# Welcome to our newest member, Rev. Fred Phelps **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 22, 2003, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736 "2003-11-22T22:30:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_With_The_Golden_Gun)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736/1 "2003-11-22T22:30:15Z")
During my daily visit to [godhatesfags.com](http://godhatesfags.com), I began wondering, what would happen if Fred Phelps found the Straight Dope, and decided to post? What would he post? Who would debate him? Would he be mean or nice? And of course, how long would it be until the ban hammer went down upon him? What would you do if Phred registered here? ---
**Author:** ![Chimpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@Chimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimpy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736/2 "2003-11-22T22:34:15Z")
daily visit to [godhatesfags.com](http://godhatesfags.com)? i dont know i think id have to accept he was here but how long do you think it would take for him to get banned? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736/3 "2003-11-22T22:36:26Z")
I doubt he’d even get a single post before he was banned. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736/4 "2003-11-22T23:03:40Z")
Don’t you need opposable thumbs to register? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736/5 "2003-11-22T23:03:56Z")
I guess it would depend on what kind of sock he wore. What on God’s green Earth are you doing visiting that site every day??? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736/6 "2003-11-22T23:14:54Z")
> [@](#): > > During my daily visit to [godhatesfags.com](http://godhatesfags.com), Just out of curiosity, what is your motivation for doing this? Assuming you are not a fan of his, aren’t you just helping to keep this lunatic in the news? By adding to his website’s hit count, are you raising his site in the search engine rankings? I’ve said this before, but I had never heard of Phelps or Jack Chick before joining this message board, and I still have yet to encounter Chick anywhere but here. I did once date a woman who got energy from being offended, and thus did seek out offensive things, so I guess I can relate, although I do not understand. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736/7 "2003-11-22T23:23:41Z")
I’d give him 5 posts or one OP before he gets banned, probably by **UncleBeer** , although **Coldfire** might also do it. There will be a protest thread after the banning, but I can’t think of any members of this board (even among the conservatives) who would definately start it. ---
**Author:** ![Loneraven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c0e974/32.png) [@Loneraven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loneraven)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736/8 "2003-11-22T23:34:00Z")
And the award for scariest thread title of all time goes to… I think I can understand the OP’s “daily visits” to the website. I used to lurk on the BNP’s website a while ago, until it got too depressing. All in the spirit of know thine enemy. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736/9 "2003-11-23T01:56:01Z")
Well, Fred wouldn’t care if he got banned. I visit his site quite often, and he believes that God will soon destroy this country. For a non-Fred cite for this, see [http://www.cjonline.com/stories/112003/loc\_debate.shtml](http://www.cjonline.com/stories/112003/loc_debate.shtml) This “debate” took place just this week. Wish I had been there, Pedro is a fantastic speaker. As the article says, almost as theatrical as Fred himself, and a fervent defender of civil rights for _all_. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736/10 "2003-11-23T03:25:41Z")
I think it would be amusing to see him in the Pit. I think he’d also get under his name “TOO STUPID TO LIVE” or some other custom title. ---
**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736/11 "2003-11-23T03:43:28Z")
And a very UNwelcome to Phred (just in case the creature is lurking about these boards somewhere). We can’t wait for you to leave! ---
**Author:** ![Gadfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gadfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadfly)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736/12 "2003-11-23T04:49:51Z")
As someone on this board once said: “Oh geez, Phred Phelps.” That was pretty apt. ---
**Author:** ![Darkhold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@Darkhold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkhold)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736/13 "2003-11-23T06:15:34Z")
Ban him? Ban him? The mission here is to fight ignorance are you afraid to fall in battle to such as him? Sure we may lose many of our best warriors but I believe that victory would be worth it! I’ll even register for the draft when it comes up. Though I’ll probably try to be the office supply guy. ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736/14 "2003-11-23T08:10:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lamar Mundane \* > By adding to his website’s hit count, are you raising his site in the search engine rankings? \*\* No, search engines Like Google have no way of telling how many hits a site is getting. They rank on things like key words, text in the title, and commonness of links to the site. If a number of dopers were to all link to his website using specific text, perhaps “santorum eater”, then he would show up first for that search without ever having the text on his page. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_With_The_Golden_Gun)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736/15 "2003-11-23T15:56:54Z")
I visit his site daily mainly just to see what he’s up to. Phred is practically a joke throughout my whole family. Also, unless I’m mistaken, each hit to his site costs a bit of bandwidth. So, by visiting his site, I’m costing him money. And no, I’m not a fan of his. ---
**Author:** ![Kurdt\_Kobain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/258eb7/32.png) [@Kurdt\_Kobain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kurdt_Kobain)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736/16 "2003-11-23T16:09:47Z")
Phred Phelps? What’s up with the name? ---
**Author:** ![Gadfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gadfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadfly)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736/17 "2003-11-23T16:26:25Z")
You’re one to talk, Kurdt. ---
**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736/18 "2003-11-23T16:33:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kurdt Kobain \* > \*\*Phred Phelps? > > What’s up with the name? \*\* From a bumper sticker I saw in his (and my) hometown: “Phuck Phred”. I loved it when George Carlin himself bashed him in his concert at TPAC last year. Of course the Phelpsie’s were there protesting before the concert (I think because TPAC allows gays to perform or hires them or something). There was also a radio station van there that kept turning up the music just to drown them out. Free entertainment! ---
**Author:** ![Kurdt\_Kobain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/258eb7/32.png) [@Kurdt\_Kobain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kurdt_Kobain)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736/19 "2003-11-23T19:34:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gadfly \* > \*\*You’re one to talk, Kurdt. \*\* Hey! ☹ I would still like an explanation for calling him that please orally with some words arranged in sentences on this internet message board in english if you will that’d be nice on the internet, to be informed is nirvana alright ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2003, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736/20 "2003-11-23T21:44:31Z")
Reading that last post of yours hurdt, **Kurdt.** [sub]Sorry…couldn’t resist.[/sub] To answer the question you posed, I guess it’s a way of morphing the “f” from Fred into “ph” so that it matches the “ph” in Phelps. Kind of an alliterative exercise, if you will. Or were you really asking something else regarding the name? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-our-newest-member-rev-fred-phelps/214736.md?page=2)