Is There No End to his Depravity?

Through the Antiprincess, I learned this morning that Fred Phelps, the deranged pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas, is planning to protest the funerals of the Amish girls killed Monday in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

In case you don't know Phelps, this is the individual who leads groups in protest at military funerals for young men and women killed in Iraq, carrying signs which read, "Thank God for IED's," and "God Hates America." He and his band are probably most famously known for protesting at the funeral of Matthew Shepherd, the young Wyoming man who was beaten and left for dead against a fence because he'd made suggestive remarks to another young man at a local bar. Phelps runs the website God Hates Fags.

When I read the news at I shame the matriarchy, I proceeded to God Hates Fags to verify it. Sure enough, there is a protest planned at the funerals to punish Governor Rendell for his "blasphemous sins against WBC." Here is the pdf file of the flier announcing the picketing. Here is an excerpt:

Gov. Ed Rendell - speaking and acting in his official capacity to bind the state of Pennsylvania - slandered and mocked and ridiculed and condemned Westboro Baptist Church on national Fox tv. Rendell also revealed a conspiracy to employ the state's police powers to destroy WBC in order to silence WBC's Gospel message. Co-conspirators identified by Rendell included state officials, citizens, lawyers, legislators and media.

Yep, I know I got the secret phone call from Ed last week about wiping out the WBC. Seems like Phelps has pretty much covered anybody who's ever set foot in PA, including the Anabaptists.

Do you know anything about Anabaptists? That's what the Amish are. They have got to be some of the most peace-loving people on earth. They are pacifists. To my knowledge, they are not very politically active. Largely, except for exploiting the fetish Americans have for "the simple life," they prefer to keep to themselves and be left alone. I'm sure the current media circus in Lancaster County is more than enough pressure for these grieving families now. How will they feel with protestors across the street carrying signs like "God Hates Pennsylvania" or "God Hates the Plain People?"

As boldly as I proclaim my belief in the first amendment and the rights of Nazis to march in Skokie, Illinois, this is way over the top. This is beyond the bounds of common decency and I wish there was some way to stop them. Fortunately, many Amish homes are set back off the roadway a bit. Hopefully, Phelps and his ilk will be kept far enough away that they will not have a serious impact on the people mourning these little girls' deaths.

If God hates America, Fred Phelps is part of the reason why.

(Update: Officials blocked off all roads leading into the small town where the funerals were held yesterday. Fred Phelps also agreed to call off the protest in exchange for an hour of radio time on a conservative talkk show. Further tragedy was avoided.)

tags: Amish / Anabaptist / First Amendment / free speech / intolerance / religious nuttery