I always thought Paisley was straight out of Spitting Image, especially given his strong accent. He used to refer to the Pope as the 'Whore of Rome', if I remember correctly: one Christian to another. Don't they just love each other.
Founder of Westboro church in Kansas excommunicated, on deathbed: son
- Thread starter Sorcerer
- Start date
I always thought Paisley was straight out of Spitting Image, especially given his strong accent. He used to refer to the Pope as the 'Whore of Rome', if I remember correctly: one Christian to another. Don't they just love each other.
How evil does a person have to be for celebrating their death is acceptable?
I wonder if his former flock will show the same respect to him as he gave to our fallen troops.
Magical Realist
Valued Senior Member
Empathy should then be distributed sparingly, like to the many innocents in this world deserving of it instead of to psychopathic hatemongers. I have no empathy for bigots and refuse to pretend to. The world will simply be a better place without this prick.
Bells
Staff member
I'm in a bit of two minds about this.
One the one hand, I want to dance on his grave while holding a placard saying "fuck you you god damn tool".
On the other hand, I recognise that doing so, celebrating his death or even being happy about it would be lowering myself down to his level. Because this was the level he existed in. That hateful and angry realm where his reality was so filled with hatred that I doubt he could see straight.
Fred Phelps is a tragedy. A brilliant civil rights lawyer who became this.. A man people celebrate he is dead for his horrendous nature. How did he go from being such a brilliant civil rights lawyer, fighting for the civil rights of African Americans and other minorities to what he became? What happened that ultimately led to the Brady trial?
Ugh..
One the one hand, I want to dance on his grave while holding a placard saying "fuck you you god damn tool".
On the other hand, I recognise that doing so, celebrating his death or even being happy about it would be lowering myself down to his level. Because this was the level he existed in. That hateful and angry realm where his reality was so filled with hatred that I doubt he could see straight.
Fred Phelps is a tragedy. A brilliant civil rights lawyer who became this.. A man people celebrate he is dead for his horrendous nature. How did he go from being such a brilliant civil rights lawyer, fighting for the civil rights of African Americans and other minorities to what he became? What happened that ultimately led to the Brady trial?
Ugh..
Fraggle Rocker
Staff member
Here's an extract from an op-ed in today's Washington Post by columnist Alexandra Petri:
Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church proved how much love there is in people. When his family showed up at a funeral with their hideous signs, others would rally. When an Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan [a vestige of a once-large and powerful organization that terrorized freed Afro-Americans and their descendants and even killed many of them after the Civil War; vaguely comparable to today's Neo-Nazis in Europe] comments that compared to you he is not a hatemonger and he thinks it’s an absolute shame that you disrupt people’s funerals, no more need be said. A lot of people who set out to do good and advance the cause of love don’t accomplish this much. In a strange way, he proved us right. Hate is well-publicized but small. Love is bigger. He kept achieving the opposite of what he set out to do. He faxed tons of complaints and a law was passed against fax harassment. He showed up at funerals and an outlaw biker gang [motorcyclists with a bad attitude] showed up to shield the mourners. He tested our commitment to free speech, even extreme and ugly speech, and yup, it is still strong. How many people thought, “If these are the people who think being gay is wrong, maybe thinking that is wrong. I don’t want to be on the same side of history as these folks.” Look at what tolerance and love have achieved since Phelps began drawing attention in the late 1990s: the end of “don’t ask, don’t tell” [a brief policy in the U.S. military allowing gay people to serve, but requiring that they not reveal their sexual orientation and that no one ask about it] and the spread of marriage equality [gay marriage is now legal in many states and spreading rapidly]. He proved that there are more good people than bad.
Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church proved how much love there is in people. When his family showed up at a funeral with their hideous signs, others would rally. When an Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan [a vestige of a once-large and powerful organization that terrorized freed Afro-Americans and their descendants and even killed many of them after the Civil War; vaguely comparable to today's Neo-Nazis in Europe] comments that compared to you he is not a hatemonger and he thinks it’s an absolute shame that you disrupt people’s funerals, no more need be said. A lot of people who set out to do good and advance the cause of love don’t accomplish this much. In a strange way, he proved us right. Hate is well-publicized but small. Love is bigger. He kept achieving the opposite of what he set out to do. He faxed tons of complaints and a law was passed against fax harassment. He showed up at funerals and an outlaw biker gang [motorcyclists with a bad attitude] showed up to shield the mourners. He tested our commitment to free speech, even extreme and ugly speech, and yup, it is still strong. How many people thought, “If these are the people who think being gay is wrong, maybe thinking that is wrong. I don’t want to be on the same side of history as these folks.” Look at what tolerance and love have achieved since Phelps began drawing attention in the late 1990s: the end of “don’t ask, don’t tell” [a brief policy in the U.S. military allowing gay people to serve, but requiring that they not reveal their sexual orientation and that no one ask about it] and the spread of marriage equality [gay marriage is now legal in many states and spreading rapidly]. He proved that there are more good people than bad.
You wouldn't be on his level. Fred Phelps didn't celebrate the deaths of bad people, he used the deaths of soldiers to protest the lives of innocent people.
Don't for a second think you're just as bad as him because you're glad he's gone. That would be to misreprent what kind of monster he was.
A day-glow fluorescent gravestone might be a nice touch.
Perhaps with something about Hell on it.
HERE LIE THE BONES OF OLD FRED PHELPS
HE'S IN HEYELL AND NOW HE YELPS.
Perhaps with something about Hell on it.
HERE LIE THE BONES OF OLD FRED PHELPS
HE'S IN HEYELL AND NOW HE YELPS.
Excellent US hillbilly accent, Capt K.
I liked the gag Bill Maher (liberal jokester/current events anchor) did about this. It goes like this. Phelps turns out to be right, there is a God. So when he dies he does indeed finally meet Him. And here He is:
I liked the gag Bill Maher (liberal jokester/current events anchor) did about this. It goes like this. Phelps turns out to be right, there is a God. So when he dies he does indeed finally meet Him. And here He is: