Despite being in throes of a multi-million dollar guilty verdict for picketing a dead soldier's funeral (they were found guilty yesterday), about ten Westboro Baptist Church members spread their hate at the Matthew Shepard Awards in Los Angeles Saturday. Those zealots sure are tenacious!
According to one eye witness account, no one really gave a shit about the tacky picketing: "No one paid much attention other than a few homeless people".
Meanwhile, Fred Phelps and his spawn Shirley plan to appeal yesterday's ruling,, which left them with a $10.9 million bill. In this horror of a pdf press release, they write,
Not only did you fail to stop our preaching, but our message has gone forth to the entire world on this very day, because of your folly, like never before! Thank God for the $10.9 million verdict.
Yes, the world has heard your message and they think it's insane. The WPC will continue spreading its insanity at a forthcoming production of The Laramie Project, which happens to feature anti-gay activist Amy Contrada's lesbian daughter, Claudia.
Party!
[Thanks to Karen Ocamb for the photo!]
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We think that there have been enough words expended to discuss the Phelps family.
What I have recently learned is that Phelps and his daughter are trained attorneys. I do not know if they still have licences to practice?
Fred Phelps has been disbarred from practicing state law and voluntarily withdrew from practicing further in Federal Court. His daughter, I think, was suspended for awhile.
Has anyone heard of the 1st Amendent? This is exactly why it was created to protect offensive speech. I think this Phelps Klan is disgusting, but they have every right to do it. How about ignoring them?
I don't mean to pick a bone here but I think you mean "WBC" for Westboro Baptist Church. You called them "WPC" several times. I can forgive a typo, everyone makes mistakes, but several times is something that needs to be mentioned.
As far as the Phelps family goes,I agree with Dave. Besides, more and more people are beginning to understand that their rhetoric is nothing more than that and all they are doing is inspiring more sympathy for the people they are persecuting. In some ways, they are serving their victims better by being the zealous asses that they are.
Addendum: Rev, Fred Phelps was an ordained Baptist Minister however, he has been defrocked. Shirley Phelps-Roper is still a lawyer and licensed in Kansas.
Dave – your point has legal if not emotional merit. Sometimes, it is difficult to understand the underlying principle behind ACLU representation because of the emotional reaction to vile speech, like KKK, Nazis, Phelps etcc.
If the 1st amendment covers harassment of a family in grief as one of their rights, then families visit by these hellish people should have the right to defend themselves from this assult by whatever means in necessary. The 1st Amendment couldn't have been intended for this use. Give me a break.
Yes, Pat, and it is absolutely awful when such individuals use the right to assemble and to speak across the street with their hate-filled signs, or the Neo-Nazis and KKK with their hate-protected speech.
Do not forget that there are individuals who truly believe that your right to protest anti-gay theocons should not be allowed, either.