Small (Westboro Baptist) protest precedes Grosse Pointe Farms school's play ("The Laramie Project")

[Bozita]

Source: Detroit Free Press

Small protest precedes Grosse Pointe Farms school's play
3 church members picket 'Laramie'
BY PEGGY WALSH-SARNECKI • FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER • NOVEMBER 22, 2008

Three women from a radical Kansas church protested in front of Grosse Pointe South High School and Christ Church in Grosse Pointe Farms on Friday. The protestors were drawn by the school's production of a play about the 1998 torture and beating death of a gay college student in Laramie, Wyo.

Westboro Baptist Church, which is not affiliated with the mainline Baptist church, has attracted national attention because of its intolerance of gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual individuals. The church also is known for picketing at the funerals of military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Westboro members say the military deaths are God's punishment for American tolerance of homosexuality.

The Grosse Pointe Farms protest -- hours before a performance of "The Laramie Project" -- was a quiet affair with little interaction between the protestors and the community.

About 100 Christ Church members stretched across the church lawn, symbolically turning their backs on the protestors' message of intolerance, said the Rev. Bradford Whitaker, the church's rector.

Read more: http://www.freep.com/article/20081122/NEWS02/811220388

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Video: http://www.wxyz.com/news/story.aspx?content_id=c7f7a611-834d-4f81-afa5-9a42b27b3ce0

[saltpoint]

1. If the kids' folks consented to their trying out for and being part of

this production at the school, then it seems to me that the nutbags objecting to it are actually subverting both a proper public education as well as other families' parenting.

[WillParkinson]

2. It's sad...

That people continue giving this nutbag page space.

[fascisthunter]

3. These People are Sick in the Head

and just hatefilled rejects.

[notadmblnd]

4. Why don't people just pick up rotten fruit and throw it at these people?

[HillbillyBob]

12. Or get some skunk perfume and toss at them

nt

[mr1956]

5. Westboro is being marginalized

I think the non-violent protest by Christ Church members is the best reaction to these loonies. Let them know their message is wrong without feeding their hate.

[Bluenorthwest]

6. Here's to the members of Christ Church!

That is what will undo that hate. Love. Good for them, thought I'd never see the day.

[kestrel91316]

7. Has anyone ever simply gone up to these freaks and ASKED THEM,

since they do not want America to "tolerate" gays, specifically what do they WANT us to do with/to them?

I think we need to ask them this every time they show up. What the fuck DO you people want, exactly??? WHAT would make you happy??? Get them on the record saying they want gays stoned in the streets and dead (because you and I both know that's exactly what they want). And then let the chips fall where they may when THAT hits youtube.

[LynnTheDem]

10. They've already answered that;

"recriminalize sodomy and abortion, and impose the death penalty for these crimes"
http://www.adl.org/special_reports/wbc/wbc_on_america.asp




And ya thought IRAN was evil.

[kestrel91316]

11. So Fred Phelps wants himself to get the death penalty for all the acts of

sodomy you and I know in our hearts HE has committed?

Because RWers are masters of PROJECTION, if nothing else........

[applejuice]

13. Louis Theroux did an interesting show about Westboro Baptist once...

Although they were often not keen to talk over a few weeks he got them to say a lot.

The family are brainwashed from an early age and if the don't go along with it pretty much banished. The 71 members of the church were pretty much all one extended family.

Here is an interesting article the BBC did on the show: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6507971.stm

A little of Louis Theroux's views on them having spent a few weeks with them:

"I think that the pastor is not a very nice person. I think he's an angry person who's twisted the Bible and picked and chosen verses that support his anger, that sort of justify his anger, and he's instilled that in his children and they've passed it on to their children. Although the second and third generation are by and large quite nice people from what I saw, they still live under the influence of their Gramps."

The whole thing is worth a read though.

[Politicalboi]

8. These morons

Should not be able to fly on a plane. They are terrorist. I believe that Fred Phelps is a gay man who never lived the life he wanted. I wish someone would make a sign with Fred's picture and say he's gay at one of their hate fests. I hate to put Fred in our gay community but I think that is his problem. Fred Phelps is a good reason that gays should marry. Don't let this happen to you.

[LynnTheDem]

9. I am so ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE Jesus Christ would approve of these "Christian" people!

NOT.




PS: "Christian" people = Westboro bigots, just in case anyone was silly enough to think I meant the Christ Church members who truly did what Jesus would have done.

[sarah FAILIN]

14. Remember the last time we heard something about Gross Point Farms???

I went to the old post and c/p from it, but I wonder if this old witch was involved. Sounds like it would be right up her alley.
She was probably hoping for 15 more moinutes.


Supporting Obama? No treats for you at Grosse Pointe Farms house. Detroit News and Associated Press GROSSE POINTE FARMS --

A Grosse Pointe Farms woman refused Halloween treats to children whose parents support Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
Shirley Nagel passed out candy Friday -- but only to those who shared her support for Republican presidential candidate John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin.

A sign was posted Friday outside Nagel's house and it served notice to all trick-or-treaters, according to Channel 2/WJBK-TV. It read: "No handouts for Obama supporters, liars, tricksters or kids of supporters."

On Saturday afternoon, the sign was no longer there.
Nagel told WJBK-TV that "Obama's scary." When asked about children who'd been turned away empty-handed and crying, she said: "Oh well. Everybody has a choice."

Her next door neighbor Gregory Bowens, who has an Obama sign propped in his front yard, said when he heard about his neighbor's actions he put up posters proclaiming "Obama 4 Peace" and "candy for all." He encouraged trick-or-treaters denied next door to scrawl positive messages about Obama or anything else on his driveway.

"The truth is it was a very mean thing to do," Bowens said. "I thought I should do something positive."

While the neighborhood is dotted by several McCain and Obama signs, Bowens said neighbors get along and politics is rarely an issue.
A phone message and a visit to Nagel's home went unanswered Saturday evening."

[crim son]

15. Probably a coincidence.

Still, it's a reminder not to vacation there.