Now members of Phelps’ group are back in Casper pushing to be allowed to put up a granite monument in the same park where they picketed at Shepard’s funeral.
The proposed monument would say, “Matthew Shepard entered Hell, October 12, 1998.”
That was the day that Shepard, 21, died of injuries and hypothermia he suffered five days before when two men beat him with a gun butt and left him to die while tied to a fence post in zero-degree weather, after meeting him at a bar in Laramie. Both of the men were later convicted.
The saddest thing is he might even be allowed to do this. Words fail me.
Don’t worry, he’s been stopped. The reason the goons, er, followers, thought they could do it is because the public park had another religious figure, a 10 Commandments monument erected in the 60’s. The group that erected it agreed to have it moved. They did that rather than allow the desecration that Phelps wanted to be established. Then Caspar put into effect a law against religious monuments in the park.
Now if only my town of Topeka could get it’s act together like that.
Phelps and company were going to be in our county protesting against a performance of The Laramie Project on October 25th, and also against local churches that refused to support Phelp’s position. When they realized that they were going to face pretty stiff counter-protesting they failed to show.
The above is a link to a story about Phelps and the monument.
lawoot, did you ever see the video of when the Phelp’s tried to picket the funeral of Randy Shilts, in San Francisco several years ago? The made a big noise about not being afraid, but they stayed less than a minute! A line of police stood in front of them, grinning from ear to ear, as the crowd on the other side of the street lobbed missiles over their heads down onto the Phelps clan. It looked like a precise military mortar barrage.
It is not unknown for the Phelps to say they will picket in a place, just to get locals riled up, then find an excuse not to go.
NPR had a report from New Hampshire about V. Gene Robinson’s consecration as Bishop of New Hampshire. Westboro sent a small contingent of protesters who were shouted down by counter-protesters.
Heh, I didn’t see them out front of our church today, then I remembered they would be plaguing Robinson. Good to hear they were shouted down. Here in Kansas, next Saturday the 8th, we are consecrating the new bishop of our diocese. We won’t get the press coverage, but we probably will get the Fredster.
Good to see that Phelps cannot spread his hateful agenda wherever he damn well pleases. Not surprising to hear what happened to him and his thugs (aka goons) in SanFrancisco. Just like all bullies, when confronted, they show they are chickenshits at heart.
Yeah, I was really and truly heartened when I heard an interview with one of the more religious-minded folk in Caspar. He said it meant a lot to him that the 10 Commandments be on display there, but if it meant allowing Phelps to put something so hateful up, he’d gladly support removing it.
I can’t wait for the day when he goes too far and finds himself in prison with thugs of another kind. Unfortunately, he’s probably to much of a chickensh!t to take that extra step.
I wish God would reach down and smite him upside the head! Grrr…