Fucking Phelps Bunch strikes again :(

[Cherokee_Mountaincat]

This just makes me so sick, and down right Furious! Its bad enough that the Phelps bunch has to proest the funerals of military men and women, now the fucktards are going to try and tarnish the memory of these innocent kids?? Damn good thing I cant get to Tacoma for this. I have a feeling that it wont be pleasent for them if they Do come to protest the memorial service. They might find a big surprise awaiting them. There is a Biker's/Veterans group here called the Patriot Guard. They attend Military funerals to deter people like the Phelps bunch from disrupting the family's last moments with their loved ones. Its all peaceful, but Spirits help the protestors if they start something.

May you RIP. Loves.
Sad Cat

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Anti-gay-church-to-protest-Powell-boys-memorial-service-139022314.html

[Brian]

They are a NASTY, NASTY bunch indeed.

But they serve a purpose... they illustrate the damage that is caused to a person's character, and mind when they stop practising thoughtful reasoning because supposedly that is a god's job and ours is just to follow the celestial dictator's orders.

The lesson we can take from Westboro Baptist: Ignore the grotesque lesson of submission from the story of Abraham and Isaac - Never stop practising thoughtful reasoning. (that's my take on it at least - no offence to those of you who are of one of the Abrahamic faiths and who still do practice thoughtful reasoning)

- Drew :paw:

[Long Duck Dong]

hell shalt know no fury like LDD *reasoning* with the phelps face to face....

if there is one thing I can not stand, its people that target children..... specially at funerals....

[R. R. Wayne]

these people (the protesters) are sick, wierd and all fucked up

[Light_and_Dark]

I agree...about the protesters that cause harm at the military funerals...dont know what is going on with the kids funeral in wa or what that is about...but it is a good thing i am not in wa still.

[coyotedude]

I was sickened and angered when I first heard about this. Okay, so I'm still sickened and angered by it. I know I should have compassion even for those pathetic Westboro fools. But it's not easy.

[Light_and_Dark]

hey coyote what are they protesting and what is the funeral about since no one has linked or stated it...kind of behind the times on this one.

[HappyHedonic]

If there is a silver lining to this story I can see that it serves to show this anti-LGBT church as a group of twisted haters and probably helps the general population swing their support towards us.

[DuckiesDarling]

OMG, that Westboro Church certainly thinks it can do no wrong, unfortunately, the more they do this the more that people will begin to see ALL churches as like them. Not every church is against LGBT and it saddens me that the media gives any attention at all to this church. It's what the leeches want, they latch on to anyone's painful moments and use it as a media prop regardless of the fact those two innocent boys have nothing to do with LGBT and it's in extreme distaste. I hope the Patriot Guard gets there in time to keep the WBC away from the family and mourners.

[elian]

UU church is a "welcoming" church and we have been picketed a few times by this group. Gay teen suicides have also prompted a few documentaries from this area which the group protested against. I guess maybe they were afraid people would watch the documentary and be able to put an actual FACE on the issue that they can otherwise demonize when it's just "those people".

They aren't trying to convert anyone, the fact that they feed off of other people's misery is frustrating to me. Their whole philosophy is "The louder we scream the more righteous we are in the eyes of God." See here..

http://www.atheistnexus.org/page/nate-phelps-2009-aa-speech

Don't ever lay a hand on one..that is how they fund their "ministry". Although aggravating, they seem to act as a catalyst that creates a unifying force in the community; one that is unified AGAINST bigotry and hatred. I would have never thought there were so many MODERATE people where I lived until these folks came to town. It was our 200 people promoting tolerance and diversity to their maybe 3-5 people holding up their signs down the street with no one around.

It's pretty easy to get people riled up if you target servicemembers' funerals and praise 9/11, but I do have to wonder if people would still be "up-in-arms" against them if their only message was anti-LGBT.. In a way maybe I should thank Mr. Phelps for associating all three concepts together so violently - if people object to his first two ideas maybe they can also see how hateful the third one is too..even if they aren't gay.

I still think it is dishonorable to use a funeral to make a political statement. Remember, they have a habit of making statements like this and then not showing up at all..they claim to speak for GOD but when they make empty PR threats I believe it only shows me how desperate they are for their OWN sake.

Having faith is not a bad thing, but like everything else it can be abused if not tempered properly..

[æonpax]

These poor excuse for humans, the Westboro Baptist Church, are attention whores. They thrive on it. Take away all the attention and they'll fade away...eventually. In the meantime, where I to protest them, I'd carry a sign like the one below....


http://i.imgur.com/K40lj.jpg

Useless thumbnail posted below by default....

[Brian]

Useless thumbnail posted below by default...

Off topic post:

On my To Do list is to see if we can do far better with how the editor adds images to posts. I think it should be like a Wordpress blog which is more clear and yet has so many more image options. I will work on it.

- Drew :paw:

[*pan*]

:soapbox:well it looks like everything i was thinking has already been said and better then i could have said it lol.:flag3:

[DuckiesDarling]

Personally, I'd love to see some Pagan/Wiccan LGBT show up at a Phelps protest with this sign:

4194

[darkeyes]

I think the Phelps women... Am I alone in thinking this post in appalling taste and does nothing to further our interests? Am I alone in thinking posts such as this give the impression that we are as bad as they if not worse?

[*pan*]

no not alone darkeyes :bipride:

[Brian]

no not alone darkeyes :bipride:
Yeah really. JP1986UM: advocating non-consensual sex, and the denigration of any of the genders is not welcome here.

- Drew :paw:

[void()]

Wanders by, hugs Drew. "Thank you." Wanders along.

[Cherokee_Mountaincat]

Actually theres a follow up story to this whole thing. To the person who didnt know whats going on...sorry, I thought I had posted it before, guess it failed to launch. Last week, a man who was close to being discovered for killing his wife two years ago, took the lives of himself And his two little boys. He had been laying in wait with the gas on in the house, and when the social worker brought them for their normally scheduled visit, he yanked the kids in the house, slammed the door, hacked them up with a hatchet or ax, then blew the house to bits. Authorities were almost ready to accuse him for the death of his late wife, so he decided to kill himself and his two boys....:( Because the bill was passed here in Wa state, the Wesboro assholes decided they were going to come and protest at the funerals. Which is totally stupid, for the kids had Nothing to do with Gay rights. Because of such a large out-cry from the Washington common, they decided it Might be prudent for them to leave this one alone. Smart move on their parts. They tried this once before when one of our Service men was killed in Iraq, but again were closed out by a banding of Veterans and Bikers groups in the area, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and Calif. Again, smart move on their part.

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/komo/article/Anti-gay-church-cancels-protest-at-Powell-boys-3241871.php#src=fb

[Cherokee_Mountaincat]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/josh-powell-told-sons-surprise/story?id=15549745

[silberwolf1960]

I'm so glad I don't live in Tacoma anymore. We have had the displeasure of these ass clowns here I N.Michigan protesting service members funerals. Now to rub salt into the grandparents and the social workers raw wounds is so disrespectful and vile.
What would be ironic is if their own God shoved a lightning bolt up their asses. :2cents:

[æonpax]

Off topic post:

On my To Do list is to see if we can do far better with how the editor adds images to posts. I think it should be like a Wordpress blog which is more clear and yet has so many more image options. I will work on it.

- Drew :paw:

I don't object to it per se, but,
a) a full image (from a hosting site) and a thumbnail of that same image under it, has no utility I can see,
b) this only happens when the "IMG" tag is used,
b) it takes up a lot of space (the full width) thus becoming distracting. If it must be, then restricting its size to a few pixels would be cool.

[james x1x]

What the "phelps bunch" need is a good beating. I am sorry, but when the system can not stop ( or will not) them from disrupting sacred moments, like saying goodbye to loved ones, then the people have the right to stop them.

the good of the many outweight the good of the few ( or the one)

[Light_and_Dark]

;If they are the same ones that blockaded that stryker brigade from coming home from deployment a few years ago..I agree that whole group need to be shot out of their own stupidity....If you are going to protest the lgbt community at least go to an lgbt rally to do it not some off the wall function. No offense guys.

(before anyone says anything neither half of that paragraph have anything to do with each other)

[elian]

(I'll figure this new software out real soon now.. this was in response to Cat's second link w/the ABC interview..)

Yes, I'm sorry to say that it is a very sad story..our society doesn't really value helping people with emotional and spiritual problems.

In olden times you probably would have never even heard this story but with our always-on, always-connected source of information style of living we now hear quite a bit more than we used to. Hold forgiveness and love in your heart as much as you can for all of those people affected by this tragedy. What can *I* do about this tragedy if I feel compelled to act? Maybe help staff a suicide helpline? If someone comes to you who looks like they need a hug, or just someone to talk to - listen.

[elian]

What the "phelps bunch" need is a good beating. I am sorry, but when the system can not stop ( or will not) them from disrupting sacred moments, like saying goodbye to loved ones, then the people have the right to stop them.

the good of the many outweight the good of the few ( or the one)

Non-violent protest postulates that you must have at least some level of respect for your adversary, otherwise any sort of negotiation just ends up degenerating into a pile of flaming dog crao - no real progress- just sharp words and hurt feelings on all sides.

Remember, several of the Phelps children are lawyers, and if you lay a hand on any of them AT ALL they will use YOUR money to continue to fund their "ministry".. That doesn't mean they are immune, a few years ago a judge ordered them to pay a million dollar settlement and I'm sure that put a damper on their financial resources..

I know that there is no "negotiation" with WBC and there never will be, they aren't interested in having a dialogue at all, but the same principle applies.. The folks who planned the funeral for those Amish children who died in a house fire were smart, they picked a venue where there WAS no public space to protest, if WBC wanted to show up they would've had to protest in the street and the way the local community was feeling the vehicles passing them would have been less than polite.

I know it's not a popular answer, but hatred, fear and bigotry are our real enemies here, if I advocate raping or beating the Phelps family, that only adds more hate. Our response must be different.

Like I said before when WBC come to town it is usually their 5 people holding up hate filled signs to our 200 people celebrating diversity..and it really is a celebration within that group. I don't think it's intentional but WBC is actually helping our community learn positive things Thank goodness that the message on their side is so outrageous and their number so small that they end up being a catalyst for the folks who appreciate love and tolerance.

Verizon TV has the History Channel documentary "King" On-Demand right now, it's worth viewing if you've never had a chance to see it before..I've never seen someone teach people what it means to be Christian so well..it's a shame that it seems those in power just couldn't bear it.

Oh, and "God Bless" the Patriot Guard Riders.. :)

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

There is another group of volunteers in our state that do the same thing for LGBT rights by holding up rainbow colored golf umbrellas instead of American Flags..

[elian]

my last response was in the context of specifically LGBT events, I would not, and do not endorse promoting a political agenda at a funeral..ANY support should be for the family in the best way possible..

Having said all of this I really hope they don't even show up. (boy this non-violence is kind of strange, do you know how hard it is for me to write that without using expletives? <sighs>.)

[Gearbox]

It would be unthinkable for a bunch of LGBT to host a pro-same sex marriage rally at the funerals of the Westebo baptists.
They'd get zero support, and I doubt that the WB gets any from other religious sects either. I hope not.

[darkeyes]

It would be unthinkable for a bunch of LGBT to host a pro-same sex marriage rally at the funerals of the Westebo baptists.
They'd get zero support, and I doubt that the WB gets any from other religious sects either. I hope not... but why not go along respectfully to their weddings and baptisms and wish them well.. and to their funerals to comfort them in their grief... show them that we are human and share their joys and feel for their tragedies...

.. no? well its a thought...:flag1:

[Cherokee_Mountaincat]

Footnote: Several members of the Guard Did attend the funeral, along with other Biker organizations, and Veterans groups. They did this for the Family and the little boys. Thankfully nothing came about;
and it was quiet and respectful. The Aunt of the chioldren thanked members of this Guard charter for their support and kindness..:}
Cat

[12voltman59]

As stupid, ignorant, nasty, jerkish, arrogant or whatever we think about the Phelps crowd and others who obsess and fixate so on the objects of their hatred, like so many southern whites (and northerners too), did (do) hold against blacks---you almost have to feel sorry for them in a way that they have so allowed that hatred to make their hearts so hard, their minds so closed and their soul so dark thanks to focusing on their hate----if there really is God and heaven and that when we die we are judged like it says in the Bible---I think they are gonna be in deep shit because I do think that God judges us not by the things we profess to hold----like a love of God and Jesus---but our actions and what things we held in our hearts, minds and souls along with the way we treated others is the really important thing.

If that is the case then the Phelps crowd is going to have one really huge kick in the ass awakening when they stand in judgement---because they are probably gonna get sent to hell and man---can you imagine how much "fun" the devil must have with religious hypocrites????? Holy shit---they are really gonna be in for it!!!!!

[Jobelorocks]

Like the Bible says, without love you have nothing. They aren't acting very "Christian". A true follower of Christ will have a life that is charitable, loving, and self-sacrificing. They are none of these.

[IanBorthwick]

No person, no matter how horrible they were, deserves to be treated badly at their funeral. It is a solemn moment, a deep and spiritual time, one needed for the loved ones to grieve and move on. But then there is also the fact that these people are protesting children's funerals. How far have we sunk that this is ever allowed? How badly off the map have the right wing run that this was ever allowed to occur...

[elian]

Let's be clear that most "good and honest" people are appalled by this behavior..that includes a lot of people of every political and spiritual persuasion. The WBC is basically the family of Fred Phelps..


No person, no matter how horrible they were, deserves to be treated badly at their funeral. It is a solemn moment, a deep and spiritual time, one needed for the loved ones to grieve and move on. But then there is also the fact that these people are protesting children's funerals. How far have we sunk that this is ever allowed? How badly off the map have the right wing run that this was ever allowed to occur...

[12voltman59]

You are right Elian---other than a few outsiders and those who married into that Deliverance like band of merry gypsies that makes up the Phelps clan---there are a rather small bunch----it does go to show that if no matter how small a group you might be part of----if you come up with some schtick that is off-the-wall enough---then you too can capture more media attention than you surely deserve.

I know that the media needs to report on things---but you almost wished that all news operations, large small and from any medium---would just decide to but an embargo on expending one bit more of ink on them or giving them any TV or radio air time---that might not be the best from a pure journalistic standpoint---but with no attention being paid them---they would eventually go retreat back to their caves and leave the rest of us alone.

[keefer10.7]

No person, no matter how horrible they were, deserves to be treated badly at their funeral. It is a solemn moment, a deep and spiritual time, one needed for the loved ones to grieve and move on. But then there is also the fact that these people are protesting children's funerals. How far have we sunk that this is ever allowed? How badly off the map have the right wing run that this was ever allowed to occur...

Dont' ever think the Westboro Baptist Chruch represents the so called Right Wing. We don't even think that Cindy Shehan represents the so called Left Wing. Just be satisifed that nutjobs are just that, and are not a sampling nor do they represent any one particular bent.

[keefer10.7]

......and while I am on the subject, the funeral went as planned for the family and nothing occured from the Phelps clan. With that being as it is, this thread should go the way of the bodies; buried.

[Light_and_Dark]

I do find it fun though...reading a post that EVERYONE agrees on :)