Hate shows up at a Soldiers funeral: Updated

Phelps was apparently such a tiny little speck in a vast sea of people that most couldn't even see him.

Bubblehead attended the services and both he and Ninme have a few pics.

Binkyboy planned a big protest but couldn't even find him.

Lt. SMASH puts in a word or two.

And Michelle Malkin, thanks to Greyhawk, really raised the blogosphere attention level.

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Dealing with Phelps:

Bubblehead and Binkyboy are having a small but very masculine wrestling match on whether it would have been appropriate to counter-demonstrate and shout rude things at Phelps. 

Putting aside for a moment the interesting pictures that come to mind of a tussle between two people named "Bubbles" and "Binky", I have to say that Bubblehead is correct, you really don't want to get into Phelps face. It's downright ugly for one thing.

Phelps Inc. has been doing this longer than most of us have been alive. And he has raised his children to do the same. He's a professional ass-hat. He really lives for this stuff.

I've seen Phelps intimidated only once.  It was in the early 80's, in the heyday of ACTUP . At the Pride parade in Los Angeles one year Phelps showed up for the usual diatribe.

He got a lot more than he bargained for that year because when the ACTUP crowd passed by him he was instantly surrounded by about 300 intensely angry queers violently shoving their fists at him and shouting "Shame!, Shame!, Shame!" over and over again.  It sounds a bit mild on paper, but in reality it was one of the most electrifying, and even terrifying, things I've ever seen.  You thought they were literally going to rip him apart. You could see that even the Sheriff Deputies providing security at the parade looked intimidated.

Any anti-war demonstration you have seen since then by the ANSWER idiots is a very, very pale imitation of what ACTUP used to be. Perhaps thats because unlike ANSWER we really did have something to be angry about.

Eventually ACTUP moved on, but in their wake Phelps and clan pretty much packed it in for the rest of the day. They looked wilted and drained. Some of them were sobbing.

It felt good to see that. But I never had the desire to see it again. And I certainly have run across Phelps many times since then. 

You see, Phelps really gets off on being able to portray himself as a righteous "victim" for God.  He gets a sick, emotional, and probably even physical pleasure out being the center of attention, even if it's of the negative kind.  And you never want to be in the position of having given that man pleasure of any kind, especially anything to feed his sick martyrdom.  So the best strategy for dealing with him is really just to peacefully neutralize his presence, as was done at the funeral.  It pisses him off much more than any name-calling ever will.  He wants the confronation, so don't give it to him.  It's not always easy, but being a sane and decent human being usually isn't a cakewalk in the first place.

And thank you Greyhawk and Mrs. Greyhawk for getting the word out. And I'm sorry Bubblehead for both making fun of your name (but I just couldn't resist) and because I couldn't figure out how to give you a trackback.

National Guard Corporal Carrie French didn't know the Reverend Fred Phelps. Nor, as far as anyone knows,  was she a lesbian , or in Phelps-speech, a Sodomite. Yet he is coming to her funeral this Wednesday to picket and tell everyone to thank God for IED's.

Welcome to what gay people have been dealing with for many, many years, long before Phelps picketed Mathew Shepards funeral and made a national name for himself. (that name being "Jackass")

Then again he does have a soft and tender side.  He tried to have the following memorial installed for a young gay teenager who tragically had committed suicide.

Turns out he pickets every soldier's funeral he can.  You can go to his website and check out his convoluted logic as to "why".  You wouldn't believe me if I tried to explain it to you. 

Be warned however. Visiting the Rev. Fred Phelps website for the first time is like when you first learned that there really are people out there that like to hurt puppies.  Sick, sick sick.

I don't promote violence, but I really wish Phelps had chosen the local meeting of The Pink Pistols to picket instead.

Note: Yes, I know I already took advantage of the Mudville Gazettes open post today. But I thought this was too important to leave alone. Maybe people can get the word out and together form a human shield at the funeral so that the young corporals parents and friends don't have to see him or deal with him. That's how we often handle him. Don't confront him directly, I swear he just gets a woody when people do that. Just neutralize him in a peaceful way.

Comments

[Mustang 23]

I saw Jackass Phelps protest when I saw George Carlin on the KU campus.

it was tasteless. I was so infuriated. Then George Carlin made me feel better.

But this is way too far.

[Mark Tinder]

My God, how can one person be so cruel? Especially when (or maybe because) he claims to be a "man of God"? I do hope that counter demonstrators/shields do come out and keep this sick, sick demon away from the grieving parents. As if they don't have enough sorrow already! If God REALLY has a special place in Hell for the evil, then Phelps is in for a big surprise of his own!

[John]

****-Post Deleted-***

[Gryph (Patrick)]

I've decided that while I have no objection to nasty offensive comments being made on my website, I will delete the comments of those who don't have the guts to leave a valid e-mail or website address where they can be reached.

Bye-bye "john@email.com"

[Bubblehead]

I just got back from the funeral; my report - with pictures - can be found here. Thanks for finding this, Gryph!

[JCHFleetguy]

Hey,

Their idiot reasoning isn't that hard: Someone bombed our church with an IED - so God flew planes into the World Trade Center and continues to kill US troops with IED's in retaliation. Wow - this guy must be really important to God.

This kind of blasphemy will make for a REAL interesting meeting between Mr. Phelps and God the day after Mr. Phelps dies.

Take care Patrick

[Rahel]

This is appalling. Who made this guy the instrument of God's wrath? Only his own narrow beliefs and delusions, surely not God. No compassion, kindness, sympathy, empathy ... it seems there is nothing worthy of reverence in this so-called "reverend."

[Bubblehead]

Gryph -- No problem on the "Bubbles" part... get called that by my wife and her blog-friends all the time...

[JCHFleetguy]

Who made this guy the instrument of God's wrath?

Actually, it is even more appalling. He is not saying he is God's hit man - he is saying God is his: God striking American soldiers dead and crashing planes into the twin towers because his church was bombed.

I do not think God works for this guy.

[Phelps]

No relation.

Draft the Phelps family!

Send the Phelps family to Iraq and see how they deal.

When they come back in caskets, we can then celebrate.