# The worst case of agenda pushing yet **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 13, 2001, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405 "2001-09-13T18:27:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405/21 "2001-09-13T22:45:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gobear \* > \*\*Maybe God doesn’t like investment bankers. :rolleyes: \*\* Well, there goes _my_ ticket to heaven. Oh well. What an utter idiot. Just curious, guys. Can he just say this, even under these circumstances? I’m all for freedom of speech, but I think someone who spouts crap like the above _at a time like this_ should be **stopped**. This isn’t just hurtful to gays. It’s hurtful to all people with a fucking _brain_. ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405/22 "2001-09-13T23:03:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pldennison \* > **I guess it was to be utterly predictable and expected, but that pile of human excrement, Fred Phelps, is of course claiming that Tuesday’s attacks were God’s punishment on America for condoning homosexuality.** I for one applaud, Phelps. If it weren’t for men like this, how would we mere mortals _ever_ know what God was thinking or why He did things? See, here I was thinking that Tuesday’s attacks were caused by nutjob terrorists, but NO! Thanks to Phelps, I now: a) it’s God’s fault for punishing us b) it’s the homosexual’s fault for being gay c) it’s my own country’s fault for condoning the homosexuals d) the terrorists really were just patsies Thank you, Fred Phelps, for letting us know what God is thinking! Next time the two of you chat, can you put in a good word for me? (note for those who need to ne told: the above is sarcasm) ---
**Author:** ![Demise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@Demise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demise)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405/23 "2001-09-13T23:04:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Coldfire \* > \*\*What an utter idiot. Just curious, guys. Can he just say this, even under these circumstances? I’m all for freedom of speech, but I think someone who spouts crap like the above _at a time like this_ should be **stopped**. This isn’t just hurtful to gays. It’s hurtful to all people with a fucking _brain_. \*\* He can say whatever he wants as long as it’s not slander of a particular person. Now, if someone, on their own, decided they were tired of him and abridged his 1st Amendment rights with a baseball bat to the head, I would shed no tears. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405/24 "2001-09-13T23:04:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Coldfire \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by gobear \* > > \*\*Maybe God doesn’t like investment bankers. :rolleyes: \*\* > > Well, there goes _my_ ticket to heaven. Oh well. > > What an utter idiot. Just curious, guys. Can he just say this, even under these circumstances? I’m all for freedom of speech, but I think someone who spouts crap like the above _at a time like this_ should be **stopped**. This isn’t just hurtful to gays. It’s hurtful to all people with a fucking _brain_. \*\* Certainly is, but freedom of speech in the US cannot be curtailed short of a declaration of war and/or martial law. I agree that his words are despicable, but I will defend even his right to say them. I predict I will now be flamed. ---
**Author:** ![Lockfist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/838e76/32.png) [@Lockfist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lockfist)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405/25 "2001-09-13T23:15:43Z")
> [@](#): > > What an utter idiot. Just curious, guys. Can he just say this, even under these circumstances? I’m all for freedom of speech, but I think someone who spouts crap like the above at a time like this should be stopped. This isn’t just hurtful to gays. It’s hurtful to all people with a fucking _brain_. You know, **Coldfire** , that would explain these headaches I’ve been having since Tuesday. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405/26 "2001-09-13T23:22:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by friedo \* > \*\*I agree that his words are despicable, but I will defend even his right to say them. > > I predict I will now be flamed. \*\* No, not at all… I understand completely. I was just wondering about the legal limits of freedom of speech under the current circumstances. You have every right to your opinion. I will defend your right to have an opinion that is not my opinion, which is that not all opinions can be aired as such under all circumstances, IMHO, if you ask me, you know? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lionors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c37758/32.png) [@Lionors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionors)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405/27 "2001-09-13T23:38:43Z")
No, Friedo, I get what you mean. IMHO, half the hell of believing devoutly in freedom of expression is the people who use said freedom to spout that kind of vitriol. (The other half of the hell are the people who use said freedom to advocate the elimination of _other_ freedoms.) However, if you think this bozo is bad, go check the thread next door on Falwell’s rant. :rolleyes: He’s blaming everyone from the homosexuals, the pagans and the pro-choicers right down to the people who wear their Wednesday day-of-the-week underwear on Friday. And speaking as a straight, I wouldn’t touch Phelps with someone else’s fifty-foot steel pole lubed with Ebola-spiked Wet. What about slipping massive doses of estrogen to him on the sly to see what happens? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405/28 "2001-09-14T00:44:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Coldfire \* > \*\* I was just wondering about the legal limits of freedom of speech under the current circumstances. You have every right to your opinion. I will defend your right to have an opinion that is not my opinion, which is that not all opinions can be aired as such under all circumstances, IMHO, if you ask me, you know? 🙂 \*\* I think that under martial law (which we aren’t under yet), the Constitution can be suspended, which would include the Bill of Rights and the 1st Amendment. Since marking this, my 1000th post, by sharing the Gordon Sinclair speech seems a bit pointless now, and other words for the whole situation still elude me, I’m letting the milestone pass quietly in the night. There are more important things to concern ourselves with. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405/29 "2001-09-14T01:12:05Z")
Lets not give him the satisfaction of anyone actually paying attention to that utter bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![red\_dragon60](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@red\_dragon60](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_dragon60)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405/30 "2001-09-14T01:34:37Z")
I was suggesting the link as a bastion of rational thinking, as opposed to the hate-filled diatribe of Phelp’s. I am a member on the GHF boards, and the site was made by our very own **friedo** ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@The\_Tim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tim)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405/31 "2001-09-14T02:12:31Z")
Has anyone read the fliers? He plans on picketing the funerals of those killed if I read them correctly. I hope sane people have the sense to not reply with anything to make a scene. He doesn’t deserve being validated. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405/32 "2001-09-14T02:19:00Z")
Fred already had his response on Tuesday. I posted about it in another thread on Tuesday evening, as I check his site quite frequently. I live in Topeka, Kansas, which Fred calls home, so I have seen this stuff for almost ten years. I have helped organize counter-events against him, and one Christmas a group of us stood across the street from him and sang Christmas carols. We were a diverse group, some religious, some not, some gay, most not. Most carols were religious, some were not, but we had the most fun singing “Deck the Halls” because we would shout the word GAY. Yes, he is evil, and for years now I have felt good because I tell myself I am better, a REAL Christian.(Ooo, talk about arrogance) But since I am a Christian I have to remember the story of Saul, who was to become St. Paul. If he(the Fred of his day) could turn, then I have to believe that Fred can turn too. This feeling is very recent, maybe just since Tuesday evening, when we had a prayer service at my church. It is so easy to hate, maybe this is the time for me to REALLY try to pray for him, something I have seldom done. It’s what we are supposed to do for everyone, not just the people we like. ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405/33 "2001-09-14T02:26:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Tim \* > **Has anyone read the fliers? He plans on picketing the funerals of those killed if I read them correctly.** Oh my God. Does he actually think this will help his cause? He is absolutely insane. ---
**Author:** ![Folkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@Folkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folkie)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405/34 "2001-09-14T02:51:16Z")
There is a website I like called Apologetics Index [http://www.gospelcom.net/apologeticsindex/](http://www.gospelcom.net/apologeticsindex/) which is run by an evangelical Christian (which I ain’t). It is an encyclopedia of information about cults, heresies, and other fringe groups. One of the reasons I like the site is the entry on Phelps which I will quote in its entirety: Phelps, Fred Pastor of Westboro Baptist Church, a hate group masquerading as a Christian church. That goober threatened to come to my town and picket a high school graduation because the kids had, for a joke, chosen the class’s only out lesbian as Prom King. He didn’t show up but the protesters against him did. You know, at the circus the clowns wear costumes so you’ll know who they are. Outside the circus you have to find them by their behavior. Some make it real easy. (Apologies to the NICE clowns…) ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405/35 "2001-09-14T03:11:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jodi \* > – Attack carried out by aliens a la _Independence Day_? Che- Well, I haven’t actually seen that one yet, but the week is young. Jodi, just for you: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=86892](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=86892)" . I don’t know how serious **Hiyruu** is, but you gotta wonder. ---
**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405/36 "2001-09-14T03:16:30Z")
On behalf of the gay community, I would just like to say that we are of course glorifying in our sodomy and quite happy that close to 5000 people have died. I hate him. I hate the bile rising in my throat when I think of him. For what it’s worth, the only effective way thus far to get rid of Phelps has been to offer him tea and cookies- when he’s greeted with kindness by all around, he goes away. Also, a lot of groups are now having fundraisers when he comes around- it’s a “give us this much for every minute he stays” kind of thing. Good moneymaker for gay rights, as I understand it. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405/37 "2001-09-14T04:54:54Z")
This guy sure seems fixated on what other people are doing with their assholes. I think we could easily turn his attention to his _own_ rectum by taking about 100 cubic feet of sand and using a hammer to pound it all up there. That’s what I propose, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405/38 "2001-09-14T05:21:11Z")
I wish that the Tunak Tunak Tun guy dances all over Phelp’s asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405/39 "2001-09-14T05:32:03Z")
I’ve been in denial since this happened. Ever since Tuesday, I’ve managed to intellectualize this and realize that it happened without believing it, and now it’s just starting to hit me. Fuck you, Fred Phelps. Fuck all of you who are trying to pull this shit right now. This isn’t the liberals’ fault. This isn’t the conservative’s fault. It’s not because of Bush, it’s not because of Clinton…fuck…just fuck. I’m sitting here trying not to hyperventilate. ---
**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:** [September 14, 2001, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405/40 "2001-09-14T06:39:29Z")
It brings back memories of the 94 Northridge earthquake. Some idiot telepreacher said it was GOD striking at the porno kings(the San Fernando Valley is the porn center of the universe). None of the porno operations(most of them are in Chatsworth) were destroyed, most were only down a couple of days. Maybe God is incompetent? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-case-of-agenda-pushing-yet/81405.md?page=3)