Thank God for dead soldiers?
Posted by Moonage on 08 Feb 2006 | Tagged as: Shock and Awe
When I first read about this story, I thought it couldn’t possibly be true. It had to have been an exaggeration or rhetoric. Here’s the gist of it:
Not everyone who came to Sgt. Andrew P. Wallace’s visitation in Ripon was welcome. Among those who stopped by were four adults and three children from the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church who hailed the soldier’s death, saying it was God’s revenge on a country that accepts homosexuality.
They dragged a U.S. flag on the ground while carrying signs that said “Thank God for dead soldiers” and “Thank God for IEDs,” a reference to the improvised explosive device that killed Wallace.
This story has been repeated over and over, including my local paper. The local story was about some guys who go to soldier funerals to protect the families and loved ones of the soldiers from these incredibly cold-hearted thugs. So, I popped on the ‘net. And sure enough, they’re all over the place. This is what I found:
Now, what you see there is signs proclaiming “It’s too late to pray”, “God hates fags”, “God Hates America”, “Thank GOD for 9/11″, “Fag Troops”, “Thank GOD for IEDs”, “GOD HATES FAG ENABLERS”, all the while stomping on a US flag. And, that’s just one picture. Here’s another:
Here’s a young girl expressing her opinion:
And, the pic that made me almost sick to my stomach:
A very happy small child thanking God for IED’s.
Who could be this sick and twisted? The people who sponsor the website God Hates Fags of course. Who are these people inciting everything Jesus preached against? Look at the very bottom of their page. It’s a church. Can you believe that? A church. Westboro Baptist Church to be exact. These people are seriously sick. What part of the Bible do they think tells them that God hates anyone? The part I remember says something to the effect of “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life…..”. Now, best I recall, there were no exceptions. At no point in the Bible does it ever even loosely indicate that God hated anyone. These people truly think they know something that the authors of the Bible did not. That’s when people become dangerous. They’ve lost their grip. Collectively that’s when people become trouble. Remember Jonestown? Remember Waco? Remember 9/11? What a lot of the world is now blaming the entire Muslim religion for is exactly what these people are doing on a much smaller scale. Precisely, using hate to motivate. How an entire church can succumb to Satan’s wishes is beyond me. Not one person at Westboro ever asked which god promoted sin ( casting judgment and blaspheming )?
The bigger picture, five states, including my own, are attempting to ban, or at least restrict access to soldier funerals simply because of these misguided idiots. The ACLU has expressed concern that it is a slippery slope in regards to freedom of speech. I agree it is treading on free speech to some degree. But, some speech has always been restricted. Promoting violence and invoking riots has always been regulated. IMO, that’s what these idiots fall into. I can’t see that the ACLU is terribly fired up to defend these idiots either. I think the reason is obvious.
I just wish one of those members would look at themselves in a mirror. They couldn’t possibly like what they see. Has any of their friends or families told them they possibly are the biggest assholes the US has to offer? Protection of freedom of speech is being infringed on in the US simply because of them. And, I think most people are just fine with that if it shuts them up.
9 Comments »
on 09 Feb 2006 at 1:28 am 1.American Phoenix
said …
Fred Phelps has long made a reputation for his hateful venom and I’m not surprised to see that it hasn’t abated. When Randy Shilts, the journalist and author of “And the Band Played On” passed away, I went to his funeral in San Francisco. Phelps and his band of idiots were there. They tried to cause a scene and were immediately put down. This was in 1994 - over TEN years ago! These people are truly sick and out of their twisted minds. What arrogance to presume to know the mind of God! What does protesting at a military funeral have to do with homosexuality anyway? What is the point of hurting grieving relatives by having final memories of their loved ones be marred by such ugliness? Since when does this kind of conduct conform to the Golden Rule? Phelps needs to practice what he preaches.
on 09 Feb 2006 at 9:34 am 2.Moonage
said …
I truly wish one of those people would drop by here and try to explain the “logic” used in coming to the conclusion that harassing the families of deceased soldiers will cure homosexuality. And, if that’s too difficult, simply explain where in the Bible it says God hates anything. No translating or interpreting, state clearly where it says “God hates”. For that matter, the radical Muslims are welcome to take the same challenge. I just really don’t get it. The Bible and Koran were written VERY SIMPLY. Neither use a lot of big words. Granted they are both dated, neither is complicated to understand in any shape or form. But, so many people can get it so FUBAR.
Honestly, Phelps is beyond getting it right at this point. He just needs lockin up in a safe small room with rubber walls.
And, I can not believe that the Kansas Department of Social Services has NOT talked to the parents of those kids in the pictures. Clue here, Kansas, those kids are AT RISK!
on 28 Mar 2006 at 4:15 pm 3.blackwhell said …
It isn’t anyone but ppl like phelps that are destroying this country. If they cared about the country at all the wouldn’t be standing on the flag or protesting anywhere near a soldiers funeral. IMO, they are not protesting, they are just trying to cause problems using the guise of protesting to protect them as do many ppl in this country, ie the KKK. A part of loving your neighbors is respecting them, even the ones you don’t like or that are dead for reasons you disagree with.
All my prayers to every soldier in service, to the misguided, and even the truly evil-just so they might find the light.
on 28 Mar 2006 at 5:51 pm 4.Moonage
said …
Well said.
on 25 May 2006 at 10:29 am 5.Moonage Political Webdream
said …
Congress bans protests at funerals at federal cemeteries
A while back I did a piece on Fred Phelps protesting military funerals. I came to the conclusion then that it was pretty ironic that states were impeding their freedom of speech and no one really cared. What they were
on 22 Jun 2006 at 5:53 am 6.Richard said …
May they all sink to the the depths of hell.Where they blong.And be vivited by the devil they are in love with.May they someday while in hell,be invaded by a group of people that wishes to kill,rape,dismember,torture,and use there childeren for reasons not even i can bring myself to say.And while they are be treated in this manor.I hope and prey that they ask for gods help only to be laughed at from above from all that believe in god.And may the gates of hell be protected by the soldiers they have protested.
on 26 Apr 2007 at 1:40 pm 7.Moonage Political Webdream » Congress bans protests at federal military funerals said …
[...] while back I did a piece on Fred Phelps protesting military funerals. I came to the conclusion then that it was pretty ironic that states were impeding their freedom of [...]
on 26 Apr 2007 at 3:09 pm 8.Moonage Political Webdream » The Patriot Guard said …
[...] while back I did a story on a church that was protesting deceased soldiers in the name of hating gays. What actually led me to that story was a local newspaper article of a man who was a member of The [...]
on 27 Oct 2007 at 10:08 am 9.Moonage Political Webdream » Blog Archive » Help sue the Westboro Church said …
[...] have written a few times about Westboro Church. They are disgusting and abusing religion in the worst possible way. Well, one father of a [...]