They don't deserve their freedom of speech.
An' I don't mind 'em switchin' sides
An' standin' up for things they believe in
When they're runnin' down my country, man
They're walkin' on the fightin' side of me.
Yeah, walkin' on the fightin' side of me
Runnin' down the way of life,
Our fightin' men have fought and died to keep.” — Merle Haggard, "Fightin' Side of Me"…
Article comments
26 - Jet Gardner
Well written, well read article and I Dugg it Ben.
Can you imagine the continuous pain that the most dominant and burning memory of your dead brother/son's funeral is of these assholes lining the route and outside the church?
27 - Dr Dreadful
I surprised the appellate court doesn't see how this can incite a riot.
Then perhaps it's a pity they didn't have the benefit of Ruvy's comments as an illustration.
28 - Ruvy
Then perhaps it's a pity they didn't have the benefit of Ruvy's comments as an illustration.
So, Doc, what's the appellate court's address and what's the name of the presiding judge.
I just love letter-writing....
29 - jeannie danna
Alan,
Benjamin currently serves as a combat photojournalist. I would trust him and I also admire the courage he has shown to leave the comforts of this country to do that, could you do the same?
30 - Jet Gardner
won't do any good doc, most over the previous 8 years were appointed by Bush flunkies
31 - mutterhals
I don't think they should be legislated into oblivion, they should just be ignored. Pretend they are some random crazy homeless guy that just wandered onto the street and started screaming obscenities. That's basically what this group is. I know that's easier said than done, but all protest does is afford them credibility, via the free speech argument. They don't even deserve bad publicity.
32 - Miss Bob Etier
If someone targets a particular group for harassment, say a group like the families of fallen warriors, isn't that a hate crime?
33 - Jessica
If you’ll all be so gracious as to accept the opinion of a devout Christian; I’d just like to say that The Westboro Baptist Church is a blight on Christianity, and that Fred Phelps is an embarrassment to the people of God…..Please know, that most of us don’t share Phelps views ……. While these people may guise themselves in a superficial, cellophane wrapping that ‘looks’ like Christianity; the reality is that they are nothing more than wicked, immoral idolaters; who have chosen to ‘worship’ a morally corrupt, mentally unstable old man in lieu of Jesus Christ...
Phelps has so misconstrued Gods Word, that his teachings border on the Satanic. He’s even gone so far as to expose his own grandchildren to his twisted culture of fanatical hate; encouraging parents to bring children as young as six years old to protests; forcing them to hold up signs relating to causes which they don’t even have the intellectual capacity to understand (see documentary, ‘The Most Hated Family in America’ by Louis Theroux of the BBC)….. For most of his life, Phelps was nothing more than a drug abuser; who ruthlessly beat his own wife and children... Read on…
Two of (Fred Phelps’) sons, Mark and Nate, allege that their father is a child abuser who repeatedly beat them with a leather strap and a mattock handle (similar to an axe handle).[34] They insist that the church is actually a carefully planned cult that allows Phelps to see himself as a demigod, wielding absolute control over the lives of his family and congregants, essentially turning them into slaves that he can use for the sole purpose of gratifying his every whim and acting as the structure for his delusion that he is the only righteous man on Earth.[35] In 1995, Mark Phelps wrote a letter to the people of Topeka to this effect; it was run in the Topeka Capital-Journal.[36] The children's claim is partially backed up by B.H. McAllister, the Baptist minister who ordained Phelps. McAllister said in a 1993 interview that Phelps developed a delusion wherein he was one of the few people on Earth worthy of God's grace and that everyone else in the world was going to Hell, and that salvation or damnation could be directly obtained by either aligning with or opposing him. As of 2006, Phelps maintains this belief.[35] Phelps and his family picket approximately six locations every day, including many in Topeka and some events farther (away). On Sundays, up to 15 churches may receive pickets.[37] By their own count, WBC has conducted over 30,000 pickets, in all 50 states, in over 500 cities and towns.[38] Their travel budget exceeds $200,000 annually.[39]
Nate has alleged that his father's violence toward his mother and his family was due to an addiction to amphetamines and barbiturates, which Phelps used to help meet the demands of law school. The stress of schoolwork, combined with the difficulties faced by the simultaneous use of uppers and downers, heightened Phelps' "quick, violent, and indiscriminate" temper.[40] (Taken from Wikipedia)….
Don’t let these people get to you. Phelps has done little more with his life than to dupe a bunch of intellectually deficient, morally confused ‘simpletons’ into believing that they are doing good by hurting people. His agenda is nothing new. The KKK, the Neo Nazi movement and hoards of terrorists have been committing similar atrocities in ‘God’s name’ for generations.
Jesus told the Church that we could easily recognize His true disciples; because they would possess the fruits of the Holy Spirit…. These are;
• Love
• Joy
• Peace
• Longsuffering
• Kindness
• Goodness
• Faithfulness
• Gentleness
• Self-control
The Westboro Baptist Church is sorely lacking. God save them.
34 - Freedom Fighter
While everyone is entitled to their opinion, and freedopm of speech; the only opinions that takes any sort of precedence in my mind, are the ones who have gone to battle, and willingly make sacrifices that the majority of you blowhards aren't willing, and don't have the balls to do. If you don't make those sacrifices like us soldiers do, then you haven't earned your right to say the nasty shit you say, and you definitely don't have a right to infringe upon a family burying their loved one who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
Oh, and whenever you hateful ingrateful people pass away, I'll be sure to make a special trip so that I can utilize MY WELL EARNED Freedom of Speech, at your funeral, so that your loved ones,(if there is still anyone left that could love someone like you) will have to listen to me and others like me protesting against your awfulness. Signs and all.
If you are a God fearing man, who follows the teachings of the Bible, then you would also know to do unto others what you would have them do to you, and since you have no problem doing this to my fellow comrades, I have no problem doing it to you folks.
35 - Gary
The Westboro Baptist folks very likely position themselves on public property, where they have the freedom to say what they please. While I would not want to demonstrate at a funeral, much of what Phelps and his people say is true. God's judgment is on America. We are a wicked, sin enabling nation, and our best days are behind us.
36 - Benjamin
@Gary -- everyone in entitled to their opinion...
37 - Silas Kain
Well, I've reread this article and all the commentary including my own. This really isn't about freedom of speech and has everything to do with homosexuality. See, that's how Phelps and most religious fanatical or profit making groups get away with their poison. They blame it on the fags. Classic example is the Vatican's response to their Pope's dilemma. Let's blame it on the homosexuals. Let's not. Pedophiles are not homosexuals -- they are pedophiles. They prey on the young because they lack something in their core which causes them to have delusions of power which can only be achieved by seducing innocent prey. They are predators. They are not necessarily evil but evil nonetheless. The Vatican has to find a way out for their duly-elected leader, so they're taking the Phelps' approach.
This is the modus operandi of many fringe right wingers. In order to get their message to resonate they prey on the homosexuals because, let's face it, they're an easy target. That's how people like Phelps succeeds. That's part of Hitler's success. The funny thing is the hatred which is directed towards gays is relatively new in the whole scheme of things. Do the research for yourself. So regardless of the pending SCOTUS decision, Phelps will remain ever vigilant in promoting his campaign of hate. He will gather a flock of weak-willed individuals who have no self worth or purpose in life. The sheep in his flock are those who need to be saved.
38 - BILL BO
It's time to stop laying ANY association at the feet of the Baptist church. It's remarkable ignorance to see how many people hear Westboro "Baptist church" and recklessly manage to even think of Christ's church in any way at all. This is yet another sign of how televangelists and the media have managed to make Christ and His church out to be something that doesn't even remotely resemble fact.
He's NOT a "Baptist" in any way shape or form. He is NOT a "representative" of anything Christ or the New Testament declares. Which, despite what the "denominations" of men say, is the ONE and ONLY workable portrait of The Church OF Jesus the Christ. It's no different then the murderous lunatics Joe Smith and Brigham Young in hijacking the Name Of Christ to satisfy their greed for power, money and undue respect from a following.
How do we dislocate Christ, from these lies when Media spreads their lies as something true, and the church is spinelessly hell bent on "pleasing the world?" If "a" church is anti-Semitic, then it is IMPOSSIBLE for that church of men to be Christ's. If a church is based on and thrives on telling people that ANY "works" of man equate to or are needed to gain salvation, then Christ is of NO EFFECT and the church is not, can not be, and never will be - HIS. GET IT STRAIGHT or shut your mouth!
39 - Nihilo
Has anyone seen that old corpsy body of his anywhere? Last time I saw him, he looked so withered on his own hate and starved of physical attention, that his eyes swerved left and right in an attempt to soak up some form of external disgust just to keep going on. The man is a leech, and it should be made an example of him and all of his children that gave up their right to be considered anything equal to or above a human instead of fighting back; that you can say what you want, but that doesn't mean you won't pay for whatever spews out that hole you call a mouth. I'm fairly certain that any judge with self respect will flip him the bird as he tries to present any kind of a case against the offender. These people gave up their rights a long time ago, so bleed them dry of funds and attention.
40 - No Pot To
Date: October 6, 2010
To: Open letter to Rev. Fred Phelps
From: No Pot To
I suppose I should hate you : but I don't. I am a combat veteran of the US Army, as well as a religious Jew. I should be opposing your philosophy : but I cannot.
Please bare with me here for a little bite. I am going to say a few things you will not like, but then it gets better. I wish to give you the 'old' teaching from the Jewish tradition?"one so old no Rabbi speaks of it today. In the Old Testament the rule against homosexuality is quickly followed by the rule against cutting the corners of the beard. It is indeed strange that you choose to enforce the rules again gays, yet have a clean shaven face. One begins to question just what it is you really do?"follow the word of God or just concern yourself with homosexuality.
Old testament Hebrew has gender indicators that modern English does not have. Translation therefore is a little off. The rules against homosexuality were always applied to the male gender never the female. This indicated to the ancient Rabbis that the these rules applied to men only and not to women at all, thus eliminating the need of 50% of the world population to observe them. Secondly, the rules were always applied to Jews, never to the gentiles. Since the Jewish population of this world is less than 1%, the old Rabbis never applied rule against homosexuality to 99% of the world. In reality that rule involves only one half of one present of the worlds population today (.05%). I do not speak for Jewish Law now, and you will never get a modern Rabbi to tell you this. However, neither you nor any member of your congregation is Jewish, therefore I absolve you of any need to follow Jewish Law. You are free to go and become gay if you so wish.
With that said, I must admit I whole-heartedly support your philosophy and your actions even though they seem designed more to 'wound' than to 'teach.' Yes! You are right! God hates homosexuals Yes, you are right. 9/11 and dead soldiers are God's answer to the degradation he sees in this country today. No one who voluntarily wishes to follow the word of God as taught by the Jews can denie this.
After 9/11 I watched on TV as members of the US Congress stood on the steps of the Capitol Rotunda and sang, “God bless America.” I ask you, just what 'truck' does that pack of scoundrels and thieves have with God? Why should God listen to them? For that matter, why should God bless America? Name one thing America has done since the Viet Nam war that would beget the Grace of God? Don't think too hard. There isn't a thing. I watched as President George Bush became the high-priest of the nation, saying prayers and blessing the troops as he sent them off on their holy mission. That seems to be very appropriate. A corrupt, career politician and an unrepentant drunk became the high-priest of this country. I watched as solders entered Afghanistan and said to the local population, you can listen to music now. And they would turn-up their ghetto-blaster to hear Little Steve Wonder singing, “Let's do it in the road...” The Moslem's in a religiously oriented country don't want to hear that. Hell, I don't want to listen to it. Those GI's didn't have a clue what brought them there to begin with. The American went to Afghanistan fighting for oil, trade routes, and the rule of law. But as for Al Qida, after watching their society being slowly beaten down for decades with American smut, debauchery, and pop-culture, Al Qida began to fight back. They were fighting for morality! Common human decency! God!
Ah... War is easier. It is easier to fight the boogie-man than it is to attack the real problems that this country faces in the 21st century. For instance in the State of Florida alone, there are over 20,000 names on the registered sex offender list. That is just one state. Add them all together and what do you get? Ah, but it's easier to fight Al Qida than it is to deal with that problem?"the real problem. George Bush went to world war III against Al Qida, but if you collect every member of Al Qida in the world together they wouldn't even fill-up George Bush's White House. If you collect all the sex offenders of the world together, there wouldn't be enough room in the Sate of Florida to house them all. It is much easier for Americans to spend all their time, money, and ambition swatting flies while they ignore the 'elephant in the living room.'
Reverend Phelps, your cause is just! Your reasoning is sound! Your mission is clear! Your motives may be a little suspect, but you are a lone voice in the wilderness shouting for the Laws of God. You are to be commended for these actions. I urge you to keep going; keep trying. To save just one soul is to save an entire universe. Good luck. May God go with you. I only ask that you widen your scope just a little. Include all sexual deviations and hypocrisy.