# Fred Phelps is dying. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 16, 2014, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820 "2014-03-16T05:20:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820/261 "2014-03-21T07:45:04Z")
I was bored so did a little poking around. The WBC is known for using Twitter a lot. At least one of the founders of Twitter has a child with his girlfriend (not his wife). Since they make a shit ton of money from owning Twitter, I must conclude that WBC supports, by their own definition, whores. They also use Facebook and by extension enrich the owners. One of the founders, worth nearly $1 billion, is gay and legally married to his husband. So I must also conclude that they are ‘fag enablers’. (their term) Based on their own message, they would have to say GOD HATES WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820/262 "2014-03-21T08:56:47Z")
> [@Askthepizzaguy](#): > > I’m a pacifist and I’d still have taken the jail time for loading up a super soaker with rotten egg yolks, rotten milk, and all manner of smelly, sticky, and disgusting fluids, and trying to get some into that constantly flapping, vile mouth of his. I doubt the church’d’ve been interested in sending you to jail; they’d rather get money from a civil suit. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820/263 "2014-03-21T09:25:21Z")
I just came across an article from The Washington Post, discussing Phelps and his church in decidedly hostile terms mostly, and discussing the degree of nuisance they have caused in the Topeka community. [Holy hell: Fred Phelps, clergyman, is on a crusade](http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/holy-hellfred-phelps-clergyman-is-on-a-crusade/2014/03/20/af0a3e52-b06b-11e3-a49e-76adc9210f19_story.html). The article also discusses the warfare between them and Joan Hamilton, district attorney of Shawnee County, who has made some serious attempt to shut him down. Unfortunately, WaPo has this annoying habit of NOT displaying the dates of their on-line articles. Although I found this article on today’s Google news page, it mostly seems to discuss events of about 20 years ago as if they were fairly recent, and does not mention anything more recent. Still, the article is interesting, for its discussion of how much damage they did to the ambient civility of Topeka. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820/264 "2014-03-21T09:49:52Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Unfortunately, WaPo has this annoying habit of NOT displaying the dates of their on-line articles. It’s there, just hard to find: November 12, 1995. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820/265 "2014-03-21T15:10:55Z")
Kind of odd, almost like he planned it that way or something, the old man’s body gave out on International Day of Happiness. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820/266 "2014-03-21T15:49:00Z")
> [@For You](#): > > Kind of odd, almost like he planned it that way or something, the old man’s body gave out on International Day of Happiness. So we don’t have to change the date for the IDoH. Good. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820/267 "2014-03-21T17:41:32Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > If you picket his funeral, then you’re as bad as he was. Hey, I’m the one who does moral equivalences around here. And even I say you’re overstating it. You would be as bad as he is when he protested, maybe. But he made the WBC do a lot more than just picket funerals. And he protested a lot more than one funeral. I’d still say that, if you disapproved of him protesting funerals, you probably shouldn’t protest his, but saying it would make you as bad as Phelps is just silly. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820/268 "2014-03-21T17:48:39Z")
> [@For You](#): > > Kind of odd, almost like he planned it that way or something, the old man’s body gave out on International Day of Happiness. God is not without a sense of humor. ---
**Author:** ![pinkteddyx64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dfb087/32.png) [@pinkteddyx64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkteddyx64)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820/269 "2014-03-21T18:01:05Z")
am I the only one that cried when they heard fred Phelp’s died? he was a **TRUE HERO** to us all. he stood up for what he believed in. rip fred :(☹ ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820/270 "2014-03-21T18:19:31Z")
> [@pinkteddyx64](#): > > rip fred I doubt he will. Nor will you when your time comes. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820/271 "2014-03-21T18:34:28Z")
> [@pinkteddyx64](#): > > am I the only one that cried when they heard fred Phelp’s died? > > he was a **TRUE HERO** to us all. he stood up for what he believed in. > > rip fred :(☹ Personally I laughed. We all deal with…oh let’s call it grief…in different ways. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820/272 "2014-03-21T18:37:23Z")
> [@pinkteddyx64](#): > > rip fred :(☹ Thank you for your contribution, Mrs. Phelps. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820/273 "2014-03-21T18:38:21Z")
God hates trolls ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820/274 "2014-03-21T19:23:41Z")
> [@pinkteddyx64](#): > > am I the only one that cried when they heard fred Phelp’s died? > > he was a **TRUE HERO** to us all. he stood up for what he believed in. > > rip fred :(☹ This is a whoosh right? It’s gotta be sarcasm at least. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820/275 "2014-03-21T19:29:28Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > This is a whoosh right? It’s gotta be sarcasm at least. Hard to say. I had a hard time believing Phelps was real at first too, he was so ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820/276 "2014-03-21T19:55:42Z")
> [@pinkteddyx64](#): > > am I the only one that cried when they heard fred Phelp’s died? > > he was a **TRUE HERO** to us all. he stood up for what he believed in. > > rip fred :(☹ You know who else stood up for what they believed in? What? Oh, we already did that in this thread? Nevermind then, carry on. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820/277 "2014-03-21T19:59:08Z")
> [@Gedd](#): > > You know who else stood up for what they believed in? Maya Angelou! ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820/278 "2014-03-21T20:15:33Z")
> [@pinkteddyx64](#): > > am I the only one that cried when they heard fred Phelp’s died? Fred Phelp’s what? And FYI we’re talking about Fred Phelps, not Fred Phelp. I don’t even know who Fred Phelp is. ---
**Author:** ![SylverOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SylverOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SylverOne)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820/279 "2014-03-21T21:47:57Z")
Good riddance to bad garbage. He wasn’t worth the breath to speak that sentence out loud. The world is spinning easier today because he’s gone, and it’s only a shame his congregants didn’t follow him to hell. Which is saying a lot, since I’m an atheist and don’t believe there is a hell. ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2014, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820/280 "2014-03-21T22:21:25Z")
T[he Onion on his life and work](http://www.theonion.com/articles/fred-phelps-man-who-forever-stopped-march-of-gay-r,35582/). (Sorry if already posted) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fred-phelps-is-dying/683820.md?page=15)