Kansas City, Mo. — A leader of a Kansas church known for picketing the funerals of fallen servicemen and blaming their deaths on the country’s tolerance of homosexuality said Wednesday the group has decided not to protest at funerals for victims of the Tucson, Ariz., shooting rampage.
Shirley Phelps-Roper of the Westboro Baptist Church told The Associated Press that the church pulled back its plan to picket the Thursday funeral of 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green in Tucson after radio stations in Canada and Arizona agreed to give Phelps-Roper airtime. Later Wednesday, the church also agreed to not protest the funeral for U.S. District Judge John Roll or other victims in exchange for airtime on a nationally syndicated radio show.
Green, Roll and four others were killed in the Saturday shooting rampage targeting U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. More than a dozen other people were wounded.
Phelps-Roper said instead of going to Arizona this week, members will go to New York for an interview on the conservative Mike Gallagher Show on Monday.
Gallagher told the AP it will be the third time he has agreed to have Phelps-Roper on his show — the others were in exchange for Westboro members not protesting at a funeral for Amish children in Pennsylvania or for victims of the Virginia Tech shooting rampage.
“No question it’s a painful process,” Gallagher said. “Believe me, I’m doing this show with a heavy heart. I don’t like the idea of giving them the satisfaction of this, but I believe my radio airwaves are less important than them hurting families.”
He said the timing of his offer to the Topeka church flies in the face of the debate raging over whether conservative talk radio contributed to the shooting spree in some way.
“For all of the accusations that talk radio is so destructive and the claims that vitriol of conservatives has led to Jared Lee Loughner’s actions, here’s an example of talk radio doing something I think is pretty good — to stop families from being harmed by the Phelpses,” Gallagher said. “Nothing else has seemed to work.”
He said Phelps-Roper will get an hour on his show, but not without being challenged by prominent conservative Christian author and commentator Dinesh D’Souza.
Dean Blundell, a talk show host for Toronto radio station 102.1 The Edge, said he interviewed Phelps-Roper live on air on Tuesday and that another interview was planned for Thursday. Steve Sanchez, who has a talk show on the Christian radio station KXXT-AM in Phoenix, is hosting her for half an hour Saturday.
Both hosts said the interviews were part of a deal in which the Topeka-Kan.-based church agreed to skip Green’s funeral.
“This is ultimatum time,” Phelps-Roper told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “The only reason anyone steps up to make a deal is they have a motive. We got two things for kicking this to the side, stepping aside from that funeral.”
Blundell said he has a longstanding agreement with Phelps-Roper that he’ll give her radio time if she stays out of Canada. He said she has been on his show dozens of times.
“If everybody on this planet knew who she was, 10 out of 10 would say she’s crazy,” Blundell told the AP. “Even crazy people would know she’s not right in the head.”
Comments
Agnostick 3 years, 2 months ago
Kevin Smith to Self-Distribute Red State "Don't Hate the Studio; Become the Studio," Director Exhorts Other Filmmakers
http://www.studiodaily.com/main/technique/tprojects/Kevin-Smith-to-Self-Distribute-Red-State_12879.html
Disk2Legacy 3 years, 3 months ago
That is just great, give them what they want, air time. These wacko's would have been blocked by the people of AZ and as long as the media did not shine there cameras on them they would go away. I say let them protest and let's ignor them as if the morons are not even there.
wtchdr46 3 years, 3 months ago
Let us just invoke common law for this situation
jayhawkstalk 3 years, 3 months ago
They are formed of pure hatred. I have never understood how they can be allowed to attend these events and cause such problems. It isn't always just about the right to demonstrate. There are also basic rights of morality and decency. And, seriously, surely the evil that is bred in those children could be somehow mitigated. To see those little children holding signs of hatred, and spewing filth is beyond disgusting.
oneeye_wilbur 3 years, 3 months ago
Fred couldnt; hack the idea of going to Westpoint and becoming a cadet. How does Shirley Phelps-Roper explain that?
Fred and his clan must be very careful in Arizona. Guns can be carried there and if there is one whacko in Tuscon, there are others. It's a long way Shirley across the desert with flat tires. Might be hard to find a Walmart to accomodate the clan. Sherriff Joe in Phoenix would be clan to put the "family" up for the night should the Phelps-Roper's cause a ruckus. What's with this stuff with two names anyway. Either Shirley is a Roper or not!
irvan moore 3 years, 3 months ago
i find it strange we negotiate with this terrorist group.
Ray March 3 years, 3 months ago
people keep threatening them with bodily harm and death threats...
what's the hold up!?!?
(kidding...i'm not really insighting violence here..)
;)
Ron Holzwarth 3 years, 3 months ago
I already posted this on another thread, but I think it's worth repeating:
Job 9 [23]: When disaster brings sudden death, he mocks at the calamity of the innocent.
BigPrune 3 years, 3 months ago
They should be picketing the shooter since he doesn't like lawyer speak (politicians and their grammar lingo) and they're (the Phelps') are all lawyers.
lounger 3 years, 3 months ago
The Phelps clan are completly Sick. Using this poor little girls death as a barganing chip makes me ill. They really have hit an all time low (and thats saying a lot about these nut jobs).
akt2 3 years, 3 months ago
This was an easy out for these gangsters that call themselves a church. They "negotiated" radio time. That's all they are is talk. I think they talked themselves into a corner by threatening to protest at the funeral of a child. When they realized that Arizona wasn't going to look the other way, they put their tail between their legs and ran.
brutus 3 years, 3 months ago
These people twist the Bible just like muslim extremists twist the Koran.
Homosexuality is a sin in the Bible but I thought God loved sinners too???!!
mr_right_wing 3 years, 3 months ago
I don't understand why it never occurs to these people that their little group is the only one doing this. If this was truly the Lord's will, wouldn't He give them more members than basically just the Phelps family? Wouldn't there at least be a small handful of other churches doing it?
There is a concept in the Bible that 'mercy' and 'truth' should be balanced out; not exaggerate and blow the 'truth' way out of proportion and forget 'mercy' altogether.
jaywalker 3 years, 3 months ago
Wonders never cease.
Moderateguy 3 years, 3 months ago
It seems possible to me that those vile, evil folks sensed that protesting that particular funeral might just send more than a few people over the edge. It amazes me that somebody hasn't taken them out already. (Not that I'm advocating it...) It actually gives me a strange sense of comfort in our society knowing that this hasn't already happened. That being said, protesting at a funeral for a 9 year old little girl born on 9/11 would be the last straw for somebody Perhaps they sensed that.
Newell_Post 3 years, 3 months ago
WBC is not a church. It is a cabal of tortmongers.
KansasPerson 3 years, 3 months ago
Mercy schmercy. A cost-benefit analysis more likely. Residents were planning to shield the family as explained here:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-funeral-protest-20110112,0,7494257.story
Since they also had to stay 300 feet away, I think they decided that since there would therefore be no media coverage of them and their signs, might as well go with the radio interviews.
missmagoo 3 years, 3 months ago
Just out of curiosity, why is this AP article out of KCMO?
Christine Anderson 3 years, 3 months ago
Glenn Reed said it very well. Man, these people are sickos.
seeker_of_truth 3 years, 3 months ago
Maybe phred realized how liberal the Arizona gun laws are. Any nut can easily get one.
coolmarv 3 years, 3 months ago
Perhaps God allows these 'few' to hate so that 'many' may love. The WBC's actions allow for many good people to gather and show love and unity that would not normaly gather. I don't agree with the WBC's thinking but I do see a good side to this.
macon47 3 years, 3 months ago
the aclu will protect the phelps bunch you folks can thank them
pace 3 years, 3 months ago
. They should never of offered them a deal to not protest. It is giving in to terrorists.
huskerpower 3 years, 3 months ago
"Phelps-Roper says the group will picket the Friday funeral of U.S. District Judge John Roll and at the intersection where Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and others were shot.
The Arizona Legislature unanimously passed a measure Tuesday banning protests at or near funeral sites."
I'm confused. How are they going to protest the judge's funeral if they passed the law banning protests at funeral sites? Or is he not being buried in Arizona?
Steve Miller 3 years, 3 months ago
These people are a bunch of retarded nuts.
ksrush 3 years, 3 months ago
Wonder if it's live air time or taped. Guesing something taped would make the circular file quickly
Agnostick 3 years, 3 months ago
Haters and cowards, haters and cowards.
Glenn Reed 3 years, 3 months ago
These folks are still sadistic bastards that teach their youngest members to revel in the pain of others. The decision not to picket this poor girl's funeral was not made out of mercy, they simply thought radio would move their hateful message to more folks at once.
Relevant radio websites:
http://www.1280kxeg.com/ http://www.edge.ca/index.aspx
ralphralph 3 years, 3 months ago
Phred is yella. Sold out their rightful forum for a little free airtime. Where's the sport in that? Their kids probably won't even get to play in traffic.
ksriver2010 3 years, 3 months ago
I am all for freedom of speech and freedom of religion. But when the freedom of religion is for a congregation of (in-bred) family members, seems a little off to me. But, of course, you can get a 501(c)3 for just about anything. And Phelps' speech would fall close to "shouting fire in a crowded theater" which the Supreme Court has determined that you do not a freedom to do.
ksrush 3 years, 3 months ago
Even a stopped clock is right once a day
Shardwurm 3 years, 3 months ago
Well that's awfully big of them isn't it?
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