# Nate Phelps, estranged son of Fred Phelps, Sr., speaks out **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 23, 2006, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-phelps-estranged-son-of-fred-phelps-sr-speaks-out/365717 "2006-07-23T17:13:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-phelps-estranged-son-of-fred-phelps-sr-speaks-out/365717/21 "2006-07-24T12:17:12Z")
[QUOTE=GLWasteful] Nobody with even a modicum of self-respect would touch them with a ten foot pole. [/QUOTE] Oh I think a lot of people would like to touch them with a ten foot pole, provided that said pole is swung with sufficient force. > [@Argent Towers](#): > > When Phelps finally shuffles off, I hope there is a massive picket of his funeral. Massive. I would be more than happy to participate in and organize such a thing. Nah. Best response would be to ignore it. He’s an attention whore in life, why keep feeding the troll after it dies? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-phelps-estranged-son-of-fred-phelps-sr-speaks-out/365717/22 "2006-07-24T12:25:14Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] Nah. Best response would be to ignore it. He’s an attention whore in life, why keep feeding the troll after it dies? [/QUOTE] Not so. The best response is to give his hideous family what they have been giving hundreds of families - he’s only going to die once, it’s not like we’d have to picket him any more. People aren’t doing enough protesting nowadays anyway - it would be great as a show of solidarity and a gay-straight alliance as much as it would be an active slap in the face for the Westboro Baptist Church. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-phelps-estranged-son-of-fred-phelps-sr-speaks-out/365717/23 "2006-07-24T12:44:23Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] Not so. The best response is to give his hideous family what they have been giving hundreds of families - he’s only going to die once, it’s not like we’d have to picket him any more. People aren’t doing enough protesting nowadays anyway - it would be great as a show of solidarity and a gay-straight alliance as much as it would be an active slap in the face for the Westboro Baptist Church. [/QUOTE] …and with the rest of the rabid right. I’d have to agree that such an act would not be as much for the benefit of revenge on Phelch as it would be an example to those who follow his example – his family included, should they entertain notions of carrying on in his stead. On the other hand those fanatically clinging to their religious notions to the extent that they will actively fight against those who oppose them have a tendancy to believe that the greater the opposition to their “message” the more it is worth fighting for. ---
**Author:** ![GLWasteful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f05b48/32.png) [@GLWasteful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GLWasteful)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-phelps-estranged-son-of-fred-phelps-sr-speaks-out/365717/24 "2006-07-24T14:16:05Z")
[QUOTE=Linty Fresh] If you think about it, yes, Phelps and his merry band of phuck-ups have been pulling this shit for a long, long time, but for most of that time, they were living in obscurity. [/quote] Yeah, I know. But they weren’t very freakin’ obscure when they were showing up at the funerals of my friends. Granted, no national coverage, and we all knew that they were going to be there, but it’s still unnerving to the point of homicidal rage to see them show up with their signs. > [@](#): > > I looked at the Hannity and Colmes video with Shirley Phelps-Roper. I don’t remember what was said, but what I do remember was the look in Shirley’s eyes. I remember saying to myself “Hoo-boy, _that_ woman is feeling the strain.” And _she’s_ the spokesperson for the group, the one who’s always in front of the cameras. Just imagine what the others are feeling? Yeah, I remember seeing it after the fact and thinking much the same thing. Downside is, the strain hasn’t cracked her yet. But I can dream, can’t I? > [@Tikki](#): > > Come on, Fred, kick the bucket soon. I want to see how you like it when the shoe is on the other foot! Nah, he’ll be dead. I would only be happy if he gets his ass handed to him while the evil old prick is still breathing. I honestly liked what the group did with the angel wings at Shepard’s funeral, or what the bikers are doing now at military funerals. I guaran-goddamned-tee you that it pisses him off to no end when people legally block him from the sight and/or hearing of his intended targets. Especially when those targets are the national media. -Waste ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-phelps-estranged-son-of-fred-phelps-sr-speaks-out/365717/25 "2006-07-24T15:28:54Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] Not so. The best response is to give his hideous family what they have been giving hundreds of families - he’s only going to die once, it’s not like we’d have to picket him any more. People aren’t doing enough protesting nowadays anyway - it would be great as a show of solidarity and a gay-straight alliance as much as it would be an active slap in the face for the Westboro Baptist Church. [/QUOTE] Meh. The Phelpsians aren’t going to care and everyone else already hates them so what’s the point? No matter how much anyone loathes Phred, pickets at his funeral would do nothing but weaken the case against picketing at funerals (standard response to deploring a future picket by Phelpsians would intantly become “they picketed our, they’re all hypocrites”) and putting people who would otherwise support the people his ilk would protest in the position of defending the Phelpsians. There is nothing at all to be gained by having a mob outside Phred’s funeral. ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-phelps-estranged-son-of-fred-phelps-sr-speaks-out/365717/26 "2006-07-24T16:10:09Z")
[QUOTE=Mindfield] Meh. Registration required to read articles. [/QUOTE] [http://www.bugmenot.com/](http://www.bugmenot.com/) If you’re using Firefox, get the [extension](http://roachfiend.com/archives/2005/02/07/bugmenot/). One of the best things ever. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-phelps-estranged-son-of-fred-phelps-sr-speaks-out/365717/27 "2006-07-24T16:15:12Z")
[QUOTE=Geobabe] [http://www.bugmenot.com/](http://www.bugmenot.com/) If you’re using Firefox, get the [extension](http://roachfiend.com/archives/2005/02/07/bugmenot/). One of the best things ever. [/QUOTE] Dude! That’s awesome! I fecking hate mandatory registration at sites like that. “It’s free! In only takes a minute!” It puts me on mailing lists that I would like to nuke from orbit, thank you very much. Thanks for the tip – gonna install that here and at home. ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-phelps-estranged-son-of-fred-phelps-sr-speaks-out/365717/28 "2006-07-24T17:32:44Z")
[QUOTE=GLWasteful] Yeah, I know. But they weren’t very freakin’ obscure when they were showing up at the funerals of my friends. Granted, no national coverage, and we all knew that they were going to be there, but it’s still unnerving to the point of homicidal rage to see them show up with their signs. [/quote] Sorry, labeling them obscure was a bad choice of words on my part. I meant that few people outside of Kansas had heard of them. > [@](#): > > Yeah, I remember seeing it after the fact and thinking much the same thing. Downside is, the strain hasn’t cracked her yet. But I can dream, can’t I? Meh, she’s still going, but now she’s going under a _huge_ amount of outside pressure. I can’t see someone as messed-up as that just holding out indefinitely against the strain. And if _she’s_ bad, you’d better believe that everyone else in that “church” is ready to snap. I’m actually with **Guin** on this one. I think that the whole church is going to come tumbling down once Fred Sr. goes to the big cordoned-off picketing area in the sky. Oh, I imagine they’ll try to hold out, but either they’ll fuck up and beat some counterprotestor and draw prison terms and lawsuits, or one of the younger kids is going to jump the wall and expose everything. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-phelps-estranged-son-of-fred-phelps-sr-speaks-out/365717/29 "2006-07-24T17:45:19Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] Not so. The best response is to give his hideous family what they have been giving hundreds of families - he’s only going to die once, it’s not like we’d have to picket him any more. People aren’t doing enough protesting nowadays anyway - it would be great as a show of solidarity and a gay-straight alliance as much as it would be an active slap in the face for the Westboro Baptist Church. [/QUOTE] I’d say that there shouldn’t be a protest, but rather a party. Show the grieving family how happy the removal of Fred from this Earth makes us. Kind of a “ding dong the witch is dead” affair. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-phelps-estranged-son-of-fred-phelps-sr-speaks-out/365717/30 "2006-07-24T17:57:10Z")
Problem is, Phred is not all that old. He was born in 1929, don’t remember the date exactly. So he’s, say, 78? It may be a while yet, even though he’s looked quite ill the last year or two. Shirley Phelps-Roper isn’t their only spokesperson. Her older sister Marge is seen quite a bit on TV as well, although not so much lately. Hmm, wonder what’s going on there? I’d sure like to know the story behind Marge’s son Jacob. He was “adopted” _nudge, nudge, wink, wink_ Why, with such a large family an “adoption” was made, I wouldn’t guess. Marge has never married. On the WBC website I once read an article Marge wrote about a picketing trip to D.C. As the author she styled herself the “Privilege Prophetess of the Lord High God in these Last of the Last Days.” No ego problem there, huh? ---
**Author:** ![velvetjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f9b8f/32.png) [@velvetjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velvetjones)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-phelps-estranged-son-of-fred-phelps-sr-speaks-out/365717/31 "2006-07-24T18:42:54Z")
I’d like to hope that the Westboro Baptist Church will “come tumbling down” when the old man goes but I’m skeptical. These people are thoroughly brainwashed. Fred’s children, grandchildren and great grand children have been living with this brainwashing. I fear that his offspring will be even worse than he was. ---
**Author:** ![GLWasteful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f05b48/32.png) [@GLWasteful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GLWasteful)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-phelps-estranged-son-of-fred-phelps-sr-speaks-out/365717/32 "2006-07-24T18:54:21Z")
[QUOTE=Linty Fresh] Sorry, labeling them obscure was a bad choice of words on my part. I meant that few people outside of Kansas had heard of them. [/quote] Y’know, if I weren’t all the way over here in Missouri, I might just slap you with my dueling glove. But yeah, you’re right, they weren’t widely known outside of the midwest. Makes me pine for the olden days, it does. > [@](#): > > Meh, she’s still going, but now she’s going under a _huge_ amount of outside pressure. I can’t see someone as messed-up as that just holding out indefinitely against the strain. And if _she’s_ bad, you’d better believe that everyone else in that “church” is ready to snap. Oh, I know. And I, for one, simply cannot **wait** for her to go full tilt boogie. Want it on a worldwide feed. > [@](#): > > I’m actually with **Guin** on this one. I think that the whole church is going to come tumbling down once Fred Sr. goes to the big cordoned-off picketing area in the sky. Oh, I imagine they’ll try to hold out, but either they’ll fuck up and beat some counterprotestor and draw prison terms and lawsuits, or one of the younger kids is going to jump the wall and expose everything. And I wish like hell I could share your opinion. But I think they’ll just slide into irrelevance once the old Phucker goes toes up. For want of a better word, nobody else in that agglomeration of mistakes has his presence. Evil, vile presence though it may be. I keep thinking of Shirley and her deer-in-the-headlights look on Hannity & Colmes. Wound tighter than a deacon’s asshole is that one. Besides, after their indoctrination I imagine that the odds of one of them doing something as bear-fuckingly stupid as hitting someone are slim to none. And while it pains me to say it, any kids that have been living in that cesspool for any length of time ought to just be nuked from orbit. Only way to be sure, and all like that. Still, I hope that you’re right and they’ll implode messily and worldwide. Matter of fact, I’m gonna buy a round when the old bastard finally kicks. That will be my contribution to mankind. And mankind had damned well better be appreciative. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-phelps-estranged-son-of-fred-phelps-sr-speaks-out/365717/33 "2006-07-24T19:38:57Z")
Y’know, I suspect Phelpsy isn’t going to enjoy heaven very much – assuming that even God can forgive this moron. \*Welcome to Heaven, Mr. Phelps. Your mission, Fred, should you decide to accept it, is to follow St. Peter through the gates. Once inside, you will be given further orders by your escorts, Walt Whitman, Andy Warhol, Liberace and Gertrude Stein…" [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nate-phelps-estranged-son-of-fred-phelps-sr-speaks-out/365717.md?page=1)