Phelps is coming!

The BBQ Pit
1

Lovely. Freeking great. Fred Phelps is coming to my town. (Fargo, N.D.) Seems he found out that our local chapter of the United Way isn’t funding the Boy Scouts because of their exclusion of gays. So he is going to come here next week to picket the United Way offices here.

:smack:

The trouble is, the United way here has NEVER funded the Boy Scouts. They didn’t withdraw funds, they never gave the B.S.A. any funds to begin with. But his sights are set. He is determined to come here to “Fago”, as he calls us.
Of course the local media here got wind of this and ran with it. The local news opened their broadcasts last night with the story. To their credit, they did mention that the Westbourogh Baptist church is comprised almost enterly of Freddie’s own family.

Why. Why, oh why did he notice my town. What did we do to deserve a visit from this idiot?

So now we get to host the rabid, foaming nitwit Shame of Topeka.

I wonder if there is some way to turn him back at the border.

2

Organize a big counter-protest. That’s what they did in Ottawa after the Supremes passed gay commonlaw marriages. He didn’t even show up. hee!

When he does show up, bring the group back, and hold up a big sign saying that for every minute the protest lasts, each of you is donating (oh, say) 50 cents to the United Way and 50 cents to the Matthew Shepard Fund. That’s worked clearing him out before.

Oh, and go talk to Baker. She’s fabulous.

3

Here is a local news article on Ol Phelpsy. I don’t know how long the link will work…http://www.kvlytv11.com/news.shtml#news4

It’s a ways down the page…

4

One great idea I heard was for some local bars and restaurants to offer certain amount of money for each minute/hour Phelps is in town to a local GLBT youth center.

5

I think the donation-strategy is fantastic. I first read about it as something called “Project Lemonade,” done when the Klan would march on a town.

Trying to turn them away is a lousy idea, I think: Phelps obviously thrives on controversy and would like nothing better than to be a martyr. But using him as a fundraising tool is a way to belittle him, to subvert his message, and to draw attention away from him toward a good cause, all at the same time.

Win/win/win! Only Phelps is the loser.
Daniel

6

At the very least, there should be some entertainment value to get from the clown. Rabid idiots are often fun to watch.

7

Agreed on the counter-protest. When he came to Madison, WI and organized several pickets, local LGBT/Ally groups organized ‘per minute’ protests as well. (They solicited donations that would increase in size based on how long Phelps protested.) They also handed out pamphlets advising that Phelps lives on money from lawsuits, and discouraged any direct contact (verbal or physical assault) with him or his group.

It worked very well! Phelps may have gotten on the local news, but many local charities and activists got funding and more visibility. No loss at all. In the end, we were sort of pleased that he graced our little town. Madison is not exactly the place where Phelps has a lot of sympathy – especially given his choices for picketing (local churches, the Capitol Bldg., the Memorial Union, the Madison School Board), and it was sort of amusing. (I confess, I was there. Phelps, interestingly, would not speak to the people asking him questions about his protest – he would only speak to reporters with news cameras. So much for saving souls, Phelpsie.)

8

Incidentally, you can read more about Phelps’ picket schedule, including his Fargo stop, on his press release page. The guy is apparently also planning a picket on FDNY. The guy is just trying to piss people off.

9

Gee, **matt_mcl, ** I don’t think I’ve had such a nice compliment in a long time!

Anyway, the funding ideas are all great. We tried something like that here in Topeka once and it helped. I will be seeing the WBC again this Saturday. You see, thanks to Freddie, the Nazis have decided that Topeka is a good site for a rally. So they will be on the steps of the Kansas Statehouse day after tomorrow.(I had a thread about it in MPSIMS, but it’s a couple of days back) Freddie said he wouldn’t be coming out to a “non-event” but the temptation for publicity was too strong so instead he will be picketing a rally that will be held across the street from the Statehouse. It’s sponsored by the NAACP and a lot of community groups, including Concerned Citizens for Topeka, and Unity Blvd, will be there in support. Any of you live near enough to Topeka to come stand with us?

Don’t try to turn them away. If you do they will only be worse. Mess with their heads instead. Try making some signs that say “I love Joan Hamilton”( a former city DA that Phelps hated) or “Nightmare on Gage” or “John Spong tells the truth!”(an Episcopalian priest that Freddie loathes) They will wonder how you got the names! My favorite sign is a banner that quoted 1 John from the New Testament “Whosoever says they love God but hates their brother(or sister) is a liar” Mess with their heads, it’s fun! You can email me for more suggestions if you want.

BTW, the first three letters of my email address, chw, stand for the words “Crop headed whore” It’s what Freddie used to call us when we counter picketed against us. He believes it’s unbiblical for women to cut their hair. When we laughed he called the police to try and have us arrested for disturbing the peace with the noise!

Don’t be suprised at the planned NYFD picket. He’s already done that several times. Some of their signs say “Thank God for 9-11”

10

Hmmm, he’s coming to Boston in October. That should be… interesting… since Boston certainly has a large gay community. I’ll have to find out what counter-protests are planned.

Coincidentally, this is about the same time that a gay couple who are my best friends are moving to the area. What a ‘welcome’ !

11

You know what you should do, rope off part of the sidewalk near where he’s going to protest and set up some chairs and a large sign which says:

“Idiot viewing: 5 cents”

12

Baker, I love you. Post more of your anit-Phelps strategies. :slight_smile:

13

I wouldn’t confront him directly, though. After reading his bio on godhatesfundies and about what it was like growing up in the Phelps’s house…I think the guy’s crazier than a shithouse rat.

14

He came to Madison a few years ago, calling it “Fag Town.” Doesn’t he know any other deterogitory words for homosexuals? I think he thinks “fag” has some magic power or something. He uses it an awful, awful lot.

15

I know! It’s so irritating? What about faggot, fairy, fruit, homo, cocksucker, asslicker, shitstabber, uphill gardener, fudgepacker, invert, pervert, queerbait, bitchboy, gaylord, flit, froufrou, sissy, pansy, mo, girlyboy, battyboy, bumboy, dicklicker, butt pirate, boywhore, and miss molly? Not to mention schwule, tapette, momoune, fifi, matante, tantouse, pédale, marica, maricón, mariquita, mariposa, and frocio?

Honestly, it wouldn’t be so bad if he’d vary his vocabulary once in a while. The homophobia itself wouldn’t be that annoying except that it’s always the same word: fag, fag, fag. Show some fucking creativity! You’re working my last nerve!

16

Not only that, but he often goes after hecklers with the police and/or harassing lawsuits (this is how he generates profit). You’re not going to change this guy’s mind, so just stay away. Really.

17

Because Fargo sucks.

This drive-by post brought to you by PGI members who are tired of going to Fargo, the letter I, and the number i.

18

Negative:

Minot sucks.

At least Fargo gets new dormitories at NDSU. . . :mad:

Tripler
I’m siding with particlewill on this one.

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**matt_mcl, ** Fred’s vocabulary does vary some in his faxes. How about “Jezebelian switch hitting whore”? And I have seen him use fudge packers and muff divers (you left out the latter in your list!!!) It’s just that fag is shorter and fits better on a sign.

The Nazi rally I mentioned earlier is this afternoon at !:00PM. In addition to two seperate counter-protests the local Friends assembly is holding an all day prayer vigil at their church. Sometimes I wonder if they might not be the best group of all.

**particlewill, ** I wish I had the time(my vacation was just a month ago) to come up to Fargo and counter-protest there. It might help to drive them crazy, to think they were being “stalked”. As it is I will be thinking of you all on that day. Keep us posted as to the outcome(sometimes they don’t actually show) If there is a link to a local newspaper article, could you possibly include it here?

20

Meh. United Way is a pretty crappy charity to give to anyways. They take your money and split it up among whatever groups they feel like. I’d rather make sure my money was going somewhere I wanted it.

Phelps has gotta realize now that he’s wasting his breath, the people who would follow his message are already convinced. I wouldn’t think he’s worth bothering to counter-protest against, it’s not like he has any effect that needs to be countered. He’s an impotent voice who gets attention, but never respect. So who cares?

Seems to me that by organizing a counterprotest you’re just legitimizing his position, you’re saying that it’s powerful enough that it must be opposed. Why not just mock and belittle it, treat it with the disregard it deserves?