To the editor:
Margie Phelps’ letter (Public Forum, March 24) and Michael Smerconish’s column (March 20) illuminate the contradictory claims of free speech and religious obedience. If we don’t engage in slander, hate speech or endangering public safety we are constitutionally guaranteed our public views.
Smerconish argues that we should restrict odious expression and uses the Phelpses’ protest at military funerals as evidence. The House Un-American Activities Committee’s inquisitions and southern sheriffs abusing protesters are examples of attempts to restrict what was viewed as unacceptable at the time. The Phelpses’ disgustingly provocative views, just like those yelling the “N” word at Rep. Lewis, if restricted, could lead to further persecution of unpopular expression. Trumpeting restrictions, Smerconish disdains the common rabble. My own view is that we should be able to freely mock them.
The Phelpses’ cranky, tenth-rate religious melodrama isn’t politically harmless. Given the power, they would promote persecution in the name of the Lamb. This is apostasy. It encourages the death of soldiers and gays. This is the abandonment of Christianity. Margie Phelps’ train wreck of religious posturing creates a schism by pillaging and exploiting Christian teaching. She apparently fervently desires the fiery annihilation of America. She invents adversaries with the furious anger normally reserved for megalomaniacs and debauched Puritans. She is apparently unaware that the idea of the intrinsic evil of America is a Gnostic cult one.
Phelps sets herself up as America’s scourging healer. She would buttress us by breaking us. She is a heresiarch.
Comments
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just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
The Phelpses are merely one example of what happens on the slippery slope of religious, superstitious and ideological demagoguery. A far scarier example is the one represented by Fox News/Tea Partiers/Sarah Palin/Republican Party, et al.
headdoctor (anonymous) says…
TomShewmon (Tom Shewmon) says…
The Phelp's are basking in the glory of all the attention they recieve and always have. Ignoring these nutcases is what everyone should do. Anyone who thinks they are not not fraught with mental illness(es) is fooling themselves. Should I or anyone else worry, posting or submitting LTE's with a name, obviously Margie (the Phelp's) read LJW/LJW on-line (award-winning).
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Miracles never cease. The skillet just noticed the condition of the frying pan. roflmao
Dejacrew423 (anonymous) says…
Okay, so is the purpose of writing a letter to the editor to pull out all the big words you can to make yourself look good? Maybe it's too early in the morning for me or maybe it's my Eudora education (probably) but goodness. I couldn't decide if I agreed or disagreed with the writer because I was too busy looking up words.
Did_I_say_that (DIST) says…
@ Dejacrew423 - I reread the letter after your reading your comment: I see what you mean. The LTE was full of rhetorical and magniloquent linguistics. The inclusion of these grandiloquent colloquy made this a rather formidable edification process of visual learning. I just don't know why people do that.
Dejacrew423 (anonymous) says…
I'm not saying there is anything wrong with a vast vocabulary...... just saying maybe I better stick to Green Eggs and Ham this early in the day. I really thought the writer said that Mrs. Phelps would butt rest us and for a minute was imagining some technical cage fighting move.
Liberty275 (anonymous) says…
"A far scarier example is the one represented by Fox News/Tea Partiers/Sarah Palin/Republican Party, et al."
Even scarier examples were the Weather Underground and Jonestown. OTOH, they were stupid enough to only kill themselves, so they weren't real scary.
Liberty275 (anonymous) says…
Come on guys, it's 8th grade level. Quit complaining. If it helps a liberal shove his/her foot in his/her mouth we should be all for it.
"The Phelpses’ cranky, tenth-rate religious melodrama isn’t politically harmless. Given the power, they would promote persecution in the name of the Lamb."
Stu, is making an assertion, then proving it wrong in the next sentence some new ploy you are working on? Or did you just word your idea very badly? You can't really be potentially dangerous, politically nor otherwise) without power. Also, your first sentence claims the Phelps' to be "politically" harmful. The only political harm they can present is to themselves. Outside of harming one's own self, the concept of "politically harmful" is silly. You know too many big boy words to make mistakes like those.
"My own view is that we should be able to freely mock them."
Your redeeming point. I like that part.
Tighten it up a little and resubmit.
redmoonrising (anonymous) says…
LOL, Deja, the images you created there.....and with Margie no less!!!!! I think we should all stick with Green Eggs and Ham or Goodnight Moon. Great AM and PM reading no matter our ages. The first got me through kids, both through kids and grandkids. And no dictionary required. I'm too lazy for that so just took a stab at some of those words Stu used. Like we all use "heresiarch" on a daily basis. Guessing it has something to do with heresy but I was lost by then anyway so it didn't matter.
Dejacrew423 (anonymous) says…
Well glad to see I'm not the only one redmoonrising!! Between reading to my kids and my book club I'd like to think that I have a great love of the literary word but apparently it's only for the most basic stages! We're currently reading The Secret Life of Bees and I can't say I've came across any 'big' words to set me back! !
gsandell (anonymous) says…
Let's see......"Smerconish, odious, apostasy, schism, megalomaniacs, debauched, Gnostic cult, buttress, and heresiarch". Gosh darn.....I'm just an old Kansas Farm boy. My head hurts!!!
Did_I_say_that (DIST) says…
@ Dejacrew423, redmoonrising, and gsandell - I ran the letter through Google's translator, here is the translation:
Fred Phelp's old lady wrote a letter; it was printed in the Journal World on March 20. Some guy named Mike wrote a column a few days before that. The letters showed how hard it is to obey God and say whatever one wants to say. The constitution guarantees free speech as long as it does not show how much we hate other people or cause someone to get hurt.
Mike says that the Phelps' protests at military funerals stink. Buford Pusser is an example of a southern sheriff. Sesame Street is brought to you by the letter "N". Saying bad things about homosexuals or African-American people makes people mad; but it is okay to mock them anyway.
The Phelps' protests hurt politicians. Fred likes lamb chops and mutton, which shows that he is no longer religious. Some people don't know it, so let me say this: Fred hates gays, soldiers, and gay soldiers. Fred's old lady, Margie, got in an argument with an engineer on the train causing him to wreck it. Blah, blah, blah. The pilgrims used to play with Lego blocks. Now the Gnomes and Dwarfs have all of the Mega blocks and Lego blocks.
Margie is now a famous wrestler; she wrestles using the stage name of “Scourging Healer” - which is related to the blue heeler, an Australian cattle dog. She has a wrestling move called “The Buttrest” where she squeezes her butt cheeks together and breaks other wrestlers arms or legs.
She is a gossip and spreads hearsay, or maybe that was heresy – whichever.
gsandell (anonymous) says…
Did_I_say_that --- Thanks! I'm glad you cleared that up!
Dejacrew423 (anonymous) says…
Did_I_say_that, Love it!! Thanks!!
jackpot (anonymous) says…
What the heck is the Maryland court thinking? The PA man now has to pay the Phelps appeal lawyer's cost after he lost the appeal of his 5 mil court ruling. The costs from the Phelps I hope are looked at with a fine tooth comb. Did the Phelps file this on their own or did they use a non Phelps member to appeal?
redmoonrising (anonymous) says…
Deja, I made it through The Secret Life of Bees without a dictionary too. And, Did_I_Say_ That?, now that I'm through laughing, loved your translation. Gotta get me one of those.