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Pickets to target maimed (Westboro “Church” to picket outside of Reed)

Information April 05 2006
 — By CJ

The Topeka Capital-Journal

They have created a firestorm by picketing the funerals of U.S. soldiers.

Now members of Topeka’s Westboro Baptist Church plan to send their message to those wounded in action.

The church has scheduled a protest on Thursday at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Church member Shirley Phelps-Roper said protesters will carry signs that read, “Thank God for maimed soldiers.”

“The issue is the wrath of God pouring out on your head,” she said. “It’s a punishing blow. In some ways, death would be kinder.”

The new protest plan comes as 27 states, including Kansas, craft legislation to curb the group’s protests at military funerals. Westboro Baptist Church, led by pastor Fred Phelps Sr., believes military deaths are the result of God punishing the United States for tolerating homosexuality.

The church’s efforts have been criticized by lawmakers and dignitaries across the country.

“A funeral is a solemn occasion to support those who grieve and to honor the life, service and sacrifice of the fallen. It is not a time or place to hide behind the First Amendment and spout hatred,” Jim Mueller, commander-in-chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S., said Monday.

Federal legislation was introduced last week that would ban demonstrations one hour before, during and one hour after a military funeral at a national cemetery. It also would keep protesters at least 500 feet away from mourners.

A hearing on the bill is set for Thursday in front of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

Westboro members will protest Thursday afternoon outside the Capitol before traveling to Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

According to its Web site, the Walter Reed Health Care System provides health care to more than 150,000 soldiers, family members and retirees at 10 major treatment centers.

“The point is to warn them,” said Phelps-Roper. “People going in there are going to get the message.”

If anyone is ANYWHERE nearby, please be there. I will not be able to make it, as I’m sure most of you won’t either. You see, we’re hard working Americans and have jobs to be at. We work for a living and don’t rely on suing people for insane reasons as valid employment options. These people sicken me.

(20) Readers Comments

  1. strobes

    04/05/2006 at 6:00 pm

    I thought the whole idea of organized religion and churches was to be accepting. These are the last people that should be protesting this issue and to do it at funerals and hospitals shows not only a massive amount of disrespect towards the individuals and families, but also towards the God they seem to hide behind. These people are a disgrace. God Bless America and our Troops, all of them.

  2. 04/05/2006 at 7:09 pm

    Now this really just pisses me off. I can’t stand Fred Phelps and everything that he stands for. Grrrrrrrrrrrr….. I wish there was someway they could just lock him and his cohorts up, but unfortunately, our soldiers are fighting, being injured and dying, just so idiots like him can continue to spout their brand of twisted hatred. :-(

  3. 04/05/2006 at 7:18 pm

    It amazes me that these people are *supposedly* Christians. Now, even if they weren’t, their actions would still be despicable and pure evil.

    I know relatively little about the Baptist church, but you would think someone in some other Baptist church would apply some pressure to make them stop.

    On a side note, the US Rep who introduced the military funeral bill Mike Rogers (R), US Mich 8th Dist., is a graduate of Adrian College (Adrian, Mich.), my alma mater.
    Mike

  4. 04/05/2006 at 7:18 pm

    Ya know, being over here I have seen first hand what man can do to man, I am schocked that we have people in the United States that are no better than those that have committed that horrors that I have seen and heard about happening before we came here. How can this man call himself a Christian? I wish I was there in the states, I would be there to tell this “man” where to go!

  5. 04/05/2006 at 7:41 pm

    Oh that is soooo wrong!
    I wish I could be there ~ I just can’t stand the thought of those people anywhere near our soldiers!

  6. 04/05/2006 at 8:05 pm

    The DC Chapter of Free Republic and other troop supporters will be there. I sent in a permit for the corners at the main gate (Georgia Avenue at Elder Street). Luckily, I never unloaded our signs and flags from our Friday night Freeps at WRAMC.

    Phelps’ gang of haters won’t get a free pass tomorrow.

  7. Sabo

    04/05/2006 at 8:41 pm

    Unfortunately, I have a meeting after work and won’t be able to get to Walter Reed before 8:30 PM – hopefully they will be gone by then, but I will try to swing by then if I can. You know, to me it doesn’t matter if this group calls itself christian or any other denomination or none at all — it’s just plain inhumane and cruel what they do and continue to do, whatever religious belief you have or don’t have.

  8. 04/05/2006 at 8:54 pm

    I’m glad TgslTakoma and others will be there to counter the phelps group. Protesting wounded soldiers is sick.

  9. Beth* A.

    04/05/2006 at 11:06 pm

    People can call themselves… a ‘mushroom’ (actually, that is somewhat closer to accurate) if they want, it won’t make them one. These folks lack every tenant of Christianity and seem to go out of their way to do the very opposite.
    Thank you, TgslTakoma and the Freepers! You make us all very proud and grateful that you will be there for our fine troops!

  10. 04/06/2006 at 3:11 am

    They can’t get around the funerals any longer, there are bans going up all over, so they have to go to Walter Reed?
    LOL ….Laughing at them people. Who is on every street corner there? People who support Our Troops. Now how many supporters do you suppose will show knowing Our Troops are being attacked AGAIN?
    That “FLOCK” sure will have fun trying to be heard over all them supporters….I hope someone video tapes it so I can see.

  11. Janet

    04/06/2006 at 4:40 am

    I consider myself a rather religious person. I do believe that God can become angry. However, nowhere in my bible or my belief system is there a an example of good people being persecuted by God for the sins of others. As a matter of fact, I seem to recall that God did the oppose. He sent his own Son to take upon Him the sins of others, the entire world, in order that sinners could be saved! I have no idea what pagan belief system these lower life forms are practicing, but Christian it is not.

    If God did go about summary judgements it would enter my mind that here was a group on which to do it. While it might be wonderful to imagine, Zot, your gone! it will not happen. They will get a lifetime to repent before it is too late, just like the rest of us! Oh, darn!

  12. 04/06/2006 at 4:43 am

    ~K, I think the Free Republic has already snatched up the permits for most of the corners during that time. They will not be “legally” permitted where soldiers enter and leave the hospital.

  13. Chad

    04/06/2006 at 6:04 am

    It’d be a damn shame if some senior NCO with a bad case of PTSD gently help the Phelps gang to thier enternal kingdom, wouldn’t it?

  14. jim b

    04/06/2006 at 6:10 am

    Janet suggests ‘God can become angry’. To quote (roughly I missed the book but saw the movie The Bible) “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, so you do unto me.”

    Attempting to torment a wounded trooper fits that bill.

    In the long run we will all be grateful for the response to Fred and his inbred sicko wannabe church(tax breaks yanno).
    Fred is one of the reasons that people are repulsed by the disrespect to veterans. He is personally responsible for more (thank God) legislation to defend veterans and families, than nearly any other single entity.

    This legislation will not only block Fred and his misbegotten group, but ANSWER et al in the future.
    For that I am grateful. Thank you all for caring.

    Thanks for backing the vets.

  15. 04/06/2006 at 10:45 am

    So y’all know, the Baptist church has denounced Fred and his gang. It’s sad how a group of people can make a bad name for a group of people. I know quite a few Baptists and they are enraged by Fred and his groupies and that they are bringing such a bad name to the Baptist community.

    Also, how come it’s only soldiers that God is punishing? How come it’s not every single death that happens in the US that is punishment from God. By the way, if my sentences don’t come out right, they are coming out right in my head, however, I’ve been up since 2:30 AM and it’s now almost 2:00 PM!

    Anyway, I’m not saying anything bad about homosexuals, but how come Fred and his gang aren’t protesting those funerals and only the soldiers? In all honesty, I think Fred is a homophobe who is trying to supress (or hide) his own homosexuality.

  16. 04/06/2006 at 12:49 pm

    They are not affiliated with the Baptist Convention. They call their church Baptist but it is not an officially endorsed Baptist Church. Their whole strategy is to outrage people and get attention.

  17. MissBirdlegs in AL

    04/06/2006 at 3:04 pm

    I understand that most of Phelps’ “church” is made up of his family members. His daughter is a lawyer & they’re just hoping someone will do something to permit them to sue. Total CREEPS!

    Go Freepers! You can’t imagine how much people appreciate what you do – especially those of us far away from the “action”.

  18. rachel

    04/06/2006 at 9:22 pm

    I just heard that they didn’t even show… But people who do support the troops did.

  19. 04/07/2006 at 4:34 am

    rachel, they showed. There were about 15 of them, but they were overwhelmed by more than twice those number of people who supported the soldiers. Free Republic, Patriot Guard Riders, Rolling Thunder and others were represented. They only stayed about an hour before leaving with no fanfare. I’ll have an update later.

    Most people drove by cursing at them or giving them finger. It wasn’t pretty.

  20. George

    04/17/2006 at 11:50 am

    I first heard of these loonies when I attended Reagan’s funeral procession in Washington DC. I had taken my “little brother” (I was in the Big Brother program) and these people were on the corner with their signs “Reagan’s burning in Hell”, “Thank God for 9/11″, etc. I felt so bad for Nancy having to drive by these protesters. For full disclosure I’m a liberal who opposed the war in Iraq (not Afghanistan), but these people have NO sense of decency. But as repugnant as these people are, our soldiers are fighting to protect our freedoms, which include “freedom of speech”. That said, I do support the Funeral Bill in Congress. Free speech doesn’t mean yelling “fire!” in a crowded theater.

    I wish I could have been at the counter protest at Walter Reed, but my mom’s been sick and I didn’t have vacation days to take off.