Last night Topeka, Kansas had it’s sixth annual Christmas parade. Clubs, churches, even businesses can decorate floats and be a part of the fun.
There is a new group in Topeka called Unity Boulevard that is dedicated to opposing what Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist church stands for. In a last minute idea(about five days before the parade) emails started going out and UB decided to march in the parade. So there were flags held rightside up, signs saying “No More Hate” and “No More Fred” and "God Loves America, plus a few others. There was a car strung with Christmas lights and more flags. UB had about fifteen people all told, and was just about the only marching unit in the whole affair.
It was worth it, walking my legs off, plus it was freezing, and like an idiot I had not brought gloves. Nearly everybody along the parade route cheered, showed thumbs up and so forth. (Now if only they would help with the counter-picketing!) UB got a BIG reaction. And the Phelps clan? They had been set up just before the place where the main parade route started, but left before the Unity Boulevard contingent reached their spot. Whoo hoo!
Unity Boulevard started using the WBC’s weekly posted picketing schedule to find out where they need to be to counter-picket. So the Phelp’s weekly fax that announced that info is no longer advertising it. Guess they can’t handle the competition! Wish us further luck!