he does not seem to be violent outside his own home, just pissy and nasty and very mean. Oh yes, and crazy.

[drumwolf]

69. you went to school with Fred Jr?

Homophobia aside, what was his personality like? Was he an asshole, or did he come across as being scared of his dad?

[MuseRider]

70. He was kind of shy.

I don't think they ever felt comfortable around anyone else. They were not allowed to participate in much of anything, always different. I always felt so sorry for them but they did give off a creepy feeling. I never had anything to do with him or any of them after grade school but when you are that young, grade school age, you are kind of forced to all be a class together. They were not into the homophobia thing then. I don't think he was ever an asshole, just a beaten down kid. Very sad actually but as adults I find it very hard to feel sorry for them. Still, they had a very difficult time as kids. You kind of have to know that they really did not have much of a chance. The two that left have written about growing up a Phelps, it is frightening.

[drumwolf]

74. I kinda figured as much.

I got the very clear sense that Fred Sr's real victims are his own family, much more so than gays and lesbians. In fact, at point the authors of "Addicted" explicitly say the same thing. As another person has already pointed out on this thread, Rev. Phelps probably helps the GLBT cause more than he hurts it with his psychotic antics.

[warrens]

39. rats, I thought you meant with a bat or ball-peen hammer...

But that will do for a start. You can work your way up to the Louisville Slugger. Remember, relax, take a good stride toward the Phelps to build up momentum and bat speed, and always follow-through afterwards.

[MuseRider]

41. Aim for the stands? n/t

[BrklynLiberal]

43. Congrats...Off to a great start!! We will stay with you.

Phelps always reminds me of that creepy character in "Poltergeist".

[MuseRider]

49. Why thanks!

I don't remember that creepy guy but Fred is his own brand of creepy, that is for sure. Maybe the guy from Phantasm too. That guy gave me nightmares.

Seriously, we are going to bring a better reputation to this city and that is going to require us to fight this every year I am afraid so we have to keep it up and not let down so much that the issue disappears in between elections. We are not the center of homophobia and hate we just have the distinct misfortune of housing it here. DU is a valuable resource to bounce ideas around in. I would still be sitting at home bemoaning this and not being active if it were not for DU.

To add, it is not just the reputation of the city that I am worried about but the fact that we can defeat the hate, lies and homophobia when we have the homophobia mafia here is huge. I hope this helps every community that deals with this kind of thing or perhaps it will discourage it from happening somewhere else. We can only hope and try.

[Rainscents]

44. AWSOME!!!

Hard work paid off!!!

[bigwillq]

48. Great news!

:bounce:

[ikojo]

53. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[bush_is_wacko]

54. EXCELLENT JOB! Finally we're getting somewhere! n/t

[SmokingJacket]

55. Wonderful news! Thanks for fighting!

:toast: :toast: :toast:

[flvegan]

56. I bow to you. Nice work.

[Rabrrrrrr]

58. YAY!! Good job!!

Thank you thank you thank you!

[peekaloo]

59. Bee-yoot-ti-ful!

:toast:

CBS ran a segment on this tonight and it was a wonderful thing to see. OTOH using those kids to spout his hate was disgusting as hell.

Congratulations!

[blondeatlast]

60. For Muserider and my Topeka family and friends:

:kick:!

Way to go!

[teakee]

62. Way to go, Topeka!

I live south of Topeka and watched the elections. It was rather nerve racking there for awhile, Phelps getting his way would be a disaster.

I bet more then one voter was confused by how the question was phrased and voted the wrong way. What was up with that?

I hope Phelps shows his ugly ass till April and people come to their senses before the election on gay marriage. Like the mayor of Topeka said, "Kansas may be a red state, but it has ALOT of blue in it, too."


:kick:

[Spider Jerusalem]

63. That miserable dogfucker Phelps...

is actually doing the cause of GLBT rights more good than harm with his psychotic hatred, I'd say. His general insanity and vileness are such that even people who don't necessarily support gay rights, as long as they're somewhat reasonable, are going to distance themselves from him and the issue lest they become tainted by association.

[AntiCoup2K4]

66. Phelps fucks dogs too?

I thought that was Santorum's territory? :shrug:

[MuseRider]

64. Our press release.

EQUAL JUSTICE COALITION
Vote NO March 1ST
PO Box 5806
Topeka, KS 66605


Topeka Voters Reject Anti-Gay Initiative

“Rev.” Fred Phelps Defeated in His Hometown

Media Contact: Erin Norris
[phone]

March 1, 2005 – Topeka, KS. Voters in Topeka today defeated an ordinance that would have prevented the City of Topeka from taking any action whatsoever to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people from discrimination for the next 10 years. The proposed ordinance also would have overturned an existing City law prohibiting employment discrimination in city government on the basis of sexual orientation and a 2002 hate crimes ordinance that includes crimes motivated by anti-gay hate. The campaign for the measure was put on the ballot by and funded by supporters of Rev. Fred W. Phelps of Westboro Baptist Church, which sponsors the web site “www.godhatesfags.com” and has organized hundreds of anti-gay demonstrations in Topeka and across the country.

“We are all incredibly proud that the people of Topeka today rejected discrimination and took a stand for their gay and lesbian neighbors,” said Erin Norris, a member of the “Vote NO on March 1st” campaign committee. “We know that Topekans are fair-minded, intelligent people and that Fred Phelps’ hateful practices do not represent us. Today voters proved that.”

“We thank all of our neighbors, friends and people of good will and faith who came out for us today,” said Melly Schmidt, Chairperson of the Equal Justice Coalition, which formed the Vote NO March 1st campaign committee. “We are also incredibly grateful to our extraordinary campaign committee, our campaign staff, the dozens of volunteers who worked countless hours here in Topeka, as well to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and its volunteers in other parts of the country who staffed phone banks.”

Opponents of the anti-gay measure said the victory was particularly impressive given that the campaign on the other side – which included television and radio advertising, direct mail, and door-to-door canvassing – deliberately misled and confused voters.

“For example, their campaign literature said that unless the measure passed, churches would be forced to hire ‘homosexual pastors,’” said Cal Labbe, the Vote NO March 1st Campaign Manager. “The fact that we were able to break through with the truth is amazing and speaks volumes about the energy and commitment on our side.”

The surprise defeat of the proposed ordinance was the result of a spirited effort over the last four weeks, during which three campaign staff -- Cal Labbe, Allison Browne, and Phoenix Lindsay-Hall -- were hired, approximately $32,000 raised, and 180 volunteers recruited and deployed. Get-out-the-vote calls were made until the time the polls closed at 7pm.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force was a key backer, providing financial and technical assistance, recruiting campaign staff, and operating volunteer phone banks in New York, Washington (DC), Louisville (KY), and Tacoma (WA). In November, 2004, the Task Force Policy Institute released a report documenting widespread discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Topeka.

“We would not have won without the Task Force,” said Ms. Norris. “The Task force has been there for us 100% -- they immediately answered our call for help and have been supportive, day and night, minute by minute, throughout the campaign.”

“We are proud to have worked with so many courageous and hard-working people in Topeka in defeating this ugly initiative,” said Matt Foreman, the Task Force’s Executive Director, who was in Topeka for the vote. “The people pushing this ordinance are despicable liars and it’s great to beat them.”

If the ordinance had been approved, Topeka would have been the only city in the United States with a law specifically denying one group of people protections from discrimination. Cincinnati had a similar law on the books from 1993, but it was repealed by voters on November 2, 2004 by a margin of 54% to 46%. While the law was in effect, Cincinnati lost at least $45 million in convention and tourism business, according to the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau.

YAY US! As I have said before, I have never been this involved in any issue or campaign. I may be a bit obnoxious for a little while now, I am so proud to have been so closely involved with this and the people I worked with. It was awfully good to win something after all the defeats we have had. Since I could not even vote on this it was really doubly good.

[atommom]

73. Go ahead, be obnoxious. You've earned the right!

:D

[Kat45]

67. I saw the story on the national news tonight.

I think it was CBS.

[MuseRider]

68. I heard about it

but I missed it. Damn.

[GreenPartyVoter]

71. Well. Done! A great day for civil liberties!

[Stockholm]

72. Well done!

The likes of Phelps must be fought wherever they appear!