Wednesday, the public is outraged over the Westboro Baptist Church court case and are standing behind Albert Snyder. People across the country are outraged that Albert Snyder, the father of a fallen Marine has been ordered to pay court costs for the Westboro Baptist Church; after the church he sued for picketing his son's funeral and causing distress to the family.
Tuesday, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Snyder to pay $16,510.80 to Fred Phelps, the leader of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. The church pickets the funerals of dead, gay military members and says that their deaths are God's way of punishing America for being tolerant of gays. The church pickets funerals for other reasons as well.
Snyder sued the church because its members brought signs that read "God hates fags" and "God hates the USA" to his son’s funeral in 2006. His son, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder was killed in Iraq.
In 2007, Snyder was initially awarded $11 million in damages and the jury found that the church intentionally inflicted emotional distress. The amount was later reduced to $5 million, and then the verdict was overturned on appeal.
People around the country are outraged that Snyder has been ordered to pay part of the Westboro Baptist Church’s court costs. And people are donating money to help Snyder pay the cost and have made donations to the Albert Snyder Fund. The money will go toward covering the money owed and then toward any future appeals.
Snyder said that he has received over 3,000 emails from people who have offered their support. The Facebook group called "I support Al Snyder in His fight against Westboro Baptist Church" has over 35,000 members and thousands have left comments of support.
In February of 2008, the Westboro Baptist Church picketed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS Church) in Salt Lake City, Utah during Gordon B. Hinckley’s funeral.
Picket signs read that Hinckley was a "lying false prophet" and "leading millions of people astray." The Westboro Baptist Church also “criticized Hinckley for being too accepting of gay people, accusing him of having an ambiguous voice about homosexuality rather than taking a firm stand against it. Police had difficulty determining whether the demonstration met the guidelines of protected free speech,” according to Wikipedia.
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Source: Facebook and the Baltimore Sun
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Comments
Actually, the orientation of the soldiers does not have any affect whatsoever on whether or not these fundamentalist psychos picket the funerals. They see the deaths of soldiers in Iraq as God punishing America because of its tolerance of homosexuality. May Fred Phelps rot.
This is a perfect example of why inbreeding is a bad thing. Fred Phelps and his clan of nutjobs should be erased from the earth.
These azzholes need to be kicked the fugg out of the USA. They're just as bad as the KKK and skinhead Nazis. I'd love it if a whole squadron of jets razed their entire compound and killed all of them. As we say in the South, they need kill'en.
Most of the soldiers whose funerals have been picketed are NOT gay (not that it really matters). I just wanted to correct that misapprehension.
I can not believe that the courts actually are entertaining the case. Fred Phelps should be thanking the soldiers both stateside and overseas for his freedom. If it wasn't for soldiers he would not have the right to stand outside of slain military heros funerals and make an ass out of himself. So if Fred Phelps sees the deaths of soldiers in Irag as a punishment then what does he think of what happened at the Twin Towers and what happened at Fort Hood both on American soil?
Westboro Baptist Church is a church leading many people astray. In what way? They are turning against the military and are a threat to national security.
In any case, tax payers pay the judges salaries. It is the right of the tax payer to control the government. If the judge makes the mistake of siding with the threat of WBC, I believe tax payers have the right to boot the judge out. "Your 'honor', we are not satisfied with your services. Upon further review of your performance in this job, we find you may be incompatible with our society..."
That's not how our government works. Our founding fathers explicitly created a republic wherein some positions are appointed instead of elected. They did this to avoid mob rule, which is exactly what your scenario would be. While I find Phelps and his ilk deplorable, I don't think we need to rewrite the Constitution just so we can engage in some small-minded revenge. Let's work within the constraints of our society, instead of devolving into anarchy!
It breaks my heart to think that someone who professes to be a christian could do something so dispictable to a parent. Trying to disrupt a final goodbye to a child is unforgivable. Apparently Fred Phelps rates himself as perfect as God. God does not like ugly and Phelps and followers will have to attempt to justify it before God.
I think Fred Phelps and his congregation need to move to Afganistan and practice what they preach. This way when one of our brave soldiers kill them in combat it will be justified.
I would not want to be in Fred's shoes or any of his "church" members when they stand before the Lord in judgement of their actions. May God strike everyone of them dead-beginning with youth & then see how their parents feel!!
This so called church is just ridiculous. Is is just shameful what they are doing and one day they will get back for what they are doing to this family as well as the soldier. My heart and prayers go out to the Albert Snyder and his family.
There will be a day that comes when God will judge this congregation and yes, even Fred Phelps. It is not too late for them to be forgiven of their sins as they portray a hateful God. If they really knew God they would see that there is no hate at all in him. Man is what carries the hate and it is obviously protrayed in their actions and in all they believe. I just feel really bad for the kids that have to grow up in this church!
Why should this come as any surprise to anyone? Most of the Phelpses are lawyers. This piece of crap country is run by lawyers. They ruined it long ago. Of course they are going to win.
They are just trying to get attention just ignore them and they will go away.Its always funny they are protesting the government but in any other country in the world they would be killed for wishing death on there own soldiers. If that is considered free speech we have problems. The most stupid of them all is the judges that want him to pay. I guess they have been sitting on the bench so long and getting (welfare) there paycheck That they have lost there mind.
This is another Jim Jones, David Koresche (sp) leading his flock
to a disasterous demise. Some group and or someone will step up
and clean the slate of this nest.
This story saddens me to the core. when this "church" say things like "God Hates the world" and "God hates Gays" it makes me question what God they serve! i am sorry that they call themselves Christians. That is NOT how CHRIST lived his life and according to my beliefs and the BIBLE I read, he was GOD himself in the flesh, GOD's SON!... "FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE" (JOHN 3:16 NIV) GOD loves us all and we all fall short of his GLORY!!
All this group needs is a couple Cases of Little White Suits with Pointed Hats..which I am sure they have.......this whole thing makes me sick.....they make me sick.
I agree with Sharon, if they tried this in another country, say Iran, they would be erased. Hmmmm, let me think, that's exactly what should happen.
How would they appreciate some group protesting at their child's funeral? Wouldn't wish that on anyone, even one of these misguided sadists.
The soldier killed was not gay. The church protests all soldier's funerals regardless of their sexual orientation. That's a very important fact to get straight in this story.
These scumbags are despicable.
I don't have anything against Baptists, but it's obvious with these sick m-f's it can't be a religion, at least not according to the Bible!
If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. - James 1:26
These so-called "Baptists" need to watch the movie "Pay it Forward" for the true meaning of Christianity - not the type of hate-filled rhetoric they're spewing. If they believe America is so much "on the road to hell" then let them pack up & go elsewhere to another country that they can relate to. Fred Phelps is similar to an Imam (Muslim cleric) - with the hate speeches.
The scripture tells us ALL have sinned and come short of the Glory of GOD , Looks like this church is throwing stones
Here we see the effects of false religion. I truly feel sorry for anyone involved in any way with this religion, except for that religious leader of course. May Gods judgement be upon false religion.
As Americans, Phelps and his sick gang of morbid cretins are allowed to have and voice any opinion they want. I draw the line, though, at protesting at funerals and feel the judge's ruling is incorrect. I am looking forward to the Supreme Court overturning this one.
A documentary on this extremist group called "The Significant Minority" and their impact on first amendment rights was recently done! Really great, informative film. Check it out on YouTube! Highly recommended
I don't wish to offend, but I must speak the truth. Read a history of Christianity: Phelps fits right in. Read about the Crusades (esp. the Children's Crusade), read about the Inquisition. Or the Catholic Church's cooperation with the Nazis in WWII. Also read Hitler's comments about how God wanted him to cleanse Germany - people claim he was an atheist because his faith makes them uncomfortable, but they're lying to themselves and to us. Also look at the American preachers who justified slavery, because it's in the Bible (Noah - supposedly the nice guy - enslaved HIS OWN SON). Christianity has a long history of hate - towards Jews, gays, anyone who doesn't fit in with the laity becomes a target eventually.
Today thankfully most Christians are content enough not to risk their well-being by taking to heart the parts of the bible that instruct the faithful to go out and slaughter their opponents for their wickedness. But throughout history, Christians who were angry about their lives have looked to their book for inspiration to commit murder and other foul acts. While I wish it was the religion of peace it claims to be, it is in fact a barbaric, bloodthirsty faith (like most of the mythologies of its day).
One more point: these soldiers are not protecting Phelps or his freedoms. Attacking Iraq was an act of aggression on the US, not defense. Iraq had neither the means nor the intention to attack the United States - remember how there were no WMD and no plans to build them? Just as in Vietnam and Korea, the populace was frightened by a bogeyman conjured up by the administration to justify more military spending. Thousands dead, for nothing other than profit and the fantasy that we are an unstoppable juggernaut which can do whatever it wants. Take a look at our finances, look at our annual budget; it's not social programs or foreign aid that are making us poor, it's the bloated "defense" forces and military adventurism.
It's not that I hate the military or the troops - everyone in my family who was able to fought in WWII, and we're all proud of their service in what was a bloody but necessary war. And it's not that I hate Christians - many in my family and my circle of friends are still members of that faith, and I hold them close to my heart. But I insist that you look at the world as it is, without the fantasy of a US military that does no wrong and a Christianity that never led to atrocity. It's important to take a sobering look at reality, lest we allow another atrocity by living in falsehoods.
It is so sad that our soldiers fight for our freedoms including speach and religion and they call themself a church so they can get away with this crap. They picket and cause a scene at funerals of the people that ensure those freedoms and have lost their life for it.
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