Posted on 10/04/2006 10:42:19 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
A Kansas church group that planned to demonstrate at the funerals of five Amish girls killed in an attack on their one-room schoolhouse has dropped the picket plans, a reversal that came hours after Pennsylvania's governor offered the Amish police protection.
Members of the Westboro Baptist Church issued a statement today saying a representative will appear on a nationally syndicated radio talk show hosted by Mike Gallagher instead of picketing the funerals.
Gallagher's website indicated the group was offered an hour of airtime tomorrow in exchange for dropping the planned demonstration.
In preparation for the demonstration, Governor Ed Rendell said earlier today that he appealed to the Topeka, Kansas-based group to allow the Amish to conduct their funerals in privacy.
Members of the church group routinely picket military funerals, saying that American servicemen and women are dying overseas because God is displeased that the United States tolerates homosexuals.
In a statement on its website, the church blamed Rendell for the deaths of the Amish children because of comments he made about the Westboro group on national television several months ago.
"They're insane," Rendell responded when asked about the group's statement.
In June, Rendell signed legislation into Pennsylvania law designed to restrict Westboro Baptist Church's picketing by making it a crime to demonstrate within 150 metres of a funeral or memorial service in Pennsylvania.
State police will provide security at the funerals to keep reporters, the public and any potential demonstrators at a "respectful distance" from mourners, said Kate Philips, Rendell's press secretary.
The Federal Aviation Administration also will keep aircraft, such as media helicopters, at least four kilometres away, she said.
The state police may allow a single helicopter in the sky for pool television coverage, if the Amish approve, she said.
"We're trying to look at every possible precaution available with the ultimate goal of allowing these people to mourn as we would want to if this happened to our family," Philips said.
On Monday morning, Charles Carl Roberts IV entered the West Nickel Mines Amish School in Lancaster County and shot 10 girls, killing five.
Roberts killed himself as police stormed the building.
Selfish, self-centered monsters with no decency.
The Baptist Church National needs to distance itself from these nitwits. I trash the Muslims for not condemning loudly the acts of their miscreant members. Christian groups need to loudly condemn their nitwits as well. And if this group isn't a nitwit group, I don't know what it would take to qualify.
All Christian churches should leave no doubt where they stand on the issue tormenting those who have lost loved ones.
I suspect the God I serve is going to reserve a special reward for this group, and it isn't going to be pretty.
No thanks.
No thanks.
Hey, you throw in _1984_, _Animal_Farm_, _Brave_New_World_, and _Farenheit_451_ and I'll go along with you!
I suggest they go gay biker bar hopping in San Francisco, and spew their BS. It'll give any survivors something to think about.
The Phelps Phreak Show is a disgrace to real Baptists and these inbreds are a waste of oxygen. What a bitter, evil, pathetic group of losers they are.
They got exactly what they were after without having to protest. Air time.
"Free Republic rules prevent from saying exactly what they do need and deserve!"
Think Hoffa. Disappeared. It might brighten the limits of Free Speech in America, for the better.
I get the distinct impression that it's basically one family who have found a way to avoid taxes. These people bring out the worst in me - I'd actually welcome an IRS investigation - they don't sound like any other church I've ever heard of.
Phelps and crew need to be committed.
Give them a nice rubber room to stay in for the next 20 years or so.
They ARE Insane!
Their madman rants will be picked apart big time on all the conservative blogs and even most of the liberal ones.
Insane is far too polite a term for these characters. It implies that they act without the level of intellectual acuity requisite to rendering informed moral judgments and, likewise, that they act without the capacity to control their actions. Neither is true. The more appropriate term would get one banned from Free Republic.
I had to read that several times to make sure I wasn't seeing things. These people are thoroughly bonkers.
Regards, Ivan
3701 W. 12th Street
Topeka, KS 66604-1730
Here is a link to a map of their street address.
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?country=US&addtohistory=&formtype=address&searchtype=address&cat=&address=3701%20Sw%2012th%20St&city=Topeka&state=KS&zipcode=66604%2d1730&searchtab=home
Here's their mailing address:
Westboro Baptist Church
P.O. Box 1886
Topeka, KS
It's one family of insane nuts, several of whom are disbarred lawyers, calling themselves a "church".
Glen Beck was trashing the guy who gave them an hour of air time, but I think it's a good idea. They certainly aren't going to get as much publicity from an hour of talk radio as they would at a nationally-televised funeral. I suspect beck is jealous of the other host for thinking of it first. Beck claims to be a "conservative", but other than stating a few obvious conservative sentiments, he seems well-suited for leftist CNN.
Check out the zip code of their "church's" address.
Westboro Baptist Church
3701 W. 12th Street
Topeka, KS 66604-1730
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