Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
| Grade 1 Race | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Derby | ||
 “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” |
||
| Location | Churchill Downs Louisville, Kentucky, USA |
|
| Inaugurated: | 1875 | |
| Race type | Thoroughbred | |
| Website: | 2007 Kentucky Derby | |
| Race information | ||
| Distance | 1¼ miles | |
| Track | Dirt, Left-handed | |
| Qualification | 3-year-old | |
| Weight | Colt/Gelding: 126 lbs (57.2 kg) Filly: 121 lbs. (54.9 kg) |
|
| Purse | US$2 million | |
| Bonuses: | US$ 200 | |
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses, staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is over one and a quarter miles (2 km) at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57.2 kg) and fillies 121 pounds (54.9 kg).[1] The race is known in the United States as “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” for its approximate duration, and is also called “The Run for the Roses” for the blanket of roses draped over the winner. It is the first leg of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in the US and typically draws around 155,000 fans. It is the single oldest annually held sporting event in the entire South. Read more
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Muhammad
Muhammad
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“Muhammad” in a new genre of Islamic calligraphy started in the 17th century by Hafiz Osman.[1]
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Immigration
Immigration
Although human migration has existed throughout human history, immigration in the modern sense refers to movement of people from one nation-state to another. Immigration implies long-term permanent residence (and often eventual citizenship) by the immigrants: tourists and short-term visitors are not considered immigrants (see expatriates). However, seasonal labour migration (typically for periods of less than a year) is often treated as a form of immigration. The global volume of immigration is high in absolute terms, but low in relative terms. The UN estimated 190 million international migrants in 2005, about 3% of global population. The other 97% still live in the state in which they were born, or its successor state.
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Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest “Ron” Paul (born 20 August 1935) is a 10th-term Congressman, medical doctor (M.D.), and a 2008 presidential candidate from the U.S. state of Texas. As a Republican, he has represented Texas’s 14th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1997, and had previously served as the representative from Texas’s 22nd district in 1976 and from 1979 to 1985.
Paul advocates the limited role of government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to monetary policies based on commodity-backed currency. He has earned the nickname “Dr. No” for voting against any bill he believes violates the Constitution. In the words of former Treasury Secretary William Simon, Paul is the “one exception to the Gang of 535″ on Capitol Hill. He has never voted to raise taxes or congressional pay. He has always voted against the USA PATRIOT Act, the Military Commissions Act of 2006, and the Iraq War.
Read more
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General Torbert BIO
Birth: Jul. 1, 1833 Death: Sep. 30, 1880 Civil War Union Brigadier General. He held both cavalry and infantry commands in the eastern theatre of the Civil War. In the beginning of the conflict Confederate officials, believing him loyal to their cause, had commissioned him as a Lieutenant in the Confederate Army. However, Torbert, a regular army officer and a West Point graduate, declined their offer and served whole-heartedly and courageously for the Union (he is the only documented officer to hold commissions in both Union and Confederate armies simultaneously). He served first as Colonel and commander of the 1st New Jersey Volunteers Infantry, then as commander of the famed 1st New Jersey Brigade after its commander, Brigadier General George Taylor, was mortally wounded at the 2nd Battle of Bull Run. At the Battle of South Mountain in September 1862, he led the brigade in its triumphant charge at Compton’ Gap, Maryland. Promoted Brigadier General, US Volunteers in November 1862, he was present at the Battles of Fredericksburg and Gettysburg. Named to command a division of Cavalry under Major General Philip Sheridan in April 1864, General Torbert fought with mixed success in the Shenandoah Valley. He defeated Confederate cavalry forces at Tom’s Brook, Virginia, and his troopers were one of the few organized troops still on the battle line at Battle at Cedar Creek before Sheridan made is famous rallying ride. He ended the war with brevets of Major General of Volunteers and Major General, United States Regular Army. He died in the 1880 wreck of the “SS City of Vera Cruz” off Cape Canaveral, Florida. (bio by: Russ Dodge)
source: www.generaltorbert.com
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MoD gags military as soldiers banned from blogging
British soldiers on patrol
The Ministry of Defence has introduced new guidelines to prevent military personnel talking about their experiences as members of the Armed Forces.
Soldiers, sailors and air force members will be prevented from blogging, taking part in surveys, speaking in public or posting on bulletin boards, according to The Guardian.
Read more
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Bush on track to become the Vacation President
President Bush tries to set an example for Americans whenever he can, in terms of physical fitness, faith, optimism and a certain overall moral rectitude. He also sets an excellent example on taking vacation.
On Thursday, Bush left for a weekend in Kennebunkport, Maine, and his family’s summer compound, Walker’s Point. On Monday, he heads to his Crawford retreat, where he has spent all or part of 418 days of his presidency, according to Mark Knoller, a CBS News White House correspondent and meticulous record-keeper.
Never a fan of Washington’s more cosmopolitan pleasures, Bush will be in Central Texas for about two weeks, with an overnight trip to Ottawa to meet with the leaders of Canada and Mexico.
At a White House press conference Thursday, Bush appeared to be already inhabiting his vacation mode, shedding the businesslike, sometimes grim demeanor he’s had of late to slouch against the podium and be avuncular.
He gamely joked and mugged with reporters, at one point raising two fists in a boxing stance to illustrate what not to do in a photo op with the president of Iran.
“You don’t want the picture to be kind of, you know, duking it out, you know?” Bush said ” ‘OK, put up your dukes.’ That’s an old boxing expression.”
Bush’s August sojourn will be his 65th trip to Crawford, according to Knoller.
The 1,600-acre ranch has proved a durable haven for Bush, who often disappears into its varied landscapes for days or weeks at a time without public appearances. He has an attractive stone house, shaded swimming pool, miles of rugged bike trails and law enforcement at every entry point keeping people out.
“I fell in love with it the minute I saw it,” Bush said of his ranch in 2001. “I like being out here. I like spending a lot of time outside.”
The presidential vacation-time record holder is the late Ronald Reagan, who tallied 436 days in his two terms. At 418 days, and with 17 months to go in his presidency, Bush is going to beat that easily.
Even so, this year’s August vacation for Bush is a contrast to previous years such as 2005, when he dragged out vacation in Texas to five weeks. That was also the year Bush remained on vacation immediately after Hurricane Katrina hit.
Vice President Dick Cheney generally takes August off, often heading to Wyoming or coastal Maryland. Congress left last weekend and is gone until Sept. 4. The Iraqi parliament is taking August off, too.
Still, all this governmental time off is more than most Americans are taking. A recent survey by Yahoo Hot Jobs found nearly half of American workers did not take all of their vacation days last year.
Bush, on his 10th visit to Kennebunkport as president (according to Knoller), is scheduled for lunch Saturday with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Indeed, on the issue of vacation, at least, Bush is much like a pleasure-seeking Frenchman. According to Expedia.com, French workers get about 39 days off a year and generally take all but one.
Julie Mason
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V-Tech Rampage - The Virginia Tech Video Game
Following 2005’s notorious Super Columbine Massacre RPG, the Virginia Tech shootings have been turned into a flash video game.
V-Tech Rampage, which promises “three levels of stealth and murder”, was uploaded to the flash website Newgrounds.com at the weekend by a user known by the alias ‘Pigpen‘. It puts the player in the role of Seung-Hui Cho, who slew 32 of his fellow students at Virginia Tech university on 16 April, and controversially recreates the tragedy in the style of a simple shoot-’em-up game.
The opening sequence of V-Tech Rampage
Reaction to the game has been mixed, with most reviewers on the website critical of what they see as an exercise in bad taste, but a handful reluctantly praising Pigpen’s “balls”. Several more admitted that they enjoyed the game itself despite having serious reservations about the subject matter.
One reviewer commented: “I’m a student at Virginia Tech and when I saw this, V-Tech Rampage, I thought maybe you killed Cho so it wouldn’t be QUITE as bad. But after actually playing, it is awful. You are a very, very sick person. You are barely any better than Cho.”
When Super Columbine Massacre RPG came out last year, the general response from the gaming community (such as it is) was to defend what was seen as an important principle: the right of games as a medium to portray whatever they choose, and not be seen automatically as toys and by extension a means of corrupting children with inappropriate content.
Many felt that SCMRPG was a childish and tasteless stunt, but when the game was dropped from the Slamdance festival line-up several other games makers pulled out in protest at a perceived threat to freedom of speech.
But V-Tech Rampage is a different kettle of fish. Firstly, the timing is far less sensitive - SCMRPG waited six years after the tragedy it portrayed (longer, let’s remember, than United 93, the first cinematic treatment of the World Trade Center attacks), V-Tech less than a month. Which suggests that Pigpen is motivated primarily by getting his name in the limelight and The Daily Mail’s letters page (or whatever the US equivalent is).
Second, V-Tech isn’t original. SCMRPG had a few important if somewhat trite things to say about desensitisation and the portrayal of violence; V-Tech is just a childish swipe at right-wing commentators who claimed the shootings were caused by excessive video game consumption.
Finally, V-Tech isn’t terribly good. As Kotaku puts it: “Free speech and free expression are great. Just make sure you’ve got something to say.”
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Westboro Baptist Church
Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is a controversial U.S. church headed by Fred Phelps and based in Topeka, Kansas. It runs the websites GodHatesFags.com,[1] GodHatesAmerica.com and others expressing condemnation of homosexuals, Roman Catholics, Muslims, Jews, Swedes, African Americans, Canadians, Americans, and other groups. The organization is monitored by the Anti-Defamation League,[2] and classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.[3][4] The group has achieved national notoriety in recent years due to its picketing of funeral processions for soldiers killed in combat, which functions as an extension of the Phelps’ anti-United States beliefs.
While its members identify themselves as Baptists, the Church is an independent church not affiliated with any known Baptist conventions or associations. The church describes itself as following Primitive Baptist and Calvinist principles.
The Church bases its work around the belief expressed by its best known slogan and the address of its primary website, “God hates fags”, and expresses the opinion, based on its Biblical eisegesis, that nearly every tragedy in the world is linked to homosexuality – specifically society’s increasing tolerance and acceptance of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people. It maintains that God hates homosexuals above all other kinds of “sinners”[5] and that homosexuality should be a capital crime.
Purpose
Phelps has stated as his purpose for Westboro:
Our goal is to preach the Word of God to this crooked and perverse generation. By our words, some will repent. By our words, some will be condemned. Whether they hear, or whether they forbear, they will know a prophet has been among them… our goal is to glorify God by declaring His whole counsel to everyone… we hope that by our preaching some will be saved.[5]
The members of Westboro Baptist Church have explained their decision to use the word fag, a largely pejorative term for gay men, in their FAQ:
The word “fag” is a contraction of the word “faggot” (or, “fagot”). When traced through its etymological history, the word “faggot” simply means “a bundle of sticks used as fuel.” See dictionary.com and thesaurus.com (where such words as “fuel” and “brimstone” are used as synonyms). “Scholars” can’t decide when such a word began to be used in reference to homosexuals, so we’ll give the answer here: “I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.” Amos 4:11. The word translated “firebrand” is the Hebrew word “uwd,” which comes from a Hebrew verb meaning “to rake together” (or, “to gather together”). In short, the Hebrew word “uwd” is talking about burning sticks of wood that are gathered together. That is what the English word “faggot” means. Amos 4:11 could just as easily be translated “…ye were as a faggot plucked out of the burning…”[5]
It is worth noting that this etymology is unproven, and likely incorrect. (see faggot (epithet) for details)
Westboro refers to itself as a Primitive Baptist church,[2] claiming adherence to the philosophy of John Calvin and to the principles of the Five points of Calvinism.[7]
Though Westboro is not officially identified with the King James-Only Movement, its website quotes the King James version of the Bible and recommends that the reader obtain a King James Bible.
Composition
claims that WBC consists of “about 150 members”.[8] BBC Two claims there are 71 members.[9] A compilation of the names of Phelps’ grandchildren and great-grand-children, combined with his nine “loyal” children and their spouses, though, numbers 90. Individuals who followed Phelps Sr. after he was voted out of his old congregation, Eastside Baptist Church (a traditional Baptist church), consisted of the Hockenbargers (whose offspring later married into the Phelps clan), George Stutzman, Chris Davis (who also married into the Phelps clan) and Theresa Davis (whose relationship, if any, to Chris Davis is unknown). Around 2000, another family (Steve and Luci Drain, along with daughters Lauren, Taylor and Faith and son Boaz) joined the group after Steve Drain, while taping a documentary on religious groups, interviewed several Westboro members and came to accept their theology. The Drains are not related to either the Phelpses or the Hockenbargers, nor to anyone else from the original group.
The Hockenbarger family that left Eastside to follow Phelps is headed by Charles William “Bill” Hockenbarger, allegedly a member of Christian Identity. Hockenbarger has been a friend of Phelps Sr. since the two men were in their twenties. In 2002, one of Phelps Sr.’s grandsons married one of the Hockenbarger granddaughters, with Phelps performing the ceremony. Karl Hockenbarger, the son of Bill Hockenbarger (and also an alleged Identity member) worked for Washburn University (where Phelps Sr. graduated in 1962).
In addition, at the outset several other Eastside members joined Westboro, but after Phelps began his activities (most notably his shooting of a dog that was irritating him[citation needed]), those members returned to Eastside or went elsewhere.
Phelps does not permit Westboro members to marry persons outside the church. As relatively few individuals have joined Westboro, there have been at least two marriages between the Phelps and Hockenbarger clans, resulting in some members having dual genealogical relationships (one member is both the aunt and sister-in-law of another). In the documentary The Most Hated Family in America, the young girls in the church express a disinterest in getting married, because “that’s not what we are about” and “we’re living in the last of the last days, times are very short”.[10]
Shirley Phelps-Roper esq., daughter of Rev. Fred Phelps and an attorney at the Phelps Chartered Law firm, is a prominent member of WBC and often a spokesperson for WBC. For the last couple of years, she has been running the day-to-day operations of the church.
Phelps Chartered law firm
All the principals of the Phelps Chartered law firm [2], a firm founded by WBC founder Fred Phelps, are members of WBC. Phelps Chartered handles most of WBC’s legal work and has received significant awards of attorney’s fees from the Civil Rights Attorney’s Fees Award Act of 1976 when WBC has been improperly prevented from picketing.[12]
The Westboro compound
The Westboro facility is organized around the edges of a lightly fortified compound, surrounded by ten homes organized in a block at 3701 SW 12th Street in Topeka. The house on the north-west corner of the compound belongs to Phelps Sr., its lower floor serving as the church “meeting hall” (as he refers to it). The other nine houses were once occupied by non-congregants, who moved away either on their own initiative or as a result of not wanting to live near Phelps Sr. and Westboro, and are now occupied by the families of Phelps Sr.’s nine children still associated with Westboro. The properties border an area enclosed by a fence with picketed tops. Inside the compound are U.S. and Canadian flags that fly non-stop (and are lit up at night), in an upside down position.[13] Westboro’s stated reason for flying the flags upside down (given on the frequently asked question page of one of its web sites), is that an upside down flag is “the international sign for distress” and that the U.S. is in distress because “our national support of perversity homosexuality is bringing God’s wrath upon us.”[5] The church website address is prominently displayed on the exterior of Fred Phelps Sr.’s house.
Westboro services, according to its website, are open to the public and begin at approximately 11:30 am (Central Time) on Sunday mornings. Phelps Sr. generally preaches for around forty-five minutes.[14]
The homes share a communal backyard, in the center of which once sat an Olympic size swimming pool; Phelps Sr. previously obtained tax exemption on the cost of maintenance and water by performing baptisms there and writing it off as a baptismal font. Sometime after 2000, the pool was filled in. No official reason has been given, but two theories (neither of which have been confirmed nor contested) have developed. One theory states that, according to Topeka residents, sometime around 2000 one of Phelps Sr.’s grandchildren nearly drowned in the pool and thus it was removed for safety reasons. The other theory holds that the pool was filled in because Westboro lost, or was about to lose, its tax exemption status on it.
The compound also includes a garage separate from the houses, which is used to store an extended cab/extended bed Ford F-150 pickup truck used to transport Westboro’s picketers around Topeka and elsewhere. In one of the many lawsuits that swirl around WBC the Kansas State Board of Tax Appeals ruled that the truck was not used exclusively for religious purposes, because at least 40 percent of the protest signs had a political slant, and would therefore be subject to property tax.[15]
Quotations from Phelps’ sermons
These quotes came from an audio file of sermon clips on satanlovesfredphelps.com.[16]
* “America is doomed and cursed by God irreversibly”.
* “It’s too late to pray for America. It’s a sin to pray for America”.
* “Hurricane Rita is an answer to the prayers of the suffering saints of Westboro Baptist Church”. (Hurricane Katrina has also been cited on other sources)
* “The Lord God Almighty killed [the people who died on 9/11], looked at them in the face, laughed and mocked at each one of them as he cast each one of them into hell”.
* “Nobody that’s intelligent and that fears God will fly the American flag any way but upside-down, the international symbol of distress”.
* “All ye having business before this honorable [Supreme] Court draw nigh, give your attention and ye shall be heard. No, no. Draw nigh and bend over. They’re gonna rape you up the butt”.
* “The President of the United States gets his jollies masturbating horses”. (This was a reference to a joke told by Laura Bush about her husband’s attempt to milk a male horse[17]).
* “The hell with your flag. The hell with your fag army, your fag courts, your fag-run government”.
* “This is the hypocritical, fag-infested, fag-run United States of America and we’re supposed to respect that fag rag flag?”
* “The red on that flag stands for fag rectal blood”.
* “On Pope John Paul II’s watch, the Roman Catholic Church became the church of the holy pedophiles. And sodomite feces replaced the wafer for their communion service. And Sodomite semen replaced the wine that the Pope drinks”.
* “1.07 billion members of that monstrous machine called the Roman Catholic Church. Every last one of them going to hell”.
Activities and statements
See also: Targets of Westboro Baptist Church
The group carries out daily picketing in Topeka (purportedly six per day with fifteen on Sunday, “Lord willing”, per the index page of its main website[18]) and travels nationally to picket the funerals of gay and lesbian victims of murder, gay-bashing or death related to AIDS, as well as other events related or appearing to be related to gay people. They have been known to protest outside theaters in Topeka, under the premise that live theatre (especially Broadway musical productions) is a haven of homosexuality, as well as Kansas City Chiefs football games, and live pop concerts in Topeka. They have also shown interest in picketing productions of the play The Laramie Project.[19] Recently, they have shifted their interest to picketing the funerals of soldiers killed in the Iraq War, believing this to be more of “God’s judgment” on America. The FAQ section of the website states that, in their view, soldiers didn’t join the military out of a sense of patriotism, but because they are “lazy, incompetent idiots” unable to find work elsewhere.[5] Some states, including Kansas, have passed laws prohibiting picketing at funerals. Westboro has also protested funerals of people ranging from Fred Rogers to Coretta Scott King.
One of Westboro’s followers estimated that the church spends $250,000 a year traveling around the world to picket. In the 1990s the church won a series of lawsuits against the City of Topeka and Shawnee County for efforts taken to prevent or hinder WBC picketing. As a result, the church was awarded approximately $200,000 in attorney’s fees and costs associated with the litigation. Otherwise, all of the church’s money comes from the combined income of its congregants and money won in lawsuits against their opponents.
Phelps Sr., his supporters and members of his church attend the aforementioned gatherings, as well as other gay-related events, with signs bearing anti-gay slogans. Phelps Sr. has characterized the AIDS Memorial Quilt as “100,000 living fags slobberin’ around 45,000 dead fags” and declared Elizabeth Taylor, a fundraiser for AIDS research, to be a “world-famous filthy Jew whore.” Other regular anti-gay slogans of Westboro include “Homosexuality = Death,” “Fags Die, God Laughs,” “Matthew Shepard Rots in Hell,” “AIDS: Kills Fags Dead” and “Ellen DeGeneres is a Lesbian Slut.” (The latter was carried at an “Equality Rocks” rock concert and fundraiser; at the event DeGeneres commented that she wasn’t offended so much by the slogan as the fact that they had drawn pockmarks all over her face on the poster.)
A collection of Westboro signs and slogans can be seen at “The signs of the times” web page.
Other slogans are[20]
* God Hates You[21]
* God Hates Your Tears[22]
* God Hates Fag Enablers[21]
* God Is Your Enemy[21]
* Thank God for 9/11[21]
* Thank God for the Tsunami[23]
* Thank God for Katrina[24]
* Thank God for Dead Soldiers[21]
* Thank God for IEDs (improvised explosive devices)[21]
* Thank God for AIDS[5]
* Fag Santa (carried at Christmas time)
* Fag Flag (with an American flag)[21]
* Fags Doom Nations (Image)
* Fags Are Worthy of Death (Image)
* Fags Eat Feces = Scat
* Fag Troops[21]
* Menninger Therapy (complete with two stick figures mounting)
* Repent or Perish[25]
* Dyke nuns and Fag Priests (carried outside Catholic churches)
* God Hates PS3
* Fags Play PS3
* Dyke Sows Wed Here (complete with pictures of pigs in wedding dresses covered with feces; carried at lesbian weddings)
* Brides of Satan (referring to lesbian weddings)
* Don’t Worship the Dead[21]
* Disney Fags (used during Disney on Ice at the Expo Center.)
* Your Pastor Is A Whore[21]
* Semper Fi Semper Fag
When Kevin Oldham, a gay musician, died of AIDS in 1993, Phelps Sr. sent a photo of Kevin to his parents. The photo contained the caption: “Kevin Oldham: Dead Fag”.[26]
The group came into the national spotlight in 1998, when they were featured on CNN for picketing the funeral of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man from Wyoming who was beaten to death by two young males. Though Phelps Sr. claimed that Shepard’s murder was unjust (and the Westboro’s website states that Shepard’s murderers face the same fate as Shepard – eternity in hell unless they repent), his overt activism against Shepard’s sexual orientation, regardless of the mourning of Shepard’s family and friends (he called Shepard’s mother, Judy, a whore and a “mother from Hell” during the memorial service and told her she’d “soon be joining Matthew”), to some had the appearance of a tacit endorsement for Shepard’s murder.
On Westboro’s website, Phelps Sr. maintains a “Perpetual Gospel Memorial” to Shepard. There is a similar memorial to lesbian dog-attack victim Diane Whipple. Some direct quotes/images from the Shepard page:
* A photograph of Matthew Shepard’s face with animated flames dancing across it. When the cursor is moved across his face, viewers with a sound card will hear screams and a high-pitched voice shrieking “For God’s sake, listen to Phelps!”
* A counter which displays how many days Matthew Shepard has “Been in Hell”.
* “WBC does not support the murder of Matthew Shepard: ‘thou shalt not kill.’ Unless his killers repent, they will receive the same sentence that Matthew Shepard received – eternal fire. However, the truth about Matthew Shepard needs to be known. He lived a Satanic lifestyle. He got himself killed trolling for anonymous homosexual sex in a bar at midnight”.[27]
On January 25, 2004, Phelps picketed five churches (three Catholic and two Episcopalian) and the Federal Courthouse for allegedly legalizing same sex marriages in Iowa. Two women married in Vermont had their marriage mistakenly annulled by a federal judge in Sioux City, Iowa. The ruling was quickly reversed. The community response was to hold several counter-protests and hold a large multi-faith service in the town’s city auditorium.[citation needed]
The group has also picketed Billy Graham revivals, alleging that the evangelist will burn in Hell for failing to propagate the “God Hates Fags” doctrine. In October 2004, the group protested Graham’s mass meetings, calling the 85 year-old preacher a “Hell-bound false prophet”.
In press releases, WBC referred to Topeka mayor James McClinton as a “wife-beating tyrant”. McClinton, who is black, was portrayed in the press release as a gorilla in a suit with a swastika armband.[28]
A WBC member picketing the memorial in Buckhannon, West Virginia
A WBC member picketing the memorial in Buckhannon, West Virginia
On January 15, 2006, Westboro members protested the memorial of 2006 Sago Mine disaster victims claiming that the mining accident was God’s revenge against America for its tolerance of homosexuality.[29] Footage of the protest, including several members dancing, was later shown on Fox News.
In July 2005, the Westboro Baptist Church declared its intention to picket the memorial service of Cpl. Carrie French in Boise, Idaho. French, aged 19 years old, was killed on June 5 in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk, where she served as an ammunition specialist with the 116th Brigade Combat Team’s 145th Support Battalion. Her death is seen by the church as divine punishment of the United States. Phelps Sr. was quoted as saying, “Our attitude toward what’s happening with the war is [that] the Lord is punishing this evil nation for abandoning all moral imperatives that are worth a dime.”[30]
The Westboro Baptist Church declared its intention to picket the funerals of other soldiers as well and did so in August 2005. A group from the church protested at the funeral of Spc. Edward Myers, a soldier from St. Joseph, Missouri, who died in Iraq. Shirley Phelps-Roper (one of Phelps Sr.’s daughters and main author of the WBC Epics and Hate Letters) told a television reporter, “Who would serve a nation that is Godless and has flipped off, defiantly defied, defiantly flipped off, the Lord their God?” She then reiterated her belief that Myers was burning in Hell.[31]
After University of Missouri coach Kyle Hawkins “came out” as openly gay, WBC members announced plans to picket the University and all Missouri’s lacrosse games.[citation needed]
In the wake of the tragic Amish school house shooting, members of Westboro Baptist Church planned on picketing the funerals of the five girls killed in the shooting. Their signs were going to call the girls “whores” and that they are “burning in hell”. In an attempt to stop them, news radio personality/host Mike Gallagher attempted to dissuade them. After first rejecting a monetary offer, Gallagher offered them an hour of unrestricted airtime on his show. WBC accepted, and the picket was called off.[32] On October 5, 2006, members of WBC were “hosts” of the Mike Gallagher’s radio show, with Gallagher giving periodic warnings to viewers that they (the members of WBC) did not represent the views of him or the station.
In February of 2007, the WBC threatened to picket the funeral of ten Bardstown, Kentucky family members who died in a fire as well as a similar one in Tennessee where four children died in a fire. In both instances, fliers were sent to the communities stating that God “hates” both states “for promoting sodomy and immorality” and for the states “rabidly persecuting” the church. However, on the Friday before the Bardstown funerals, the church elected to use an hour of radio time to promote their message.[33]
Recently the WBC has also been picketing against Sweden because the pastor Åke Green was convicted for hate speech after having called homosexuality a cancer in one of his sermons. WBC has also been sending abusive faxes to Princess Madeleine of Sweden.[3]
On the day of the April 16th 2007 campus massacre on the Virginia Tech campus, the Church declared its intent to protest the funerals of the students killed. This was announced on the Church’s www.godhatesamerica.com website. On April 19th 2007, GoDaddy, the Internet registrar responsible for that website and its associated domain had suspended its registration, returning a “whois” DNS server entry of “suspended for spam and abuse”. Within hours, however, the domain had been restored.[citation needed] In a deal similar to that struck for the victims of the Amish school shooting, Gallagher and the Church have independently announced that the Church has agreed to not protest these funerals in lieu of three hours of unrestricted airtime on his show.[4][5]
Criminal record
In 1993, Charles F. Hockenbarger, Karl Hockenbarger, Timothy Phelps, Jonathan Phelps, Phelps Sr. and Margie Phelps were brought up on a variety of criminal charges stemming from information gathered following a raid of Westboro. Several charges were later dropped; the trials that followed saw every member of Westboro Baptist Church over the age of fifteen testifying in the defense of their family and fellow congregants; over 100 defense witnesses were called in all. Timothy Phelps, Charles F. Hockenbarger and Karl Hockenbarger were all found not guilty. Jon Phelps was found guilty of witness intimidation and misdemeanor battery, and has defended the actions that led to that arrest and guilty verdict as recently as October 11, 2006 on Midweek Politics, while Margie Phelps was found guilty of filing a false report and Phelps Sr. was found guilty of disorderly conduct as defined by aggravated intimidation of a witness; all three lost their appeals. All six filed lawsuits against the city and took their cases to appeals court, where their lawsuits were dismissed.
Fred Phelps’ grandson Benjamin Phelps, convicted of assault and disorderly conduct in 1995. He was the person who informed his grandfather about the existence of the Internet and made the first “GodHatesFags” page
Fred Phelps’ grandson Benjamin Phelps, convicted of assault and disorderly conduct in 1995. He was the person who informed his grandfather about the existence of the Internet and made the first “GodHatesFags” page
In 1995, Phelps Sr.’s eldest grandson, Benjamin Phelps, was convicted of assault and disorderly conduct after spitting into the face of a passerby during a picket and then laughing. The security cameras of a nearby business caught the incident on tape.[34]
Also in 2004, Margie Phelps and her son Jacob were arrested for trespassing, disorderly conduct and failure to obey after disregarding a police officer’s order that they were not allowed to enter a company’s private property with chairs and stand on them with an upside down flag and a picket sign.[35]
Other prejudices
The Westboro Baptist Church attributes membership of most religious groups, such as the Roman Catholic Church or Islam, as akin to devil worship. All non-Christian entities, non-Protestant Christian churches, as well as all Protestant Christian churches which don’t strongly condemn homosexuality, are said to be sending their members to Hell.
While the Westboro Baptist Church says that racial discrimination is a sin,[36] it and Phelps Sr. have been accused of various racist acts, including using racist imagery in its fliers and using racial epithets.[37]
A compilation of Westboro Baptist Church’s various racial and political views:
Allegations of racism
The Anti-Defamation League has accused Westboro of racism.[37]
WBC portrayal of Topeka mayor James McClinton (an African-American)
WBC portrayal of Topeka mayor James McClinton (an African-American)
However, in the documentary Hatemongers, Phelps and his children quote Bible verses denouncing racism and saying that it is a sin. He goes on to say that it differs from homosexuality in that “God never said it is an abomination to be Black.”[38]
Anti-Islamic stance
In response to a Newsweek article alleging that American soldiers flushed copies of the Quran down the toilet at Camp X-Ray in Guantanamo Bay, Fred Phelps released this statement:[39]
“ So what if our guys flushed copies of the Quran down the toilet? We hope they did. They probably did; We hope they flush more. Mohammed was a demon-possessed whoremonger and pedophile who contrived a 300-page work of Satanic fiction: The Quran! Like America’s own whoremonger and pedophile wangled his own hokey Book of Mormon! ”
Phelps went on to give a brief literary dissection of the Quran, using nearly identical grammar and language to his and his children’s (likewise identical) dissections of The Laramie Project:
In relation to the war in Iraq a WBC flier implies that God has sided with the Muslims:
“ In His retaliatory rage God is killing Americans with Muslim IEDs: “Saying Touch not my anointed, and do my prophets no harm.” 1 Chron 16:22 [6] ”
Anti-semitism
In the section about Jews the WBC FAQ states: “…the only true Jews are Christians. The rest of the people who claim to be Jews aren’t, and they are nothing more than typical, impenitent sinners … the vast majority of Jews support fags. In fact, it is the official policy of Reformed Jews to support same-sex marriage. Of course, there are Jews who still believe God’s law, but most of them have even departed from that. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Jew or a Gentile…as long as you believe in Christ.”[40]
On the subject of Nazis, KKK, and other violent extremist groups: “We don’t believe in physical violence of any kind, and the Scripture doesn’t support racism. … The only true Nazis in this world are fags.”[41]
Phelps refers to the Holocaust as “minuscule” and led a protest at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. in 1996, proclaiming:
“ Whatever righteous cause the Jewish victims of the 1930s-40s Nazi Holocaust had… has been drowned in sodomite semen. American taxpayers are financing this unholy monument to Jewish mendacity and greed and to filthy fag lust. Homosexuals and Jews dominated Nazi Germany…The Jews now wander the earth despised, smitten with moral and spiritual blindness by a divine judicial stroke…And God has smitten Jews with a certain unique madness…Jews, thus perverted, out of all proportion to their numbers energize the militant sodomite agenda…Jews are the real Nazis. ”
Also in 1996, Phelps began a campaign called “Topeka’s Baptist Holocaust”, whereby he attempted to draw attention to attacks perpetuated against WBC picketers, saying that they were not random but organized attacks orchestrated by Jews and homosexuals. Phelps announced, “Jews killed Christ”, and:
“ Fag Jew Nazis are worse than ordinary Nazis. They’ve had more experience. The First Holocaust was a Jewish Holocaust against Christians. The latest Holocaust is by Topeka Jews against Westboro Baptist Church. ”
In another statement, he said:
“ Topeka Jews today stir up Kansas tyrants in persecuting Westboro Baptists. They whine about the Nazi Holocaust, while they perpetrate the Topeka Holocaust. ”
WBC was present at a 2002 Holocaust memorial dedication in Topeka, proclaiming “God Hates Reform Judaism”.[42]
During the 2004 United States presidential election, Phelps campaigned against United States Senator John Kerry, claiming that his affiliation with Judaism made him unfit to run the country, and on his webpage gave a lengthy recitation of Kerry’s family tree, naming all of his Jewish ancestors.
A March 25, 2006 flier regarding a Jewish adversary of Phelps uses the phrase “bloody Jew” four times and the phrase “evil Jew” more than once every twelve sentences. A sampling of WBC’s fliers regarding Judaism can be found at the ADL’s website.[43] Phelps has also been targeted by the Anti-Defamation League for anti-Semitic statements.[43][44]
Anti-Catholicism
Westboro is also anti-Catholic and claims that the Roman Catholic Church is a “fag” church and that a third of Catholic priests are active homosexuals, seducing helpless children and women; Westboro refers to priests as “vampires” and “Draculas,” and talks of Catholic priests sucking semen out of children’s genitals like vampires suck blood from their victims. Phelps has also reproduced an alleged “Diary of Another Fag Catholic Priest” on Westboro’s homepage and claims that “fag priests and dyke nuns is the order of the day for Kansas Catholics. They deserve the sick, perverted leadership that now dooms and damns them”. About Catholics, he says “They’re mean. Mean as Hell. Headed for Hell. The meanest, most hateful people on Earth.”
The day after the death of Pope John Paul II, Phelps held a service to “celebrate his entrance into Hell”, during which he boasted, “You don’t think he split Hell wide open? We’re the only ones telling the truth about that son of a bitch!” That evening he posted a flier on his webpage showing a doctored photo of a screaming John Paul II with horns coming out of his forehead, with the caption:
“ Deal with it, you idolatrous morons! The pope is in Hell. Westboro Baptist Church members are competent expert witnesses, having picketed hundreds of Catholic churches in all fifty states over the past fourteen years. We will bear witness on Judgment Day: Catholics are the meanest, most violent people on Earth, and their churches are filled with filthy fag priests. On John Paul II’s watch, the Catholic Church became the CHURCH OF THE HOLY PEDOPHILES and sodomite feces and semen replaced bread and wine. ”
Westboro operates three separate websites related to this issue, though two are not yet operational (see below).
Anti-Mormonism
Westboro Baptists have demonstrated against Satanism at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, and made anti-Mormon statements to the press and in sermons.[citation needed]
Responses
Legal Action directed against WBC protesting
In response to the protests conducted by Westboro members at Indiana funerals, a bill was introduced in the Indiana General Assembly that would make it a felony to protest within 500 feet of a funeral. The bill provides penalties of up to three years in prison in addition to a $10,000 fine for those found to be in violation of the law. Shortly before this bill was signed, members of the Westboro Church had threatened to protest in Kokomo, Indiana, at a funeral service that was being held for a soldier who was killed in Iraq. On January 11, 2006 the bill unanimously (11-0) passed a committee vote,[45] and while members of the Westboro Church had showed up in Kokomo, Indiana, to protest, they were nowhere to be seen during or after the funeral service.
Several other states have adopted similar legislation, such as South Dakota. Some have been critical of these laws, however, saying that they could prevent other protests as well, and may possibly violate the First Amendment right to freedom of speech. WBC has expressed their intention to contest these laws, and if victorious collect damages while the Phelps Chartered law firm collects attorney’s fees under the Civil Rights Attorney’s Fees Award Act of 1976 .[12]
The church recently avoided a funeral in McDonald County, Missouri, due to a recently enacted law. Juvenile court authorities stated that using their children in their protests (as they often do) constituted child endangerment and the children could be put into foster homes. WBC often issues press releases claiming they will show up to protest an event but do not show up.
On July 14, 2006, Mundy Township, Michigan billed the WBC $5,000. The Westboro church had informed township authorities on June 28 that a protest was planned at the Swartz Funeral Home. The bill to the church ensued, according to the local police chief, because the congregation failed to keep a verbal contract for security. Fred Phelps’ daughter claimed that the Holy Ghost had informed them not to fly to Michigan even though they had already purchased airline tickets. Security at the Webb funeral was high: fifteen fire trucks were involved as well as numerous police officers from nearby jurisdictions.[46] The township has now stated that it will not pursue the matter.
Counter Protests
Counter protests are generally organized to provide an opposing viewpoint at sites that Westboro pickets. In some cases counter protesters have lined up and turned their backs on the Westboro pickets or encircled them in a ring, explaining that they want to symbolically shield the community from the hate. This has become frequent with Westboro’s picketing of the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq; veterans’ associations and biker groups such as the Patriot Guard have led the counter protests in recent months.
Two days after the September 11th attacks, a lone 19-year old named Jared stood on the street corner facing the church holding up a cardboard sign that said “Not today Fred.” In two days, about 90 people joined him, waving American flags and anti-hate signs. Since then, “Not today Fred” has become a commonly used motto for counter protests against Phelps.
Violence directed against Westboro
* During a March 26, 1993 protest at Topeka’s Vintage Restaurant, a riot broke out and eight WBC members were hospitalized for various minor injuries; WBC now pickets the restaurant every day, as well as the places of business where employees went after leaving the Vintage in an attempt to escape Westboro. In addition, the congregants hold a memorial service every year on the 26th, commemorating what they refer to as “the Vintage Massacre”.
* In 1994, a woman tried to run down protesters in Topeka after one of them screamed obscenities at her while her pick-up truck was parked at a stop light. She was arrested, but was later found not guilty due to temporary insanity.
* In 2003, WBC member Charles Hockenbarger, who was in his 70s at the time, had his face crushed in a beating after standing on a street corner holding a sign reading “THANK GOD FOR SEPT. 11″. Hockenbarger was recovering from open heart surgery at the time and ignoring the usual doctor’s orders for bed rest. Westboro posted photos of the aftermath of the attack on its homepage, claiming that the (still unidentified) perpetrator was a homosexual and that the attack had been part of a murder conspiracy to kill Hockenbarger, though offering no proof of these allegations.
* During a protest at the 2005 presidential inauguration of George W. Bush, WBC protesters were slapped, kicked and had their signs forcefully taken by other protesters.
* There have been differing reports on actions at an October 5, 2005, picket of a Wisconsin soldier’s funeral. One report was that Sheriff Todd Nehls asked Paulette Phelps to move so he could protect her. Her group called him a Nazi and refused to comply. A conflicting claim put forth by members of the WBC alleges that Sheriff Nehls punched Paulette Phelps in the face. Video of the purported incident at godhatesfags.com — which claims to show Nehls striking one of the church members — is ambiguous, and at the point the purported attack takes place, the camera is pointed at the ground (indeed, large portions of the video are made up of shots of Westboro members’ feet and the ground).[47]
* During a picket in Seaford, Delaware on May 21, 2006, a mob broke through police lines and tried to assault WBC members who fled into a police van. Some of the mob then began banging on the van attempting to get inside. Two windows of the van were shattered before the van could get away. Five people face criminal charges.[48]
* In 2002 Blue Valley North High School held productions of The Laramie Project play. Westboro members made it known that they were coming to picket the school. To their surprise many students cut class to meet the picketers and a small riot ensued with a few instances of car vandalism. The school later made tickets to the shows “buy ahead” in order to keep Westboro members from interrupting the play. Subsequently Phe