• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Step too far for Phelps

Molinaro said:
http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2011/01/12/16862466.html

The picketing of the funeral has been called off in exchange for airtime on 102.1 The Edge in Toronto and KXXT-AM in Phoenix, Ariz.
Click to expand...

They did this before. When they were planning to protest the funerals of the Amish girls killed (few years ago, in Pennsylvania I believe, the incident where some guy shot a bunch of Dutch-amish), a radio person offered them airtime in exchange for not protesting. The agreement was honored, and they got 30 minutes to rant on the air.
 
Last edited:
KingMerv00 said:
For people so smitten with violence against America, why haven't they become violent themselves?
Click to expand...

They are very explicitly non-violent and law abiding. While they approve of the death penalty for homosexuals, they do not favor killing homosexuals in violation of the law. They want to change the law of the nation so it matches "God's law."
 
Hmmm... Sonny Barger (of Hells Angels fame) lives in AZ...
 
Galteeth said:
They are very explicitly non-violent and law abiding. While they approve of the death penalty for homosexuals, they do not favor killing homosexuals in violation of the law. They want to change the law of the nation so it matches "God's law."
Click to expand...

Didn't they declare the shooter a hero or some such?
 
I've heard the WBC has pulled out of all its planned Tucson pickets. They didn't show (as per their agreement) at the memorial for the little girl Christina this afternoon.

My wife attended and told me the crowd was so huge, so quiet, so respectful that it was more like a Balinese ceremony than an American one. That the WBC had originally planned to picket the event raised local interest/attendance in an enormous way.
 
KingMerv00 said:
Didn't they declare the shooter a hero or some such?
Click to expand...

They "Thank God" for all tragedies. In case you were wondering how the Amish deserve the wrath of God (they don't allow homosexuality), it's because they "hide from the world", instead of going out with "Thank God for dead soldiers" signs.


On that note, I would like to take issue with the title of the thread. Why is this the step too far?
"Thank God for (9/11, hurricane katrina, dead soldiers, coal mining disaster, Haitian earthquake, AIDS, , serial killers, school shoootings, etc. etc." was in bounds, but this time he's gone too far?

One of the wackiest Phelps stories: Apparently Fred wrote a letter to Saddam Hussein back before the Iraq war praising him for having homosexuality be a crime. He asked if the WBC could come to Iraq to show their support for their regime. He didn't get a reply, but at one point, he had the letter posted on his website. Apparently, not believing in Jesus is less of a big deal with God then not wanting all gays killed.

Also, let's take a poll.

What do you guys think the odds are that Phelps himself is a homosexual?

I would guess about 98%
 
Last edited:
I would also make the argument that on the whole, the existence of the WBC is a net positive. One of the things I find so interesting about the group is how much they hurt their cause. People consistently rally together against their hatred. i have heard stories from the LGBT community about how southern baptist churches reached out to them when WBC came to picket military funerals in southern towns.

There is even a conspiracy theory by conservative Christians that the WBC is a front for the "homosexual agenda."

While they certainly hurt the feelings of people who have experienced tragedies, as long as the Patriot Guard keeps blocking them, it does seem as though their presence acts as a unifying force for communities (making people of America come together, since they hate all Americans so much.

Heck, they even made Sean Hannity sound reasonable. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi77koTk8mc (Hannity interview with Shirley Phelp-Roper)
 
The Central Scrutinizer said:
I've done a lot of reading about this from various sources over the past year or so. And I spent a lot of time in Topeka about 14 years ago. Without having to re-google for all my sources, or try to contact people I worked with in Topeka....

Some are lawyers in private practice (hard to imagine who they get for clients). Some work for the state (pretty much impossible to get fired as long as you make some attempt to do your job), etc. At the time (and probably still now), there are college students in the extended family, although I don't recall what they study. One particularly sad one, who I think was on the Louie Theroux (sp?) special, was a girl in college, who was quite cute. I felt so bad for her, to think of all that she was missing out on because her parents chose to brain wash her. Dances, boyfriends, shopping with girlfriends, sports, cheerleading, etc. Really sad.
Click to expand...

Good to know. Well... actually bad to know. But I appreciate that you invested time&effort into the research.

With respects to Wilde: To lose one kid to loopiness may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose all of them looks like carelessness.
 
KingMerv00 said:
For people so smitten with violence against America, why haven't they become violent themselves?
Click to expand...

Probably because there's no money to be made from the members of the WBC commiting violence against others. Provoking others into committing violence against the Phelps clan is where the money is, and after reading the Fred Phelps biography, it's obvious that money, not religion, is the driving force behind this sorry bunch and all of their vile antics.

Rolls
 
Last edited:
Galteeth said:
What do you guys think the odds are that Phelps himself is a homosexual?
Click to expand...

I think first it's an ad hominem and a tu quoque.

I also think if it were true, it might explain the behavior but not in any way excuse it. It might or might not help us understand it, but not condone it.
 
slingblade said:
I think first it's an ad hominem and a tu quoque.

I also think if it were true, it might explain the behavior but not in any way excuse it. It might or might not help us understand it, but not condone it.
Click to expand...

It's not an ad hominem, it has nothing to do with the validity of his arguments (those speak for themselves.) Rather, such a specific, all-consuming hatred, devoid of any real socio-political context is probably motivated by something. The top candidates would be either that Phelps was raped or molested by a homosexual, or that he is one and the hate is self-directed.
 
Frankly, I don't give a damn if Fred Phelps is gay or not. Consider the damage he and his brutal brood do on any given week, then ask how valid this point is.

It simply isn't Fred. It's the whole clan, devoted to the promotion of hate for people who don't fit their narrow agenda, and that's damned near the whole of the human race. Frankly, if they're the only "truly saved" in this world, that doesn't say a lot for the smarts of the deity they claim to worship.

So they agreed to not picket the funeral of a child? Big deal. They'll find another venue, make their threat, and get a little air time for it. I don't agree with the decision to air these "interviews," but props to the stations for the intent behind their move.

I don't give a damn why they do it. I only wish there were a way to get them to stop. I hate the pain they're causing.
 
slingblade said:
Nothing you've said invalidates my post.
Click to expand...

I am not arguing "Phelps is gay and therefore his arguments are invalid."

I was not talking about the validity of his religious ideology. I take it for granted that most here think his beliefs are prima facie nuts.

I was wondering about the underlying psychological motivations behind his beliefs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom