# Fred Phelps is dead. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 20, 2014, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169 "2014-03-20T17:59:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169/61 "2014-03-21T19:23:47Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > So the WBC says no funeral because they don’t “worship the dead.” I never thought funerals were about worship, I thought they were about paying your last respects. I guess that shows how much respect WBC has for one of their own. If you’re looking for compassion, consistency, and cogency from Westboro Baptist, you might want to pause and reflect. ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169/62 "2014-03-21T19:30:41Z")
People forget that Phelps actually started out as a civil rights lawyer defending Black Americans against Jim Crow laws in Kansas. Unfortunately, he went off the tracks in the 1970s and became the same kind of hate monger that he tried to battle. If there’s a Hell, Fred’s there now. Probably has a gay roommate. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169/63 "2014-03-21T19:33:57Z")
They don’t forget. They don’t care, and there’s no particular reason they should. (Ok, ok, most of them don’t know in the first place. But even if you know, there’s no reason to care.) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169/64 "2014-03-21T20:37:04Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > …If there’s a Hell, Fred’s there now. > Probably has a gay roommate. “Ooo, you’re not gonna like Wednesday…” ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169/65 "2014-03-21T22:17:10Z")
An article in today’s Topeka Capital-Journal mentions that last night, Thursday, neighbors reported loud arguments heard behind the WBC compund fence, with _cursing_ even! But it didn’t go on for long. Another article in the same paper calls Fred a “villain” ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169/66 "2014-03-22T03:42:33Z")
I haven’t seen it yet, but maybe Baker did if they have locally…but has the group yet put anything out saying, Thank God for Dead Fred? Or, Thank God for killing our Dad? According to what they’ve said, every death is brought directly by God and he must be thanked for everything he does. Unless they have a clause to that rule saying it only counts when it’s everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169/67 "2014-03-22T03:55:14Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > I haven’t seen it yet, but maybe Baker did if they have locally…but has the group yet put anything out saying, Thank God for Dead Fred? Or, Thank God for killing our Dad? According to what they’ve said, every death is brought directly by God and he must be thanked for everything he does. > > Unless they have a clause to that rule saying it only counts when it’s everyone else. I’ll have to drive by the WBC tomorrow to see if the sign on the NE corner of the compound fence has been changed. It’s changed once a week, usually sometime on the weekend. Often their is a theme. The third week in January was NO FAGS IN KING’S DREAM! GOD HATES MLK! Around Valentine’s Day it was about how St. Valentine is a Catholic lie and 2/14 is pagan idolatry. This week it was ST. PATRICKS DAY=PAGAN IDOLATRY, and it’s flanked by a sign with the Notre Dame leprechaun and the words “Raping Irish” They’ve used that sign before when they want to provoke Catholics and I once contacted NDU with the info. A person got back to my saying “No, they did NOT authorize the use of their mascot by the WBC!!!, and that they’d look into this” Guess they didn’t look too hard, but I contacted them again this time. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169/68 "2014-03-22T04:03:22Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I’ll have to drive by the WBC tomorrow to see if the sign on the NE corner of the compound fence has been changed. It’s changed once a week, usually sometime on the weekend. Often their is a theme. If it’s not out of the way, that’d be cool. Don’t put yourself out to satisfy my idle curiosity. Not that I really think that they will, hypocrisy wouldn’t be unexpected. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169/69 "2014-03-22T05:27:49Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > … hypocrisy wouldn’t be unexpected. Double negative… hmm… OK, got it. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169/70 "2014-03-22T06:42:14Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Double negative… hmm… OK, got it. Eh, I thought about going with ‘would be expected’ but it didn’t really convey the thought I was going for. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169/71 "2014-03-22T11:47:58Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > If it’s not out of the way, that’d be cool. Don’t put yourself out to satisfy my idle curiosity. Not that I really think that they will, hypocrisy wouldn’t be unexpected. It’s not out of the way, I drive there nearly every day down 12th street. It connects to Gage, and the dog park I take my dachshund Nathan to is at Gage Park. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169/72 "2014-03-22T15:19:42Z")
I hope he gets his 72 virgins. All horny as hell and all [del]fags[/del] gay men. And yes, I did my Happy Dance when I heard the news. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169/73 "2014-03-22T19:05:17Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > Eh, I thought about going with ‘would be expected’ but it didn’t really convey the thought I was going for. No worries. I was just joshin’ ya. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169/74 "2014-03-22T19:30:37Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > No worries. I was just joshin’ ya. No problem at all. I do play fast and loose with grammar sometimes. 😉 Maybe a better way to put it would have been, ‘Not that I think they will, hypocrisy would not surprise me.’ ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169/75 "2014-03-22T19:35:54Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > And yes, I did my Happy Dance when I heard the news. It’s hard not to hate someone who spews hate so liberally, isn’t it? Poetic justice, I calls it. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2014, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169/76 "2014-03-22T23:20:25Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > If it’s not out of the way, that’d be cool. Don’t put yourself out to satisfy my idle curiosity. Not that I really think that they will, hypocrisy wouldn’t be unexpected. I did take my dog to the park today, so I drove by. The sign currently reads as follows: **JESUS: REPENT, FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND! MATT:4-17** Merely quoting Scripture accurately is rather mild for them. They often have signs supposedly quoting Scripture, like FAGS DOOM NATIONS(insert verse here) but I double checked the one above, and it’s of Jesus quoting John the Baptist. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169/77 "2014-03-23T00:10:07Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I did take my dog to the park today, so I drove by. The sign currently reads as follows: > > **JESUS: REPENT, FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AT HAND! MATT:4-17** > > Merely quoting Scripture accurately is rather mild for them. They often have signs supposedly quoting Scripture, like FAGS DOOM NATIONS(insert verse here) but I double checked the one above, and it’s of Jesus quoting John the Baptist. Thanks Baker. I didn’t really think they would but would’ve been impressed with their consistency if they had. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169/78 "2014-03-23T00:22:38Z")
[Here is Louis Theroux’s article on his death. All together, he spent a month with the family.](http://louistheroux.com/thoughts-on-the-passing-of-pastor-phelps-and-the-wesboro-baptist-church/) It’s highly worth a read. ---
**Author:** ![Tehanu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ee7513/32.png) [@Tehanu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tehanu)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169/79 "2014-03-23T02:37:44Z")
I heard a suggestion that a positive way to commemorate Phelps’ death would be to make a donation in his name to an LGBT or injured soldiers fund. Just passing it on. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169/80 "2014-03-23T04:51:41Z")
I like that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dead/684169.md?page=5)