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Mother cited for desecration of a flag at funeral protest
omoha.com ^ | 06/05/07 | JASON KUIPER

Posted on 06/05/2007 7:59:12 PM PDT by TornadoAlley3

A Kansas woman was arrested Tuesday after she had her 10-year-old son stomp on an American flag.

Shirley L. Phelps-Roper, 49, of Topeka, was protesting at the Bellevue funeral of Spc. William Bailey with a group from Westboro Baptist Church. The church, founded by her father, has protested at the funerals of numerous soldiers.

Bellevue Police Capt. Herb Evers said an officer saw a young boy stomping on an American flag.

Phelps-Roper was then cited for contributing to the delinquency of a minor and desecration of a flag. Both are misdemeanors. She was released from Sarpy County Jail after posting 10 percent of a $1,500 bond.

She has a July 11 court date scheduled.

A 1977 state law prohibits desecration of the flag: "A person commits the offense of mutilating a flag if such person intentionally casts contempt or ridicule upon a flag by mutilating, defacing, defiling, burning, or trampling upon such flag."

Phelps-Roper, who is an attorney, acknowledged that she allowed her 10-year-old son, Jonah, to stand on the flag ? an action she says is protected by the U.S. Constitution.

In 1990, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal law that outlawed burning the American flag.

"Punishing desecration of the flag dilutes the very freedom that makes this emblem so revered," the court said.

Sarpy County Attorney Lee Polikov said he is considering filing additional charges of child abuse and disturbing the peace. He is also looking at the correlation between hate crimes and hate speech and her acts.

Polikov said the mother interjected the boy into a volatile situation and thinks the group may have crossed the line to using fighting words toward the families of soldiers, which he said would not be protected under freedom of speech.

Phelps-Roper offered justification for the act.

"Every symbol of the rebellious, doomed America must necessarily be disrespected," she said. "The thing they worship, the flag, is worthless. It's a piece of cloth."

She said the Nebraska statute forbidding flag mutilation should have been repealed years ago.

"Those rogue cops cooked up this scheme," she said, "and now the question is whether the person who sits in the office of the prosecutor has character. If they pursue this, our next stop will be federal court in Nebraska to challenge that unconstitutional statute."

Polikov said the charges he will be filing are for strategic reasons, not gamesmanship.

"We won't shy away from desecration of the flag because of freedom of speech," he said. "We will get a new ruling on these charges. We will file every charge we think we can prove."


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; US: Nebraska
KEYWORDS: algorespal; antiamericanism; flag; funeral; liberalbigots; mother; phelpscult; shirleylphelpsroper; shirleyphelps; shirleyphelpsroper; westboro
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1 posted on 06/05/2007 7:59:19 PM PDT by TornadoAlley3
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To: TornadoAlley3

How nice. The trash Phelps family is spreading the hate to a 3rd generation.


2 posted on 06/05/2007 8:01:29 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Would you vote for President a guy who married his cousin? Me, neither. Accept no RINOs. Fred in '08)
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To: TornadoAlley3

Call Child Protective Services on this animal. She’s not fit to raise a dog, much less a child. No offense to dogs.


3 posted on 06/05/2007 8:01:29 PM PDT by LouAvul
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To: TornadoAlley3

Good deal. This bunch of asshats need to be arrested every day


4 posted on 06/05/2007 8:01:36 PM PDT by don-o (“I don`t expect politicians to solve anyone's problems.The world owes us nothing” Bob Dylan)
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To: TornadoAlley3
Shirley L. Phelps-Roper, 49

Perhaps the ugliest woman, both inside and out, I've ever seen.

5 posted on 06/05/2007 8:01:36 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: TornadoAlley3

.......


6 posted on 06/05/2007 8:03:56 PM PDT by kinoxi
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To: TornadoAlley3

Al Bore’s pals strike again.


7 posted on 06/05/2007 8:05:11 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four fried chickens and a coke)
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To: TornadoAlley3

Let’s hope the prosecution is successful and that the next step will be getting Ms. Phelps-Roper disbarred. That should slow down WBC’s #1 source of funds...suing its opponents.


8 posted on 06/05/2007 8:09:05 PM PDT by lightman (If false accusation was rare it wouldn't be in the Ten Commandments!)
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To: TornadoAlley3

Wow.

Folks, I am ready to accept the fact that these people are part of an extended psychology experiment to determine how far society will let people go before everyone else breaks and pummels them to within an inch of their lives.

Can people be this hateful?

Never mind. I answered my own question.


9 posted on 06/05/2007 8:10:27 PM PDT by rlmorel (Liberals: If the Truth would help them, they would use it.)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

These Phelps wackos are going to burn in hell.

They are NOT Christians.


10 posted on 06/05/2007 8:12:15 PM PDT by Choose Ye This Day (If you don't have borders, you don't have a nation.)
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To: don-o

I can think of a few other things I’d to see happen to these commies other than being arrested.


11 posted on 06/05/2007 8:12:45 PM PDT by bobby.223
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To: Mr. Mojo
No argument here.


12 posted on 06/05/2007 8:14:05 PM PDT by Choose Ye This Day (If you don't have borders, you don't have a nation.)
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To: LouAvul

I’ve been saying that for a long time. IMHO these people are a cult & a dangerous one. I think by taking their small children to these protests, they are possibly endangering them. The hate they spew is certainly not healthy for a child.


13 posted on 06/05/2007 8:14:43 PM PDT by pandoraou812 ( zero tolerance to the will of Allah ...... dilligaf? with an efg.....)
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To: lightman

I think most of Fred Phelps’ kids are lawyers. Fred himself was disbarred years ago.


14 posted on 06/05/2007 8:15:55 PM PDT by Huntress (The United States already has enough people with college degrees. Who is going to cut their tobacco?)
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To: StarCMC; TigersEye

ping


15 posted on 06/05/2007 8:16:03 PM PDT by pandoraou812 ( zero tolerance to the will of Allah ...... dilligaf? with an efg.....)
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To: TornadoAlley3

Good treatment of Al Gore’s friends.


16 posted on 06/05/2007 8:16:43 PM PDT by LetGoNow (Listen up punk. The colors are red, white, and blue, not red, white, and green. Got that? Now scram!)
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To: Choose Ye This Day

Pity the poor soul that had to tap that at 39 to get “it” knocked up. Yuck.


17 posted on 06/05/2007 8:17:56 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Would you vote for President a guy who married his cousin? Me, neither. Accept no RINOs. Fred in '08)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

They spawn.


18 posted on 06/05/2007 8:20:05 PM PDT by don-o (“I don`t expect politicians to solve anyone's problems.The world owes us nothing” Bob Dylan)
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To: TornadoAlley3
"Phelps-Roper was then cited for contributing to the delinquency of a minor and desecration of a flag. Both are misdemeanors. She was released from Sarpy County Jail after posting 10 percent of a $1,500 bond."

I'll guarantee you...I'll lay cash on it...that the ACLU will come running to defend them on this, with a smile on their lips.
19 posted on 06/05/2007 8:20:59 PM PDT by DesScorp
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To: TornadoAlley3; Dr. Ed Bravo; OSTATE; MS.BEHAVIN; TherealMr.B; KSParalegal; BraveMan; ...
Oh heck yeah!! I would've loved to see the spittle she spewed on her way to jail! LMAO!!!

 

WBC ping

To be on or off my WBC ping list, please FReepmail me!

20 posted on 06/05/2007 8:22:38 PM PDT by StarCMC (Desperately seeking a new tagline. Say something pithy and I'll steal it. :-))
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