Westboro Church reaches new Low

[Clueless]

This will at least help families avoid the terrible signs and chanting..

Sebelius signs bill banning funeral picketing

To ensure the privacy of Kansas families as they mourn the loss of their loved ones, Governor Kathleen Sebelius has signed a bill banning funeral picketing.

“I appreciate the legislature moving swiftly on this issue so we can protect the privacy of families in their time of mourning,” Sebelius said. “As we honor the memories of those Kansans who we’ve lost, we wish to shield their families from the despicable and disgraceful displays of those seeking publicity.”

SB 226 prohibits protests from being within 150 feet of a funeral for one hour before, during and two hours after the service. It will also be unlawful to block a public street or sidewalk. Violators will be subject to fines and six months in jail.

Similar legislation was passed and signed last year, but was struck down by the Kansas Supreme Court. The aspect of the legislation identified by the Court in its rejection has been removed from this version of bill.

This bill goes into effect upon its publication in the Kansas Register.

Nicole Corcoran, Press Secretary
April 3, 2008

[Tee]

Originally Posted by Clueless

SB 226 prohibits protests from being within 150 feet of a funeral for one hour before, during and two hours after the service. It will also be unlawful to block a public street or sidewalk. Violators will be subject to fines and six months in jail.

So, if you take away everything in a 150 ft radius of the Funeral home, all public streets and sidewalks, that would only leave private property, right?

Who's going to let Phelps on their front lawn to picket a funeral?

[ksgrainman]

My understanding is they can ONLY set up on public property. The funerals I have attend where they showed up ( all 3 times in Dodge ) they were on public ground. Once in a ditch and twice on the corners on the City parking or easements. This law really does not do alot to keep them in check or hinder them, but it sounds nice and is touchy feel good. All times I have seen the inbred bunch of maggots they are way more than 150 ft. from the funeral site. This will not stop them from wallowing in their venom and spew.

[Clueless]

Originally Posted by Tee

So, if you take away everything in a 150 ft radius of the Funeral home, all public streets and sidewalks, that would only leave private property, right?

Who's going to let Phelps on their front lawn to picket a funeral?

I see it as an opportunity to test your lawn sprinklers.

[notyoubob]

And the beat goes on....


Westboro must post appeal bond while challenging judgment
The Associated Press

BALTIMORE - A federal judge has issued liens against a fundamentalist Kansas church and ordered two of its members to post cash bonds while they appeal a $5 million judgment resulting from the church's protest at a military funeral.

The Westboro Baptist Church has filed a motion seeking to stay last November's verdict, in which a jury found that the Topeka, Kan.-based church intentionally inflicted emotional distress upon Albert Snyder of York, Pa. Snyder's son, Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder, 20, was killed in Iraq in March 2006.

The church frequently pickets military funerals, arguing that the deaths of U.S. troops overseas are part of God's punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality. Since the verdict, the church has protested at other high-profile funerals in the Baltimore area, claiming that "God hates Baltimore."

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett placed a lien on the properties of the church and its founder, Fred W. Phelps Sr., and ordered two of Phelps' daughters to post cash bonds of $125,000 and $100,000 within 30 days.

The church property was appraised recently at $442,800. Bennett also placed a lien on a $232,900 office building owned by Phelps and his wife that the family law firm uses. The liens mean that no new mortgages can be taken out on the properties, and no money can be borrowed against the equity in them.

Bennett noted that it would require "extraordinary circumstances" for the church to avoid posting a portion of the judgment.

Phelps' daughters, Shirley L. Phelps-Roper and Rebekah A. Phelps-Davis, have argued that they and the church cannot afford to pay the $5 million judgment, which Bennett reduced from an initial jury award of $10.9 million.

Sean E. Summers, an attorney for Snyder, suggested that the church was not being forthcoming about its finances, questioning how its members can afford to travel around the country when documents turned over to the court show that Phelps-Davis and Phelps-Roper have just a few hundred dollars in their checking accounts.

Phelps-Davis and Phelps-Roper are both attorneys; Phelps-Davis earned about $55,000 last year, and Phelps-Roper made about $20,000, according to tax returns filed with the court.

"If you ordered any one of them here today, they probably couldn't afford to come, but yet they travel the world," Summers said. "There's money somewhere."

Summers said the judge's order for the defendants to put up essentially all their assets was "as good as we could have expected."

Phelps-Roper would not reveal her next legal move but hinted that it would be impossible to raise $125,000. Failing a reversal of the judge's ruling on appeal, she said God will deliver her and her church.

"No worries, mate, it's all well," Phelps-Roper told The (Baltimore) Daily Record.

Information from: The Baltimore Examiner, http://www.examiner.com

[wordsmythe]

Originally Posted by ksgrainman

The church at Westboro which he leads has 71 confirmed members, 60 of whom are related to Phelps through blood or marriage or both.

Thanks for validating my previous statement.

[Made in the USA]

That means that there are 11 members, who are not related to the idiots. Gee, I wonder what mental institution that they escaped from??

notyoubob, thanks for the article. Sounds like maybe they could take them down like they did with Al Capone??? Possible "Tax evasion"??? !!!!

[jeezeweeze]

From: mina@pld.com
To: ;
Subject: Fw: Memorial Service in Ulysses, Kansas 3-31-08
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2008 15:01:56 -0600

Just a note: I did not attend the service and did not take the pictures below, I am just passing on what was sent to me by a friend.

Since I am sending this to friends all over the world I will include an explanation for the pictures.

We had four sophomore girls killed in a car accident March 27 in the city limits of Ulysses. Their car which included a fifth girl pulled out in front of a semi truck and trailer. The fifth girl, the driver, is home now and still recovering from serious injuries. It has rocked this community to the core. They were on their lunch time from school. These girls were good girls, a couple into sports, two were cousins and all were inseparable. Everyone knows parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers, many members of the families and of course the girls. I think you could've heard a pin drop in Ulysses Thursday afternoon and evening.

Last night was a memorial service for all the girls with separate funerals today and Wednesday. We first came to know of some activity promised for last evening when this email was circulated after someone decided to check Fred Phelps website. (The website link is not included due to the terrible language used, but may be found if googled.)

Now, to say this sparked some anger is an understatement. The Patriot Guard was contacted. Under their by-laws they cannot attend as a group because the girls were not military. (One of the girls has a father that works for a company currently in Egypt and a brother in Iraq. Both got to come home for the funeral.) However, the Kansas director lives in Dodge City, an hour away, and he felt it was the right thing to do so he came over with a few other people to help us through the events to come.

The email circulated Ulysses yesterday morning and by 5:00 pm there were 115 bikes from all over Southwest Kansas meeting in a parking lot to get organized and briefed on dos and don'ts. We went as a group to the civic center, parked on the north side of the street and prepared for the demonstrators. They came at 6:15 and left at 7:00 the time limit of their protest permit. In that 45 minutes very little of what they had to say was ever heard. As soon as they would sing, talk or yell we would start our bikes and rev up till they were drowned out. At 7:00 they were escorted out of town by the police and we all quietly disbanded so the memorial service could begin.

You will notice in the pictures that our backs are turned to the demonstrators. This is the way the Patriot Guard handles Fred Phelps group. We were instructed that no matter what they said or did we were not to say or do anything and if we didn't think we could handle it to call for help. These people will say and do anything you can imagine to get a response out of you. They will call those young ladies every name in the book, call you every name in the book and all your family members. We were somewhat fortunate that we couldn't hear anything that was said. My bike was one of the ones directly in front of the demonstrators so I just stood by my bike and made sure my bike was heard. They video everything we do so they can sue if one of us gets out of hand in anyway.

We owe a tremendous gratitude to Ralph Rojas, Kansas director of the Patriot Guard and several local members for their efforts.

Please keep these families in your prayers.

[jackknife]

The Patriot Guard makes me feel swelled with pride to know that there are people in this world that care so much about others that they will spend much of their life protecting them. The fact that this group is from Kansas (are there other branches?) make me even more proud.

[Made in the USA]

A BIG SALUTE to the Patriot Guard and to our local members!! I can't imagine what I would do if my family was in similar circumstances as these poor Ulysses parents. THANKS TO YOU ALL!!