Thursday, October 05, 2006

Just when you thought enough was enough...

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, best know for their protests at military funerals of GI's killed in Iraq, announced they were planning to protest at the funerals of the Amish schoolgirls shot to death in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, earlier this week. It seems Ed Rendell, governor of Pennsylvania has angered the group by calling them "insane" for protesting at the funerals of US soldiers who have died in combat in Iraq. From the church's website: "We are continuing to pray for even worse punishment upon Pennsylvania.

Fox News offered a hour of national airtime in exchange for not protesting, which the church accepted: "The Westboro Baptist Church planned to protest the funerals of the Amish school children. Shirley Phelps-Roper and Mike have agreed that the church will not protest at the funerals in exchange for an hour of airtime. It happens today on the Mike Gallagher Show." FOX

The governor had a more direct approach in mind -- he planned on sending in enough state police to ensure that the funerals were not disrupted.

10 comments:

Tim said...

Maybe we could send them to Iraq to fight "insurgents". Oops, did I say that? Ahem . . .
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my thought is that we send all talk radio hosts to Iraq, since thay all know exactly what needs to be done there

Coley said...

When I worked at ORU in Tulsa, we got faxes from those morons in Kansas all the time. They were the most offensive pieces of literature I've ever seen in my life. I shredded them, reported them, and even tried to tell them that we did not want to receive their propaganda. Nothing worked. We still received those vile faxes. They sickened me. I cannot understand why any person would be so terribly hateful and cruel to another human being. They are as wicked and horrible as the man that killed those poor little Amish girls. I am so thankful that Fox News had the intelligence to offer them airtime so that they wouldn’t attend that funeral. It was a bold and admiral move on the part of the station! I watched the interview with that mouthy woman last night, and I couldn’t believe the awful things that came out of her mouth. As a Christian, I was horrified that she would say such things and claim to serve the same God that I serve. I can tell you, she does NOT serve the God I serve. He would never condone that type of behavior from His people. In case you can’t tell, Jim, I have a slight opinion on this subject. I just get so mad when people claim to love Christ, but completely disregard His commandments that teach us to “love our neighbor as ourself.”
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I still want to know who funds them -- all that travel must cost significant money!!!

My personal feeling is that if you call yourself a Christian then you have to use what Christ said to support your beliefs, rather than neutralize what Christ clearly said or meant by quoting some other part of the Bible.

Unlike other traditions, the Christian tradition has always been that faith has to be rational (it cannot contain contradictions, for example, "Christ says to love, but I do that through hate"). That's why that woman was so unnerving and irritating, her inherent contradictions violate the traditional reasoned-foundation of Christian faith and the internal consistency of what Christ said. There is no quote in the four Gospels that can logically be used to justify "God Hates America" so the very illogic is disconcerting

Emily said...

Every time I hear a story about these people, I cringe, cry and get angry all at the same time. I live in an extremely liberal part of Indiana and hear all about how people hate bush and hate the war all the time...but it's still rare to find someone who doesn't whole-heartedly support the soldiers and their families.

It's sad that they do all of this in the "name" of the god (yes, little g) that they have created in their image. It's not that different from the people who brought down the towers, destroyed innocent lives, and continue to leave children broken. even their signs make no sense. "God Hates" unless that last word is sin, then they're wrong.

The God I follow hates sin, loves sinners, and stands beside the devastated families of each child, soldier, and friend that dies here or around the world.
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I didn't know there was a liberal part of Indiana! :)

as soon as someone believes "I am absolutely right and everyone else is absolutely wrong," they have no respect for the lives or feelings of anyone who does not believe exactly what they do -- this is what mass murder, political assinations, and genocide are based on and somehow justified ("The only way to save the village is to destroy it.")

Metal Mark said...

The place where this happened is only about an hour and a half up the road from me. The amish people want to get on with their lives. It's bad enough the media have poured into this normally quiet area, but they don't need protesting nutcases with no respect to pour in either.
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when you're not safe in an Amish school, then where?????????

Anonymous said...

That group totally discusts me!
They had better watch their step!
...and if they know whats good for them, they better NEVER COME 2 MY TOWN.
...it will be their LAST PROTEST!!!
:)
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I'm not a violent person but I must admit that's pretty much exactly my reaction.

Carnealian said...

They better not come to my neck of the woods. I already have a bone to pick with these idiots because of the protesting at soldiers funerals. I'd kick all their a$$es!!! And if Ed Rendell really steps up to the plate and sends out the Staties...I may have to consider voting for him. I think most of the girls have been buried already. Today may be the last funeral.
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the state closed off all of the roads and used National Guard helicopters to enforce a 2 1/2 miles no-fly zone around the funeral area

NittanyBri said...

I can't stand these a$$holes. Did Jesus not teach tolerance and turning the other cheek? What kind of "Christian" would wish more bad things to happen to anyone, let alone the Amish???
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being a Christian is not easy, be a self-righteous bigot is

:P fuzzbox said...

I have stood with the Patriot Guard against these dxxhbags. I would love to see the state police insure their silence by chunking them in the hole at a Pennsylvania county jail.
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the GI's died in WWII because God hated Betty Grable???

Mount St. Helen blew up because God hated that old guy with all the cats???

twisted logic is so, well, twisted!!!

Jay Noel said...

I pray to God that a millions of birds fly over their church and poop on these protesting freaks.

gerry rosser said...

Nothing a "Christian" church does surprises me, the same is true of all other churches. Nothing wrong with being a Christian; are there any?

For those unused to my style of repartee, let me reassure them I'm only critical of things people and groups have done in the name of their faith which clearly seemed to violate the very tenets of that faith.