Kester Brewin has a post about a new campaign brought to you by the “atheist bus” people. In this effort they pick up on a complaint made by Richard Dawkins that labeling children as belonging to any particular religious, political, or ideological group is somehow tantamount to child abuse. Of course we can all see the extreme examples of this, the kids of Westboro Baptist come to my mind as horribly mistreated props in Fred Phelps insane efforts. It seems easy enough to spot the dangers of the extremes.

A brief aside: I want to make it clear that I went to public schools and I fully intend to send any children that I have to public schools – what I am about to say is not any sort of pitch for homeschooling or Christian private schools. That said, it is impossible not impress one’s values on one’s children – and yes, this is an observation that homeschoolers and private religious institutions frequently make. Even if I differ with their solution, their analysis is fundamentally correct. The very value of religious choice – a characteristic of neo-Durkheimian and post-Durkheimian societies – arose out of the Westphalian system and its aftermath. Prior to this turn, one’s church was embedded in one’s identity with community, social order, and nation – Durkheim’s opponents after all were French Catholic Royalists. (Some more in-depth discussion here.) Thus religion was part of a broader construction of identity that could not – or ought not – be disentangled.

Insofar as evangelicals are, by definition, always trying to add to their numbers, both from non-Christians and Christians disaffected by their own church, it can be argued that contemporary evangelicalism is a product of neo-Durkheimian society itself. Nonetheless, giving individuals unfettered religious choice is a sort of late-Western value. (One that might have some ancient antecedents, but I haven’t the time to go into that right here and now.) At any rate, a commitment to at least some form of neo-Durkheimianism is something that the British Humanist Association (creators of the new campaign) and Western evangelicals share – whether or not either group is aware of it. Kester Brewin himself expresses his support for some kind of neo- or post-Durkheimianism stance towards religion by saying,

“Parents do not and should not see their children as blank canvases that they should not make any mark on. If they did there would be no education. It is the responsibility of every parent – and every society – to do its best to pass on the history and story of the family or culture they have come from – as long as this is then followed by an invitation to freedom beyond it.”

What the British Humanist Association is trying here is a classic trick that Žižek is often fond of pointing out: the effort to appear non-ideological or post-ideological as a way to smuggle some a priori ideology into an argument. For Žižek everything is ideological (on YouTube you can find his explanation of the ideological underpinnings of toilet design – I’m serious) and any attempt to appear non-ideological should be greeted with a great deal of suspicion as the “non-ideological” rhetorical trick often works since it allows one to accuse one’s opponents thusly: “Why are you being ideological about this?! I’m just proposing something here and now you’ve put your ideology in it.”

This ad campaign is an excellent example of the process: there is an advocacy for a particular sort of meta-religious attitude that at first appears to be non-ideological since is appears to be against imposing any sort of religious labels on children. As I’ve demonstrated above though this is an expression of a particular ideological stance – that religious choice – previously delegated to adults, should be extended to children as well. By saying that there should be no religious/political/ideological label on children, one creates and new sort of meaning for the word “children” that now means not only “younger persons” but also “pre-ideological.” Of course “pre-ideological” is a label that concerns ideology.

By saying that children should not be labelled by their parent’s ideology one is both applying a new label and making a statement about what said parents ideology should be.

Yep, everybody’s favorite too-homophobic-to-be-true church is coming to town:

The city school district is preparing for demonstrations by members of a Kansas church protesting the Albany High School performance of “The Laramie Project.”

Westboro Baptist Church members are expected to be at the high school Friday, Nov. 20, before the second performance of the play. The church is led by Fred Phelps, who says homosexuality is to blame for the deaths of soldiers in the war on terror.

Albany students say they were inspired to perform the play, about the life of a college student beaten to death because he was gay, by the church’s protest in Albany last year.

Phelps wasn’t at the protests eight months ago, but members of his Westboro Baptist Church stood outside the school. Five held “God hates fags” signs. They stomped on an American flag. They chanted about dead babies and how America’s lapsed morality was causing the deaths of its soldiers.

Am I the only person who thinks that Fred Phelps is some sort of FBI agent provocateur who’s being paid to make Christians look bad? Westboro’s entire gestalt hews too closely to the stereotypes that insular, atheist, left-wing blue state SWPLs have of God-fearing heartlanders to be believable. Anyone else think Phelps will end up being unmasked as the Hal Turner of American Christianity?

In the last six months, there has been sufficient traffic generated to this blog using Fred Phelps as the keyword search for me to know the public is fascinated by this man’s portrayal of a Christian minister.   It is a mystery to me how the man who believes that the casualties of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 9/11 tragedy, etc. are God’s judgment against the United States has somehow managed to avoid having the wrath of God poured out upon himself.

It all came back to me yesterday when my son stumbled across this video where Fox News’ Hannity & Colmes interviewed Shirley Phelps Roper back in 2006.   If ever atheists wanted to make the case that Christians are all mindless idiots, Shirley provides enough ammunition for their argument.

Anyway, here’s where my thoughts were at six months ago, in case you missed the original post.

Living one country removed, until recently, I have been only superficially aware of the name Fred Phelps. This man, his Westboro Baptist Church, and his crusade just isn’t the sort of thing that makes the evening newscasts here. But when fellow Alltop blogger Jake Bouma had a link to the website I’m about to direct you to, something about it intrigued me.

For those who don’t know, Phelps is a media-grabbing activist protester who preaches a gospel of hate, but does so in the name of Christianity, the faith named after the person who preached a gospel of love.  His approximately 100-member church attracts an inordinate amount of media publicity for the picketing and protesting they do at a variety of religious and civic events.

The above-mentioned website is a paper presented by Nate Phelps, one of Fred’s sons, at — wait for it… — the American Atheists Convention. That shouldn’t come as a big surprise, should it? That being raised in the home of man who is considered an off-the-scale extremist by both Christians and non-Christians alike should cause his children to grow up anything close to ‘normal’ would be the greater surprise.

The paper takes the better part of a half hour to read, but you really should read this. It gives insight into the everyday life of one of America’s most famous religious extremists. And actually, at the end of the day, Nate does seems relatively ‘normal’ after all. At least now he does. I’m just sad that he has had to ditch everything he grew up with to get normal, but I hope he eventually finds his way to what would be — for him — the spiritual middle ground.

Here’s the direct link to Nate’s paper. Take the time to read this.

Personal to Nate: The internet being what it is, if it happens that you’re reading this, let me say on behalf of millions of Christians everywhere that I am so sorry that you had to grow up with this. I’m sorry that you missed out on a childhood and adolescence that could have been so much more beneficial.

I can’t agree with the philosophy you’re now embracing, but I can’t for one minute criticize the process that brought you there. The people you’re interacting with now and things you’re reading now must all seem like a breath of fresh air. I encourage you to continue reading and studying literature from a variety of faith perspectives. It’s too soon to say you’ve now got it all sorted.

Down the road, I hope you’ll admit that your Dad’s take on the Bible and Christ’s teachings wasn’t that different than the way the Pharisees and religious leaders in Jesus’ day often completely missed the point and misinterpreted the Law and Prophets. They were sincere, but they were sincerely wrong. And as a family, you paid a price for that error.

Despite that, as Christ followers we are compelled to love Fred; even if he himself has been less than charitable towards anyone else. And if we love Fred, we certainly love you. You have been hurt, wounded, broken; a true casualty of “religion.” But it is into our hurt, wounds and brokenness that I believe Christ longs to enter, to bring wholeness and healing.

November 2009 update:   Here’s one that may be more difficult for you to wrap your brain around.   What if, at the end of one of the Westboro Baptist protests at a gay/lesbian rally,  a gay person went up to the Westboro people to try to better understand their whole perspective, and that person just happened to be better versed on the big picture of scripture than the Westboro people were?    Well…that’s what you’ll find here at the blog Sinnerview, when you read A Conversation With The Lost.   [HT: Comment left at Girl in A Glass House blog.]

Additional Update:  I no sooner had this posted than we got into a discussion about it over dinner.  It was then that I observed a fundamental difference between Canada, where the Phelps phenomonon would never happen, and the U.S.:

In the United States laws protecting freedom of religion trump any prohibitions against hate speech.  In Canada laws forbidding hate speech trump any protection of freedom of religion.

Martin Niemöller was a war hero.  He had served on U-Boats during the First World War and commanded a U-Boat in 1918 sinking a number of ships.  After the war he resigned his commission in the Navy in opposition to the Weimar Republic and briefly was a commander in a local Freikorps unit. His book Vom U-Boot zur Kanzel (From U-boat to Pulpit) traced his journey from the Navy to the pastorate. He became a Pastor and as a Christian opposed what he believed to be the evils of Godless Communism and Socialism.  This placed him in the very conservative camp in the years of the Weimar Republic and he rose in the ranks of the United Evangelical Church of the Old Prussian Union.  Active in conservative politics, Niemöller initially support the appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor.  However, he quickly soured on Hitler due to his insistence on the state taking precedence over the Church.  Niemöller was typical of many Germans of his era and harbored ant-Semitic sentiments that he only completely abandoned his anti-Semitic views until after he was imprisoned.  He would spend 8 years as a prisoner of the Nazis a period hat he said changed him including his views about Jews, Communists and Socialists.  Niemöller was one of the founding members of the Pfarrernotbund (Pastor’s Emergency Federation) and later the Confessing Church. He was tried and imprisoned in concentration camps due to his now outspoken criticism of the Hitler regime.

Herman Maas was another Evangelical Pastor.  Unlike Niemöller, Maas was a active participant in the ecumenical movement, built bridges to the Jewish community and defended the rights of Jews as German citizens.  He received a fair amount of criticism for his attendance of Reichspräsident Friedrich Ebert’s funeral.  Ebert was both a Socialist and avowed atheist.  Maas too was active in the Pfarrernotbund and the Confessing church, and unlike Niemöller maintained his opposition to anti-Semitism and the Nazi policies against the Jews. He would help draft the Barmen declaration.  He too would be imprisoned and survive the war.  Maas was the first non-Jewish German to be officially invited to the newly formed state of Israel in 1950. In July 1964 Yad Vashem recognized the Maas as one of the Righteous Among the Nations.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer a young Pastor and theologian would also step up to oppose the Nazis and offer support for the Jews.  He helped draft the Bethel Confession which among other things rejected “every attempt to establish a visible theocracy on earth by the church as a infraction in the order of secular authority. This makes the gospel into a law. The church cannot protect or sustain life on earth. This remains the office of secular authority.”  He also helped draft the Barmen declaration which opposed and condemned Nazi Christianity.  Bonhoeffer would eventually along with members of his family take an active role in the anti-Nazi resistance as a double agent for Admiral Canaris’ Abwehr.  For this he would be executed after his final sermon in the concentration camp at Flossenburg just a month prior to the end of the war.  Another opponent of the Nazis in the Confessing Church was Swiss-German theologian Karl Barth.  Barth went into exile as a Swiss citizen but remained active in the criticism of the Nazi regime.

Bishop Galen of Münster and Father and others including Father Rupert Meyer in Munich who opposed Hitler in the early 1920s would also oppose the Nazi policies toward the Church and the Jews.  They would also end up in concentrations camps with some dying at the hands of the Nazis.

All these men took risks to defend the Jews who were religious minority group that had been traditionally discriminated against in Germany.  They opposed the Nazi policies which were widely supported by much of the German populace making them unpopular in their own churches as among the traditionally conservative supporters of the Evangelical and Catholic Churches.  The Jews were not simply discriminated against as a racial or religious group but also identified with the political left, especially the Social Democrats, Independent Socialists, Communists and the Spartacists. Since the Independent Socialists, Communists and Spartacists were all involved in attempts to create a Soviet state during the early tumultuous years of Weimar and been involved in many acts of violence against traditional German institutions and the state, they were viewed by Hitler and others as part of the Bolshevik-Jewish threat to Germany.  Karl Liebnicht and Rosa Luxembourg were among the high profile leaders of this movement in Germany and both were Jewish.  The fact that many in the leadership of the Bolshevik movement in the Soviet Union were Jewish added fuel to the fire that the Nazis stoked in Germany.  Hitler and the Nazis played on the historic, but muted prejudice against German Jews who in many cases were more secular and German than religious and had assimilated well in Germany.  Hitler’s rhetoric as well as that of other Nazis and Nazi publications helped identify the Jews as part of the “Stab in the back” myth that was commonly used by the German right to explain the defeat in the First World War.  Thus they were painted as a political and social threat to Germany.

When Hitler took power persecution of the Jews began in earnest.  Jews were along with Communists, Trade Unions and Socialists enemies of the state.  They were banned from the military, civil service and other government employment, professional associations and forced to wear a gold Star of David on their clothing.  Their property was seized, many were abused by SA men acting as deputized auxiliary police and many times their businesses, Synagogues and homes were vandalized, burned or seized by the state.  Many would be forced to flee in order not to be sent to ghettos and concentration camps.  Even those leaving only escaped with the minimum of their possessions as the Nazi regime extorted anything of value from them as they left Germany.  This was all done because Hitler and those like him portrayed the Jews as not only an inferior race, but enemies of the state and the German people.

Today we face a similar movement in conservative circles in the United States.  This time it is not the Jews, but Moslems who are the targets of xenophobic rage by many influential members of the “conservative” media, including Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and numerous others.  Their popularity in voicing support for “Christian morale values” such as being against abortion has ingratiated them with conservative Christians.  It is so bad that that many “conservative” Christians cannot differentiate between their vitriolic and un-Christian rage against Moslems, Democrats or anyone else portrayed by the big media talkers as the enemy that they have forgotten the Gospel and become simply an appendage to Republican or “conservative” politicians.  It is not uncommon to see Christians on the web or on the call in talk radio programs identify lock stock and barrel with Limbaugh and others identifying the crass materialism and social Darwinism of “pure” Capitalism and the anti-Christian policy of pre-emptive war.   That may seem harsh, but many of these people in the “Conservative Bible project” seek to re-translate the Bible into their own political, social and economic policies even seeking to change or minimize any Scripture that might be equated with the “Social Gospel.”  Unfortunately many Christians and others have jumped in on the anti-Moslem and anti-immigrant crusades launched by those on the far right.

These men and women have found new grist in the wake of the traitorous terrorism of the disaffected and possibly psychotic Major Nidal Malik Hasan at Fort Hood where he killed 13 and wound 30 Soldiers and military civilians.  Why Hasan was allowed to continue to serve after numerous reports of his Anti-American and pro-Jihadist is the question that needs to be investigated.  However the reaction of some is to treat all Muslims as suspect in a collective manner.  This is troubling.  I have posted just a few of the comments by various “conservatives” some who are Christians to demonstrate the point.

Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association is demanding that Moslems be removed from the military or other security related positions in government.  His position is that until we can prove which Moslems are not going to commit acts of terrorism that we should ban them from the military.  His comments are here:

“It it is time, I suggest, to stop the practice of allowing Muslims to serve in the U.S. military. The reason is simple: the more devout a Muslim is, the more of a threat he is to national security. Devout Muslims, who accept the teachings of the Prophet as divinely inspired, believe it is their duty to kill infidels. Yesterday’s massacre is living proof. And yesterday’s incident is not the first fragging incident involving a Muslim taking out his fellow U.S. soldiers. Of course, most U.S. Muslims don’t shoot up their fellow soldiers. Fine. As soon as Muslims give us a foolproof way to identify their jihadis from their moderates, we’ll go back to allowing them to serve. You tell us who the ones are that we have to worry about, prove you’re right, and Muslims can once again serve. Until that day comes, we simply cannot afford the risk. You invent a jihadi-detector that works every time it’s used, and we’ll welcome you back with open arms. This is not Islamophobia, it is Islamo-realism.”

Pat Robertson of the 700 Club and Regent University said:

“Islam is a violent–I was going to say religion–but it’s not a religion. It’s a political system. It’s a violent political system bent on the overthrow of governments of the world and world domination.”

“They talk about infidels and all this. But the truth is, that’s what the game is. You’re dealing with not a religion. You’re dealing with a political system. And I think you should treat it as such and treat it’s adherents as such. As we would members of the Communist party and members of some Fascist group.”

Dave Gaubatz, author of Muslim Mafia said:

“Politicians, Muslims, and law enforcement are concerned about a ‘backlash’ against Muslims. Now is the time for a professional and legal backlash against the Muslim community and their leaders.” The post was redacted later by the website that it was on to change “backlash against the Muslim community” to “backlash against the Muslim Brotherhood.”  I guess the website realized that the use of the term community went a bit far.

Brigitte Gabriel of the American Congress for Truth told students at the Joint Forces Staff College  in response to the question “Should we resist Muslims who want to seek political office in this nation?”

“Absolutely. If a Muslim who has — who is — a practicing Muslim who believes the word of the Koran to be the word of Allah, who abides by Islam, who goes to mosque and prays every Friday, who prays five times a day — this practicing Muslim, who believes in the teachings of the Koran, cannot be a loyal citizen to the United States of America.”

Tell that to the Moslem Soldiers and Marines who have given their lives for this country and their fellow warriors in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Some of those include: U. S. Army Corporal Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan who was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq, U.S. Army Specialist Rasheed Sahib who was accidently shot to death by a fellow soldier in Iraq, U.S. Army Major James Ahearn, killed by a bomb in Iraq, Army Captain Humayun Khan, who lured a suicide car bomb away from the men in his charge, saving their lives but giving up his own, Army Spc. Rasheed Sahib, an American Muslim from Guyana, Army Spc. Omead Razani, a son of Iranian immigrants or Marine Staff Sgt. Kendall Damon Waters-Bey, who was killed in a helicopter crash, and sadly many more.

Popular Talk Radio host and Fox News commentator Glenn Beck made this comment back in December 2006:

“I’m telling you, with God as my witness… human beings are not strong enough, unfortunately, to restrain themselves from putting up razor wire and putting you on one side of it. When things—when people become hungry, when people see that their way of life is on the edge of being over, they will put razor wire up and just based on the way you look or just based on your religion, they will round you up. Is that wrong? Oh my gosh, it is Nazi, World War II wrong, but society has proved it time and time again: It will happen.”

Timothy Rollins of the American Partisan suggests in the wake of the Fort Hood shootings:

“While the dust is still settling and everything starts getting sorted out with the usual deflections away from the truth that this administration is notorious for doing, there is no better time than now to improve the safety of our military, and this can best be done by enacting the Great Muslim Purge from our military and other national security apparatuses. These people need to be removed from every security post, even to be completely removed from all levels of government employment, be it federal, state, county, city or other municipality. This applies especially to universities. To keep them employed in these positions places our food, water, and other essential services at unacceptable risk.”

Of course there is Doug Giles an unabashed “Christian” columnist for Townhall.com using scripture to justify torture making this delightfully Christian comment in one of his columns about the practice of water boarding:  “Please note: If Christ wasn’t cool with irrigating irate Islamicists for facts, I must admit, I would still have to green light our boys getting data from enemy combatants 007 style. Stick a fire hose up their tailpipe and turn it on full blast. I don’t care. I’m not as holy as most of you super saints or as evolved as some of you progressive atheists purport to be. Security beats spirituality in this scenario, as far as I’m concerned.”

This is so similar to the Nurnberg Laws and the Aryan Paragraph issued by the Nazis that it is scary.  Likewise the threats to American Moslems of placing them “behind razor wire” as we did to American Japanese citizens in World War II are chilling.  I wonder how Christians would react if an atheist or someone on the political left suggested all conservative Christians or members of pro-Life groups be imprisoned for the actions of Christians or pro-Life movement members like Scott Roeder or Eric Rudolph who killed to stop abortion or Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church?

This new found militancy has swept up the “Christian right” and others since 9-11 and has reached proportions that I could never have imagined. After my tour in Iraq I realized that much of what these people were saying was not Christian at all and when taken to their logical conclusion would be a police state in which anyone who opposed them would be persecuted. In Iraq I met many good Moslems fighting on our side against jihadists and terrorists many of whom have great respect and appreciation of the Christian faith and are more tolerant to Christians than many Christians are to Moslems.  These men put their families at risk to side with us to try to free Iraq from Al Qaida terror.  Almost all had lost family and friends to extremists.

As for the suggestions or demands that all Moslems be investigated and removed from the military these people insist that such action is necessary in the name of “security” and “protecting the Constitution.” All Moslems, even those who are loyal American citizens as well as those from Iraq and other nations who fight and die alongside Americans are placed on the same level as the fanatics and terrorists.  I question the motivations of the leaders of the movement but believe that most of the Christian conservatives have been caught up in the anger and the emotion of the times versus being true believers in what these men say.  That being said, you don’t have to be a true believer to be a willing accomplice in actions that first are not Christian and second trample on the Constitutional rights of American citizens.

I could keep citing examples but if someone can show me where this is condoned in the Gospels I would like to know.  The fact is that Christians are to place God first and defend the rights of others, even non-believers.  This is found not only in Scripture but runs through the Christian tradition across the denominational spectrum unfortunately there are Americans such as Marine Reservist Jasen Bruce have gone “terrorist hunting” and misidentifying a Greek Orthodox Priest as a Jihadist attacking him because of he didn’t speak English. http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/article1050707.ece Admittedly people like Bruce are idiots, but it doesn’t take much to push some people over the edge.

The fact that so many people are suggesting such actions against American Moslems is troubling on a number of levels especially when those doing so claim to be Christians.  First is that it is the Church, or member’s thereof adopting a non-Christian worldview and attempting to use the state to enact legislation and laws against minority groups that they oppose, in this case the Moslems.  The fact that we live in a secular state, something that many of our Nation’s founding Fathers intended it to be, especially in regard to religion being mandated by the state is a point lost on many of these people.  Many Christians have completely embraced the mythology of the United States being a “Christian Nation.” With some even regarding the Constitution as a God inspired document.  For a more detailed critique of the Christian Nation mythology see Jared Holloway’s article on his Saepe Nihil Cogitamus website: http://jzholloway.wordpress.com/2009/08/04/did-the-founding-fathers-usa-found-the-nation-as-a-christian-nation/

Thankfully there are some, including the daughters of one of the men killed by Major Hasan who said on CBS The Early Show Kerry Cahill said:

“You can’t blanket a whole group of people. There’s extremists in every religion, and there’s extremists all over the world…when this man was obviously ill, I think.” Her sister Keely Vanacker said, “The death of our father or any of these victims shouldn’t be an excuse or a reason to begin to hate an entire group of people.”

There are also leaders of the Religious Right who have taken a stand against such action, Reverend Rob Schenck, President of the National Clergy Council, comments in regard to the Moslem prayer vigil in Washington D.C. earlier this year:  ”With over 1.5 billion Muslims in the world, it is important that Christians have an open dialogue with the Islamic community. The church must never be timid in reaching out to peoples and groups with differing beliefs and traditions. Too much is at stake for future generations not to begin this historic conversation. This is an opportunity that we cannot afford to miss.”

And the Reverend Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition states:

“The heart of Christ is to reach out and build bridges to all peoples regardless of what their faith traditions or beliefs might be. Several years ago the Christian Defense Coalition began reaching out to the Muslim world which resulted in a prayer delegation going to Baghdad to pray for the nation of Iraq and Prime Minister Maliki. Since then we have had many conversations and discussions with Islamic leaders in Washington, D.C. and around the world. This news conference gives us another chance to dialogue and share with our Islamic neighbors. It also gives us the platform to celebrate the greatness of America where everyone is allowed to practice their faith tradition in the public square free from government interference of harassment. The prayer vigil on the lawn of the Capitol this Friday highlights that timeless truth. Since 9/11, the church should not run from Muslims in America but begin reaching out with God’s love.”

What the good people who suggesting these punitive actions against American Moslems do is dangerous, not just for Moslems and other minorities but for them.  American and English law is based on legal precedence.  Once something has been determined to be legal, or constitutional it is considered by the law to be settled law.  This is a point made by Chief Justice Roberts regarding Roe v. Wade at his confirmation hearings.  If Christians want to use the law against Moslems or for that matter any other minority be it religious or political they tread on very dangerous ground.  Not only do they make a mockery of the Gospel command to love our neighbors, care for the foreigners among us and to be a witness to non-Christians support policies or laws that if enacted could and very well would be used against them by their opponents.  Law is all about precedent and if such laws were enacted and upheld by the courts they would be settled law that could be used against anyone.   What these dear brothers and sisters fail to realize is that such laws can be turned against them if the state should ever decided based on the statements of actions of some that the Christian community is a threat to state security of the public welfare.  With the actions of some radical Christians who have committed murder and violence against political, social and religious opponents it would not be hard for the government to label whole churches as enemies of the state.  The law is a two edged sword and those who want to use it to have the state enforce their religious, social, ideological or political beliefs on others need to remember what comes around goes around.

The Confessing church understood this and many were imprisoned, exiled or killed for this belief.  The founding fathers of this country understood this too, that is why there is the Constitution protection of Religion in the First Amendment.  This was put in because Virginia Baptists who had been persecuted by Anglicans lobbied James Madison for the amendment in the Bill of Rights threatening to withdraw their support for his candidacy if he did not.  Niemöller would discover the depths of his earlier folly in prison telling one interviewer after the war:

“I find myself wondering about that too. I wonder about it as much as I regret it. Still, it is true that Hitler betrayed me. I had an audience with him, as a representative of the Protestant Church, shortly before he became Chancellor, in 1932. Hitler promised me on his word of honor, to protect the Church, and not to issue any anti-Church laws. He also agreed not to allow pogroms against the Jews, assuring me as follows: ‘There will be restrictions against the Jews, but there will be no ghettos, no pogroms, in Germany. I really believed given the widespread anti-Semitism in Germany, at that time—that Jews should avoid aspiring to Government positions or seats in the Reichstag. There were many Jews, especially among the Zionists, who took a similar stand. Hitler’s assurance satisfied me at the time. On the other hand, I hated the growing atheistic movement, which was fostered and promoted by the Social Democrats and the Communists. Their hostility toward the Church made me pin my hopes on Hitler for a while. I am paying for that mistake now; and not me alone, but thousands of other persons like me.”

It is easy for well meaning people Niemöller to be bought with promises of support by politicians and media types who speak the words they want to hear in difficult times.  So today I suggest the formation of an ecumenical Pastor’s Emergency League which will not be bought by the empty and godless promises of hate mongers on the right or the left.  Such a group of men and women spanning the breadth of the Christian tradition and others that see the danger of extremism of all types is becoming necessary.  Such a step is becoming necessary due to the militancy of the Christian right as well as the militancy of atheist groups who lobby against all public religious expression by any religion.  Such a League would respect the various creeds and statements of faith of each member’s denomination.  The movement o the right has set a dangerous course fraught with perils that they do not comprehend. Just allow those that they believe are oppressing or persecuting them now to be empowered with the precedent of laws discriminating against specific religious groups against the Christians that supported them in the first place.  It will be a bitter poison indeed when that happens to them later if American Moslems were to be targets by such laws.

We have entered a dangerous phase of American history.  These movements have the potential not only to oppress law-abiding and patriotic American Moslems and to crush the religious freedoms of all in this county. Suggesting that American citizens, including those who serve the county in the military or government of entire religious or ethnic groups be  targeted for punitive action on the basis of extremists and fanatics like Major Hasan sets a precedent that is chilling.

Niemöller would say it well in this poem:

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Peace,

Padres Steve+

As it takes a large number of flavors of ice cream to please the masses and yet we tend to pick our favorites again and again, so to with the varieties required to please the masses when it comes to sexuality.  While we tend to pick what we like again and again, sometimes picking something new to just try it, it takes a large variety of options to please the masses of the world. We do not hate those who chose Blackberry/Peanut Butter (though it is clearly not the choice for us), likewise, we should simply watch and let others pick their needs and desires from the menu that free will offers us in the realm of sexuality.  If no harm comes to the eater or the ice cream, then enjoy.

There are many who will speak on the issues of gay rights for marriage, I am not one.  I believe the issue is not relevant.  I believe at the core of our disagreement with basic human rights for people with a different favorite flavor is not about the legal or property issues raised, but about our own repulsion for a choice that was presented to us and we decided, for whatever reason, not to make that choice. As beings with free will almost all options stand before us. Even if we do not wish to see that they are there, they are there.

As with all things, the extremes point.  That means that we need not worry about the Fred Phelps of the world being a terrible person.  He serves his purpose.  He represents the extremes within those who are that end of the spectrum. And his choice of words, venues, and methods speak clearly to someone who has a great deal of anger and fear for the gay impulse. But in the end, he’s just another flavor of ice cream.  And while you might not have Coconut/Garlic/Salt ice cream at Thanksgiving dinner, we can appreciate that choice for other people.

Learn to relish your flavor of ice cream to the fullest, accept what flavor you like and if you want to branch out and test others, feel free.

Sanchez always ready to teach moral equivalence to America.

How do you try to keep people from confronting radical Islamic terrorism?  You do a pointless news story on a small group of wacko protesters who claim to be Christian.

Let me be clear.  I, like everyone in the world, consider Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church folks to be sick people.  The group has made themselves famous by protesting funerals, schools, and thousands of other places with “God Hates Fags” signs.  However, to use them as a tool to try to equate their small group of hate with the widespread terrorism of radical Islam is ridiculous.  But that is exactly what CNN’s Rick Sanchez tried to do (though he attempted to hide it by not making a direct comparison.)

Sanchez: “Targeting US Soldiers – dead US Soldiers.  Reverend Fred Phelps, I’m talking to you… I guess the point to be made is: these days we talk a lot about hate in this country.  Maybe looking at that is a reminder that it often comes in many, many different forms.”

Sanchez, like most of the media, has tried to remove mention of radical Islam from the Ft. Hood Massacre story. Sanchez goes a step further with a back door game of moral equivalence. He does not say it, but he does infer that the hate of Westboro Baptist shows Christian extremism can be equated with Islamic extremism.  This is a claim often made in the media – most recently by Chris Matthews, which I wrote about here.

Of course to put Fred Phelps and Westboro on the same level of hate as Radical Islam is insane.  There is no comparison.

Westboro Baptist is a church in Kansas of about 70 people.  Almost everyone of them is a family member of Phelps.  They are a small cult group of crazy people.  They are insensitive and insane.  They are extremely offensive though not violent.

Radical Islam is not just offensive – it is involved with the bloody murder of innocents on a regular basis.  It is also widespread across the globe.

Everyday it seems there are new stories about Islamic terrorism.  Just today the media is reporting that the US Government had to seize Mosques being uses as a “front for Iran.”  Here is a map of countries that have had Islamic terrorist attacks since 9-11 (these are based on news reports – most likely there are many more unaccounted for):

Radical Islam is not one little group.  There are most likely millions of Islamic extremists all over the world.  Islam is not the enemy.  Most of the 1.2 billion are not violent.  However, that doesn’t take away from the fact that Radical Islam is everywhere and it is far too often violent.

Radical Islam is the #1 issue of American security and to equate such hate with the hate of one crazy family in Kansas is irresponsible journalism.

Topeka’s Westboro Baptist Church, and founder Fred Phelps, are some of the worst bigots out there.  Recall that they picketed Matthew Shepard’s funeral. Well, guess what? They’ve found a way to be even more bigoted.  Says USA Today: “For more than a decade,Westboro Baptist Church has raised a ruckus with the message that God hates gays, posting itself outside government buildings, college campuses and even the funerals of American soldiers. But in recent months, the Topeka, Kan.-based church has been moving toward other targets, predominantly in the American Jewish community.”

Yup, they now think God hates Jews, too. USA Today reports protests with messages like: “Margie Phelps balanced several signs targeting Jews, Israel and the Obama administration. One read ‘Rabbis Rape Kids,’ another said ‘God Hates Jews.’ Margie Phelps’ T-shirt read ‘Jews Killed Jesus.’ She argued with men and women passing by, warning them that God will soon send the Jews to hell.”

So just how do they explain this?

According to Margie Phelps: “We’ve protested this nation’s love of fags for 20 years,” she said. “And Jews have been carrying the water for the homosexual agenda.”

I guess this means I’m their worst fear: a Gay Jew.

Kill it.

Yes, people will die, but people will die if this bill passes as is.

Joe Lieberman should die.

No, I don’t need Peter fucking Beinart to tell me it was a smart move. And I’ll ask the U.S. Conference of Bishops for their opinion the next time they chain themselves to the White House fence over poverty, war and failing schools. [more]

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It takes a Muslim to get Jonah Goldberg to look in the mirror.

But he can’t can’t make Max Boot think.

Tom Hayden on why Max is full of shit.

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Wisconsin Republicans cheering Sarah Palin:

Larisa Alexandrovna on the Jew-baiting right

More on Gov. BridgeFail’s Talledega Night in Des Moines

And more on Michele Bachmann’s disruptive yammering, not to be confused with Fred Phelps’ whelps’ whining. [more on the yammering from Digby]

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Neal Boortz, an asshole’s asshole.

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It’s not at all unfair to ask just how dangerous is the right?

WINston smITh argues that the real extremists/terrorists come from within.

Some even resort to robo-calling.

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Money:

Doing God’s work

Bill George: one of my favorite millionaire CEOs (ret.) talking about the mess Wall Street put us in

Debunking more lies about Reagan [and remembering his greatest failures]

If you have to argue about delivery, I’d say the battle over content’s already been lost [more] [more content/quality going out the door]

Overtime for workers: we’re still fighting this battle because corporations are still run by law-bending weasels who overcompensate themselves and have to fuck someone over to make up the difference

VAT: Vagina Added Tax

Hating on workers

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And the difference between an entertainment reporter and a political reporter is….?

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Inching towards a free and independent Kurdistan.

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Fifteen-year-old St. Paul kid comes home so drunk he can barely walk, a few hours later he’s dead.

Very sad.

Do we still teach kids about how how alcohol can kill them? Or does Just Say No mean that we teach booze/substance abuse like we do reproductive science?

Tragic youthful mistake, or politically driven, school-induced ignorance?

The article mentions that a new state law makes it a felony to give alcohol to anyone under 21 if it turns out badly.

I’m sure punishing the other kids at the party will make the dead kid’s family a lot happier.

Almost as happy as if he’d had a biology teacher explain alcohol poisoning to him.

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More on how KBR kills people by using the world’s worst project management ever (toxic fumes?).

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Firing janitors (because we don’t have the balls to regulate Wall Street).

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Dizikes to ChiTrib, Derek Wallbank Jr. to cover the Village for MinnPost.

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Google News: not your mother’s media.

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has leukemia.

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When you’re in power, you cut your folks some slack. Not to be all feminazi about it, but using healthcare reform to fuck with abortion services is the affront too far for me.

O, you’re on notice. Sign anything that restricts a woman’s right to an abortion and I’ll be looking for someone new in ‘12.

Someone who doesn’t remind me of Joe fucking Lieberman, the Armey of Dick, or Lincoln freaking Chafee.

Someone who has the balls to vote for principle, even in a tough district. [Yes I mean you, Tim Walz — even if it is bullshit that your CD leans right.]

But that doesn’t mean I support netroots pantswetting, or just about anything spearheaded by the always ambitious, never shy, creeptacular, self-promoting John Aravosis.

Boycotts? The only currency that means anything are votes. A donor boycott is the kind of lame shit you do after you forgot you used to be for campaign finance reform.

Look at the people who represent you. Who’s running against them in a primary next year? Why not? You don’t change the Village by re-electing these so-called Democrats. You get change through change.

We need more change.

Better change.

Change change.

So, as I was busily fomenting evil by home schooling my child, I ended up having to take a break in order to partake in even further acts of extremism: Telling the Truth. I noticed Andrew Sullivan and David Shuster spreading lies and misinformation regarding the oh-so-odious Westboro Baptist Church and their head, Fred Phelps.

Andrew Sullivan had posted this:

Sasha and Malia: “Satanic Spawn”: The latest loveliness from the crackpot fringes of the Christianist right. … http://bit.ly/2YKYbp

Wrong, Andrew. Fred Phelps is an avowed DEMOCRAT, you liar. Not only did his church endorse Barack Obama, he worked on Al Gore’s campaign and has run for office himself several times — as a DEMOCRAT. He is NOT “christian right.” He is neither right, nor is he Christian. He is a sick psychopath. Sort of like you and your sick fascination with Sarah Palin’s lady parts and her amniotic fluid.  

Read THE FULL STORY by clicking here.

Courtesy of iowntheworld.com

RT @USArmy: …those in ICU are no longer on ventilators and are stable. <— Damn. I was hoping more Fort Hood pussies would die.
about 8 hours ago from UberTwitter

Just once, I'd like the opportunity to spit on a military widow or veteran. Especially the widows at Fort Hood. Bring it. #forthood
about 8 hours ago from UberTwitter

@Burninb They weren't innocent. By virtue of being there, they asked for it, there at Fort Hood. #fthood #forthood
about 9 hours ago from web in reply to Burninb
I have to respect Nidal Hasan (@nidalhasan). I consider the Fort Hood Killer to be an hero. #forthood #fthood. #heroes
about 10 hours ago from UberTwitter

Michael Crook’s Twitter Account

Michael Crook, the anti-American, troop hating, Fred Phelps loving scumbag strikes again. He always sides with scumbags like Lori Drew, Fred Phelps, and Nidal Hasan. He is no better than Al-Qaeda. Michael Crook, Fred Phelps, Nidal Hasan, Lori Drew, Osama bin Laden, and all moonbats deserve each other in the worst layer of Hell, who I really hate. Here is an article I wrote about Michael Crook.

Diabolical Minds-Michael Crook

Matthew Shepard (Dec 1 1976 – Oct 12, 1998)

An Ingenious New Project: An International Performance of The Laramie Project Epilogue

by Barry Eitel

On Monday, October 12^th, I witnessed a mixed group of Loyola and Northwestern students perform a staged reading of Tectonic Theatre Project’s newest effort—The Laramie Project Epilogue. The modest audience consisted of faculty and students of both universities as well as a few theatre professionals. In an innovative new take on theatre, however, we were one part of a giant machine. The coolest aspect of the whole evening was the fact that our group of performers and audience were electronically linked to 150 other theatres across the globe. On the anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s brutal death in 1998, thousands of people experienced Tectonic’s moving new piece and participated in a live dialogue with the creators and each other, a massive theatrical experiment.

Currently in the vanguard of docu-drama, Tectonic first hit major success early this decade with The Laramie Project. After the murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wisconsin, whose killing is widely considered to be a hate crime, Moisés Kaufman and other members of Tectonic descended on the town of Laramie. They conducted loads of interviews investigating the effect the murder and the ensuing national attention had on the town. Tectonic compiled the interviews, news reports, company member’s personal journals, and other sources into the play. Thrusting issues of hate and community onto the stage like never before, The Laramie Project had a huge effect on audiences. It also cemented Tectonic’s rich docu-drama style that would lead to other successes like Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde and the Pulitzer Prize winning I Am My Own Wife.

Flash forward almost a decade. The Laramie Project is now one of the most widely-produced plays in America, appearing in high schools, colleges, and professional theatres. In 2008, ten years after Matthew Shepard’s murder, Kaufman and Tectonic decided to do it all again, re-analyzing Laramie to see what had changed since their first visit. The results of their second visit comprise The Laramie Project Epilogue, which is far more than a cap topping the previous show. It is a complete play in itself. The new information reveals a different community, one that has grown and changed over time like a living organism.

The Tectonic folks discovered whole new topics to discuss and people to interview in their second visit. They learned about revisionist history that had taken hold: many interviewees believed that the killing was a straight robbery gone awry than a hate crime, a theory perpetuated by a 2004 20/20 report. Many company members were surprised to learn that the fence where Shepard was tied up, beaten, and left for dead had been removed. The epilogue exhibits the vibrant gay community now flowering at the University where Shepard attended 10 years earlier. It also showcases the UW faculty’s struggle to get domestic partner rights. And the play includes discussions with two important people who weren’t interviewed for the first Project, Shepard’s two murderers who are now serving multiple life sentences. Tectonic even felt ripples in the town caused by their previous work—an editorial in the town’s newspaper proclaimed that “Laramie is a Community, Not a Project.” All of this new information gives an interesting perspective that builds on what the first Project explored. The prejudices that Tectonic found 10 years later are far more subtle than the Reverend Fred Phelps picketing Shepard’s funeral. The play also has a much wider scope than the first play and focuses much more on Laramie at large, revealing a town conflicted by attempting to move on while trying to remember the past at the same time.

The goliath event pushed this broader scope idea even more. It was almost like a theatrical response to television—people all over the world watching the same thing at the same time. But after the show, everyone watching could participate in a group discussion. Through Twitter and a live feed, people all over were able to express their feelings and responses, from Midwest high school students to those present at the New York premier. A panel, including Kaufman and Shepard’s mother Judy Shepard, answered a few questions and told their experiences writing the piece. From all the audience responses, it was clear that the mass reading had a profound effect on everyone involved. The giant community Tectonic assembled was definitely the most exciting characteristic of the night. The experiment of forming a world-wide theatre for a few hours was a solid success.

Judy Shepard at press-conference after President Obama signs Hate Crimes bill.

This podcast discusses a recent visit of Westboro Baptist Church’s “protesters” to Rutgers University. The issue is whether religious freedom includes the right to encourage hate crimes on the part of those not directly involved in the “protests.” Religious freedom is the phenomenon that allows such groups to develop in a democracy, but the end results of such groups is destructive to the democracy that engendered it. This is compared to the Scientology case that is simultaneously taking place in France and noting the differences between them.

Aside from its glossy signs (“GOD HATES FAGS,” “THANK GOD FOR 9/11”) and its sickeningly callous tactics (its parishioners have protested at the funerals of AIDS victims and soldiers who died in Iraq), Westboro Baptist Church is perhaps most famous for prompting creative counter-demonstrations.

Ten years ago, filmmaker Michael Moore and a team of gay friends chased around the church’s founder, Rev. Fred Phelps, in a giant pink bus dubbed the “Sodomobile.” Last March, a group of frat boys at the University of Chicago danced to such queer classics as Donna Summer’s “I’m Coming Out” and Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” during a WBC protest.

And on Friday afternoon, a boisterous crowd of gay-rights activists, open-minded church-goers and high-school students from across the city met half a dozen WBC protestors picketing outside the San Diego High School Educational Complex with signs bearing slogans like “LOVE IS ALL U NEED,” “GOD IS LOVE” and “GOD LOVES FAGS.”

When it comes to hatred, Westboro Baptist Church has it in spades—the organization is anti-gay, anti-Jewish, anti-Catholic, anti-military and probably anti- some other things that observers haven’t yet noticed. The group is so hateful, in fact, that even some of the country’s most intolerant evangelicals have distanced themselves from it: The late Jerry Falwell, well-known for his homophobic remarks, once called Phelps a “first-class nut.”

But that hasn’t dissuaded Phelps and his followers, many of whom are either related to Phelps by blood or through marriage. In fact, this has only encouraged them to focus their ire on rival evangelicals as well: They once condemned Billy Graham as a “Hell-bound false prophet,” and they protested at Falwell’s funeral in 2007.

The Phelps clan has essentially made a business out of their work. Some members, including Phelps’ daughter, Shirley Phelps-Roper—who showed up at Friday’s protest in sunglasses and a “Godhatesfags.com” tank top—are trained lawyers who work for the family’s law firm, Phelps-Chartered. They are known to sue aggressive counter-protestors and municipalities that fail to provide for their safety.

On the other hand, these veteran media hounds are able to escape accusations of committing hate speech by putting their hatred into God’s mouth. “We’re not judging anybody. God is,” said Jonah Phelps-Roper, a 12-year-old Westboro member carrying a red-white-and-blue colored sign saying, “ANTICHRIST OBAMA IS DOOMED.”

The Westboro members showed up at the corner of Russ and Park boulevards—one of the first in a series of planned protests at high schools, Jewish centers and churches this weekend—just after 2 p.m., a few minutes before school let out. Posted kitty-corner to the school and often blocked by a throng of cars, their presence was barely registered by many of the students who began pouring out of the campus down Park Blvd. Of course, it helped that crowds of demonstrators espousing universal love filled every other street corner, drowning out the Westboro protests with chanting and drumming on pots and pans.

But it was still a media bonanza over at the Westboro corner. As the police tried to maintain order, photographers snapped pictures, cameras rolled and the Phelps disciples spewed their hyperbolic gospel in interviews. “Homosexuality is an abomination,” Shirley Phelps-Roper told a TV news reporter. “These children have been taught that God is a big, fat, stinking liar—that it is, in fact, OK to be gay. He says you’re going to Hell if you do that. They’ve been taught, ‘No, God is a liar.’”

At lunch earlier that day, many students were dismissive of the group. Westboro could hardly claim to have any fans at San Diego High School, which has its fair share of students who are queer-friendly, or have Roman-Catholic parents or relatives in the military, or all of the above. Lupe Brito, a junior at the School of Media, Visual and Performing Arts, one of the high school’s six “small schools,” had only one thing to say to the Westboro clan: “Get a life.”

But many students had been briefed about the protest in class, and members of the Gay Straight Alliance made their presence known when the protestors came—commandeering the school’s marquee at the corner of Park and Russ and covering it with a giant, hand-painted GSA sign. “They’re just invading our school,” said Jo Gookin, 17, president of the GSA. “This is a place of learning. It shouldn’t be brought here.”

All the same, some teachers considered the event a perfect “teachable moment”—a debate over the boundaries of free speech flaring up just outside the school’s gates. “I think that the students had a very good reaction to hearing about it. A lot of students were just really supportive of tolerance and equality,” said Kara Potter, a math teacher who was standing with the equality crowd. “It brought up a good point for discussion.”

And what was the lesson for ninth grader David Jones? “Let people be who they are. Let them be free to express themselves,” he said. “Who am I to judge you? We’re all humans here.”

Fred Phelps is an ass.  A hateful, vile, waste of space.  There, that’s as angry as I’ll be getting…hopefully.  Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church lunatics (mostly relatives of his) are planning on coming to San Diego within the week to spew forth their despicable ramblings, and thankfully San Diego folks are not going to let it take place without responding.  Mind you, PEACEFUL responses, without engaging these imbeciles who have the audacity to even protest at funerals of military men and women.   (Yes, I will be practicing restraint.  Practice, practice, practice…)

There are some who feel giving Phelps ANY attention is feeding right into the notoriety he so obviously craves, but many of us don’t care to see his hate go unchecked and want to divert attention from him, and toward a more peaceful and positive message.  Which way of responding is the correct one?  Who knows.  All I do know is that I’m sick and tired of seeing hate fill the airwaves, the media, and our lives, and I plan on doing my part to balance it out with positive actions.  If you’d care to join us, just read the information below and sign up.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 3, 2009
Contact:  Ben Cartwright

877-727-5446 x707
ben@sdgln.com

Hale Media, Inc.
Publishers of San Diego Gay & Lesbian News ~ www.sdgln.com
(877) 727-5446
Follow us on Twitter | Become a fan on Facebook

Westboro Baptist Church Announces 30 Protest Sites in San Diego

(SAN DIEGO)  On October 5, the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) announced it will be protesting a total of 30 sites throughout San Diego County, a drastic increase from the six locations originally announced last weekend.

Founded in 1955 by controversial pastor Fred Phelps, the church is monitored as a hate group. Members of the congregation commonly protest against homosexuality, Judaism and Catholicism.  The group is also anti-Swedish, anti-Irish, and often chastises the United States as being “a sodomite nation of flag-worshiping idolaters”.

Among groups who have been closely monitoring the WBC is the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Founded in 1913 “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all”, the ADL is the nation’s premier civil rights/human relations agency, fighting anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry. They believe the WBC is carrying on this campaign in the hopes of getting reaction from the Jewish community and to garner media attention.

“The purpose of every one of their events is to manipulate the media,” said ADL Regional Director Morris Casuto. “The WBC normally appears in a location to garner publicity for itself and its grotesque and disgusting message.”

While acknowledging the church’s actions may be offensive, the ADL is asking members of the Jewish community to respond by not responding.

“We are recommending for the Jewish community to pay them no mind.  Give them their 30 minutes of useless disgusting protest and let them go back to their obscurity.”

Members of the gay community are taking a different approach.

“It truly is a sad day when the Phelps bandwagon comes to town,” said San Diego Pride Executive Director Ron de Harte. “San Diego Pride encourages those who want to stand up for love, peace and equality to register at http://nohate.sdgln.com.  Organized counter demonstrations will overshadow this hate group’s message with a message of respect, freedom and equality for all people.”

Community activist Sara Beth Brooks, who has taken an active role in helping organize counter rallies, agrees.

“I think organizing peaceful opposition rallies are really important.” Brooks has taken an active role in helping organize those who have expressed an interest counter rallying the WBC protest at San Diego High School.”

The WBC will be protesting San Diego high school because they “think it’s sooooo cool to be fags”.

“We can’t allow this type of discrimination and hate to exist anywhere. We can’t just look the other way and allow Fred Phelps to come into our community and onto school grounds and tell students that God hates them.”

Brooks, who recognizes Phelps is a known “baiter” that oftentimes tries to get counter protesters to fight back, has been taking advance precautions to ensure that participants on both sides remain equanimus.

“I’ve been in contact with the San Diego Police Department as well as the San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice. Both police and peace officers will be monitoring the situation to ensure peace is maintained.”

She has also been corresponding with other faith based organizations to let them know their institutions may be targeted.

“What’s ironic is that while most of these institutions regularly disagree with the LGBT community on a lot of things pertaining to marriage equality and faith issues, they have been very receptive and thankful that we have reached out to them to let them know their place of worship is going to be protested.  This has been an opportunity for us to make some inroads within the faith community.”

The main goal of the counter protests, she notes, is peaceful opposition.

“It is our goal to facilitate peaceful, positive protests that promote love and equality.  It is our goal to promote values which are at the core of our community, and to let our message of love and equality to outshine the WBC’s message of hate.”

Columbine killer’s mom: ‘No inkling’ son suicidal
By KRISTEN WYATT (AP) – 2 days ago

DENVER — The mother of Columbine killer Dylan Klebold says she has been studying suicide in the decade since the high school massacre but had no idea her son was suicidal until she read his journals after his death.

Susan Klebold’s essay in next month’s issue of O, The Oprah Magazine, is the most detailed response yet from any of the parents of Columbine killers Dylan Klebold or Eric Harris. The teenagers killed 12 students and a teacher in the 1999 shooting rampage at Columbine High School in suburban Denver. Twenty-one people were injured before Klebold and Harris killed themselves.

The parents have repeatedly declined to talk about the massacre. They gave depositions in a lawsuit filed by families of the victims, but a judge in 2007 sealed them for 20 years after the lawsuit was settled out of court.

Full Article

The Harrises and Klebolds have been silent since April 20, 1999. Now, Susan Klebold speaks out. Eric Harris is a psychopath, while Dylan Klebold is a conflicted avoidant. I have an extensive article about the Columbine Massacre.

High School Massacre

Harris and Klebold are evil like Fred Phelps, Lori Drew, Gertrude Baniszewski, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Adolf Hitler.

Fred “God Hates Just About Everybody” Phelps is an offensive man with deeply hateful beliefs. Rest assured that when he finally passes I’ll have a good riddance just for him. Recently, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a judgement against Phelps and Westboro Baptist Church. The original judgement awarded $5 million in punitive and compensatory damages, but this was thrown out. And I think that this was the correct decision. As much as I think that Phelps is a vile person, it is absolutely essential for a free society that he and his church be allowed to do what they are doing.

Why? Here are four reasons:

1. Being offended is part of life. I am often offended by things I see, but I have no right not to be offended. And neither do you. Get over it.
2. As Fred Clark at the Slacktivist shows, they have freedom of religion. The fact that they have freedom of religion shows that same-sex marriage is not going to infringe on anyone else’s freedom of religion. They therefore serve a useful purpose, allowing the debunking of the argument that marriage equality infringes on religious freedom.
3. They may make opposition to same-sex marriage and LGBT rights so toxic that people switch sides. After all, who the hell would possibly want to emulate Fred Phelps?
4. A society’s respect for freedom of expression is demonstrated by its protection for speech that people disagree with. People have to be allowed to express vile and hateful opinions, people have to be allowed to burn flags, the worst opinions by the worst sorts of people have to be protected.  That is how a society measures it commitment to freedom of expression. Speech you agree with is always going to be protected. If you disagree with this claim, then don’t complain when your political opponents win an election and use all that censorship power you gave the government against you.

Via Dispatches from the Culture Wars.

Suspected flag burner pilloried
Alleged offender hunted down, ridiculed after incident at VFW post
By BOB GARDINIER AND HUMBERTO MARTÍNEZ, Staff writer
First published in print: Saturday, September 26, 2009

VALLEY FALLS — The young man was given three choices: get turned over to the police, go one-on-one in a fight with a seasoned war veteran, or be duct-taped to a flagpole for six hours with a sign around his neck identifying his alleged crime: flag burning.

It was the third option that would still have the small town buzzing a week after a 21-year-old was hunted down and forced to endure a public humiliation with its roots dating to the Middle Ages. Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1938 were incensed enough to tie up the man last Sunday after they accused him of setting the flag in front of their building on fire.

Post Commander Nick Normile, a Vietnam War veteran, said the man came into the post’s bar Sept. 18 on Poplar Avenue and was eventually turned away for not having a proper ID.

Full Article

Good. About time. Burning someone else’s flag is a crime. It is called vandalism. First Amendment does not apply right there. The First Amendment does not give one the right to commit a crime, like vandalism. How stupid is this guy. Some people do deserve to be publicly pilloried, like Fred Phelps, Lori Drew, Bernard Madoff, and Michael Crook. They should of heavy objects thrown at them. That will teach anyone a lesson, including that flag burner.

Here is the photo of the man being pilloried.

All I can say is HA! HA!

Lors D'Une Manifestation

‘’God Hates Fags’’
‘’God Hates America’’
‘’Thank God For The Killer Typhoons & Landslide In Philippines !’’
‘’Fags Are Nature Freaks’’

Voici des paroles d’un groupe assez spécial de Chrétiens : le Westboro Baptist Church [WBC].

Je trouve personnellement que c’est une secte de fous !

Le WBC a été fondé par le pasteur Fred Phelps, au Kansas. Je me demande bien ce que les gens fument, là-bas…

Ils sont particulièrement contre les homosexuels. Leur raison ? Ils nuisent à leur nation, à l’avenir du monde. Surtout à cause du SIDA qui, en passant, n’est pas seulement la faute des homosexuels. En plus, ils remercient Dieu de tuer tant de soldats, car ça montre au monde qu’Il est en colère contre nous et qu’il faut se réveiller.

Vraiment n’importe quoi !

En plus, ça dit qu’on devrait plus entendre ‘’God Hates Fags’’ qu’on a besoin d’oxygène pour respirer !! Ben oui, juste pour vous haïr plus !

Évidemment, ça dit que les ‘’tapettes’’ vont aller en Enfer. Au pire, c’est leur problème ! Arrêtez de nous achaler avec ça pis tant pis s’ils vont en Enfer ! Vous n’êtes même pas touchés par ça, à ce que je sache.

Ah, c’est vrai, ce n’était pas assez de juste haïr les gays, il faut aussi haïr les Juifs. Parce que les Juifs auraient tué Jésus… Oui mais Jésus était lui-même Juif, non ? Dans le fond, c’est un manque de respect envers Jésus aussi !

Qu’est-ce qui est drôle, c’est que ça dit de tuer tous les Juifs, après ça dit qu’il faut bannir  et tuer tous les nazis… Il me semblait que les plus grands tueurs de Juifs étaient les nazis ?

Ensuite, les attentats du 11 septembre sont considérés comme un cadeau de Dieu. Wow, y’est généreux, lui ! Apparemment, ça servait à se débarrasser du mauvais monde et à réveiller le peuple. Dommage que cette secte-là ne se soit pas détruite en passant.

Dernière chose : Dieu hait le monde. D’accord, alors pourquoi l’avoir créé ? S’il est SI intelligent que ça, Il aurait pu prévoir que notre monde allait devenir comme ça, non ?

Vous voyez [j’espère] que c’est vraiment du lavage de cerveau ! Tout ça est insensé. Y’a des limites quant à être homophobe et de dénigrer pleins de choses comme ça !

Je pourrais chialer encore longtemps comme ça, mais ça serait perdre mon temps. Tout ce que je pense d’eux, c’est que ce sont des fous sans but dans la vie. Ils ont le droit de dire ce qu’ils pensent, nous sommes libres, mais il y a des limites !