I’m not really sure how to pose this question to you, as I’m not sure what all might be considered relevant. This is not a query, I do not need advice (well, no relevant advice at the moment), but I wanted to ask: Is anyone preparing to protest the eventual funeral of Fred Phelps? I really hope I’m not the first to think of this. The guy is—what? Eighty? Someone should probably start making plans now. I think the event calls for a big ol’ jazz funeral. Call up the Patriot Guard Riders, some VFWs, a few pride parades, maybe the Anti-Defamation League, invite anyone and everyone who was protested or maligned or attacked by the Westboro Baptist Church over the years. Everyone meets up, you get a brass band to play a dirge as everyone marches to the cemetery—no reason you can’t take the opportunity to illustrate dignity in the face of grief, if you wanted to provide them an example—and then, after the burial, everybody goes nuts. Think Carnival, think Rio, but in the middle Kansas.
Just curious if anyone is working on this, and I figured you’d be the guy to take this sort of an idea and run with it.
JEB
Fred Phelps—pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church—turned 80 on November 13. Phelps has never been a particularly well looking man and I can’t imagine that the old bastard is long for this world. Westboro Baptist’s original claim to fame, of course, was picketing the funeral of Matthew Shepard (carrying “Fag Matt Burns In Hell” signs in front of Shepard’s grieving family members) and since that time Westboro has gone on to picket the funerals of dozens of American soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as funerals of the victims of the Minneapolis bridge collapse (because Minnesota is the “land of the Sodomite damned”), Heath Ledger’s funeral, and the funeral of Al Gore’s father. According to Phelps’ Wikipedia page, Phelps has attacked Ronald Reagan, the Supreme Court, the Irish, Swedes, Catholics, Muslims, Mormons, Sonny Bono, Jews, and Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.
So, yeah, it seems like we could pull together a big party once Phelps’ croaks. And I think a party immediately after Phelps’ funeral—right across the street from his funeral—seems like a fitting tribute to a man who crashed the funerals of so many others. I’m not a party planner myself, JEB, but if someone wants to organize it, I am there.
Ooo, @40, that is an EXCELLENT idea…!
They once came to Vancouver, to picket the Laramie Project (a play about Matthew Shepard). There was a facebook event to warn people that the Phelps were coming to Vancouver to protest. I did not even know the play was happening, nor did many people, but me and the boyfriend got tickets and were planning to help with the counter protest (people were going to stand around the Phelps with their backs turned, sending the message that we were not going to watch or listen to them, or something like that). The play sold out immediately, and I’m sure it was all because people wanted to throw stuff at the Phelps, or help with the counter protest. The Phelps didn’t show up afterall, and I was surprised to find myself dissapointed.
I like Will in Seattle’s idea. We should combine #33 and #41. That way we still get to party after Fred dies, and we can really humiliate him with the Fred Phelps LGBT centre, while donating to a good cause. Of course, that will be impossibly difficult to do.
I just read Nate’s link from a post above; sounds like this man should be in jail for domestic abuse. He needs to be reported and arrested. Hitting kids with mattock handles until they bleed is so far beyond wrong…
I plan to piss and shit on his grave. He deserves the tribute.
I think Dan and sloggers need to put their heads together and come up with a GAY SEXUAL NEOLOGISM for Fred just like was done for Santorum. Once the winning definition is determined, set up a website for it and have all sloggers hit it about 50 times a day for 30 or so days. This needs to be done while the fucker is still alive so Fred, his family and supporters can Google him and see the results.
Payback’s a bitch!
Funerals aren’t for the dead, they are for the loved ones that the dead leave behind. With that in mind, I think a big raucous display of protest would be almost as disrespectful as the life Phelps led, and so I don’t think I could really support that.
However..
What if it were a completely silent “non-protest”, with big blank signs, and blank expressions filling the thousands of faces of “non-protesters”. I.E. make an incredibly powerful statement by making no statement. (What we wish Phelps would have done) Imagine the confused news coverage with all the airhead anchors trying to put 2 + 2 together! This wouldn’t be terribly disrespectful to his family in their time of grief. I would support something like this.
I’m not so sure I’m down for protesting anybody’s funeral, regardless of my own anger about what the deceased did in their life. I feel like the world is already so angry and I don’t want to contribute to that.
I lived in Lawrence (much more liberal) Kansas for 7 years. Occasional, I would go to Topeka to shop or visit the capitol. It was disgusting to have to drive past the church and the picketers due to their cruel signs and unrelenting hate-mongering. I decided one day to stop my car in the middle of the street in front of them and kiss the woman next to me in the car. It felt good to see them get all riled up and outraged as I pealed away. Now, I know better how combat this ignorance. I participate in the high school’s GBLQT group where I teach. Informing students is much more powerful than my impulsive act of yore.
People that evil always live to be like 100 years old. I say we protest the old cocksucker now, while it can still irritate him. Big pink buses full of drag queens.
@56–I like the cut of your jib greenlaser.
Whatever we do, I think we should make an organized, publicized, -something- in celebration of the life of Rev. Phred Felps set to go off when the old guy finds out exactly how kind the universe is even to peeps who’ve been guilty in life of the most extreme douchebaggery.
It should be done in the spirit of good humor and mindful of Great Bog’s unchanging and eternal love even for the likes of him. We really do owe him. Think of all the good he’s done for our cause!
Think of all those basically decent, god-loving Christians whose minds don’t engage in the labyrinthian anti-logic of Loveschild who have seen themselves in the mirror of Phred’s poisonous hate and seen the truth.
Thank you Phred Felps for bringing them to Us!
Chalk this comment to @4’s tack: the Phelps clan are a waste of human resources.
Back in ’98, I did some black-and-white film photojournalism, shooting a few rolls’ worth on the clan — namely his adult daughters, a portly son holding a video cam (documenting those, in their words, “disgusting sodomites”), and their very underage children holding up signs (none at all kid-friendly). Fred wasn’t around. They weren’t received warmly, as they did this before a series of highly respected houses of worship in a town blitz of sorts.
Our local Harley-riding dykes pretty much shut them the fuck up. In Fred’s death, ignoring him will be no less apropos than drowning his life’s failed crusade with a symphony of Hog exhaust pipes.
‘Westboro has gone on to picket . . . funerals of the victims of the Minneapolis bridge collapse (because Minnesota is the “land of the Sodomite damned”)
Not mention “land of the Christ-killers” like Dylan, Tom Friedman, Al Franken, and the Coen Brothers!
Roma: incidentally, @61 was in the Twin Cities.
I’d be willing to bet that folks like the Westboro bigots will be so paranoid at having to suffer from what they put other people through that when Phelps dies, they’ll pull out all the stops and pay who they have to to make sure he’s declared dead as quietly as possible and get him in the ground quickly and before anyone notices.
And to be honest, I hope they do so. Until today, I’d actually forgotten the hateful old monster exists, and I’d love one day to be able to do so permanently. Please, when he dies do not do your best to martyr him and make sure that our grandchildren read about him in history books long after he’s lost any relevance.
#33: “Better: Start a fund to build and maintain a Fred Phelps GLBT Center or a FP Shelter for victims of hate crimes. That way after his death his name would be associated with the people he vilified, but this time to help them.”
I think that’s a great idea.
While I completely understand the anger people have towards him — since he’s cruel and mean-spirited, about as un-Christian (or un-Christ-like) as you can get, and certainly deserves to have his grave pissed on — if there’s going to be any kind of protest at his funeral, I think it would be much better to act UNlike Phelps and take the high road. I think if all protestors held signs simply saying “we forgive you” it would be far more powerful than any demonstration of hatred or revenge. Just think of Nelson Mandela. He was imprisoned by the former all-white South African government for 27 years and yet, on his release, he didn’t show any bitterness.
Fair points, everyone. As much as I’d love to picket his funeral, perhaps I’ll just send a bouquet of dead flowers with the inscription “God Hates Bigots.” I encourage at least 100,000 of you to do likewise.
“Our local Harley-riding dykes pretty much shut them the fuck up.”
Telsa, you mean that? I’d never heard about the Westboro freaks picketing the victims of the I-35W bridge collapse and I wonder why they considered Minnesota the “land of the Sodomite damned”…because of its strong history of liberalism?
#38: “non-wake”
Stage a “sleep” for Phred Felps?
Hear Hear @ 64!
The whole family is whacked – hopefully there is a suicide pact already in place.
In any event, I’ll make the drive to the land of creationism for that funeral!
Dan: Protesting Phelps funeral is a bad idea. It just gives them the attention they crave. Those who wish to show their disapproval of Phelps and his ideas should create a fund to refurbish part of Gage Park in Topeka in return for naming that part of the park after Harvey Milk. This way we do something to honor someone who has done something good for humanity, and we get to tick off the Phelps’ at the same time.
Interesting idea, but much better to just ignore that fucker.
I just can’t get over the fact that they somehow found reason to dislike Mr. Rogers. Fred “I want to be your neighbor” Rogers?! Really?! What, does he have a phobia of puppets or something? Or is it a phobia of joy?
And Heath Ledger? By all accounts, he was like the nicest guy in Hollywood. I read somewhere (shortly after his death) that he didn’t even drink. When he went to the club with friends, he bought for everyone and had bottled water for himself. I guess Phelps just hated Brokeback Mountain that much. Which is ironic, since it’s about self-hating homos and the bigotry they have to deal with in their lives, when even they aren’t comfortable with the fact they’re gay…
But I’m for no protest, or a protest with blank signs, as suggested by @56.
I’d piss on his grave, but that would be defiling my own piss.
Phelps, Hucherson, Loveschild, there’s a special place in hell for all of them.
Mark my words-If Phelps is still alive, he and his clan will have moved on from homophobia and fully devote theirprotests to anti-semitism (they’ve tried it out in the last couple of protests). Homophobia alone will no longer get headlines as it did in the past
This reminds me of the HUGE party we threw when Jerry Falwell finally went off to spend eternity riding the veiny cock of Satan forever. It was a BLAST. We had a cake in the shape of his face and held an auction over who got to cut out his tongue.
@75–“There are no special places in hell. Hell is a democracy.”–Mike Carey
I am ancient, apparently, but Westboro-picketing-funerals goes back way before Matthew Shepard in 1998. They got mainstream (straight) press in 1994 for picketing the funeral of Pedro Zamora from MTV’s “The Real World: San Francisco” and had been active for years prior.
I can see the signs now: “GOD HATES BIGOTS” and “WESTBORO FOR SATAN”.
I can’t beleive I have to be the voice of reason again. Someone should rip his head off and stick it on a spike. Then we’ll have a team of people who will run it across every state in the union You know, like the athletes do with the Olympic torch. (Get back you sick bastards. You have to stand in line to get on the list) Even the old and infirm could do it. If everyone that he’s ever hurt or pissed off signs up, we’ll each only have to run two blocks.
You know, organising this thing on the incredibly short notice we’re sure to have between when he dies and his funeral is going to be a bitch and a half, and if it is anything short of utterly massive, than it will fail to convey our sentiments about this douchebag. May I suggest an alternative?
Let’s have a contest, due to run the full year following Phelps death, in which we will see who can submit to Dan pictures or videos of the most depraved sex act on Phelps grave. Bonus points should be awarded for gay sex, seeing as how Phelps is so obssessed with it. As a heterosexual, I pledge to work harder to make up the differnce….