On its Web site, Westboro Baptist Church said it plans to protest at St. Joseph's Church because Richardson supported research for a cure for AIDS.
No. They are protesting because the media will be there. End of discussion.
Here’s something I’ve never understood: where does Fred Phelps’ money come from? His “congregation” has fewer than 100 people, made up primarily of family and extended family members.
Church members fly all around the world staging their protests, claiming 22,000 such protests since 1991. That’s over 1,200 events a year. That number is certainly wildly inflated but still, they appear at enough events around the country to rack up the frequent flier miles.
And finally, the group’s actions have made them a target of expensive lawsuits, which they’ve appealed ad nauseum. In November 2007, Phelps was ordered to pay $11 million to the family of a solider whose funeral the church had picketed. A judge placed a lien on Phelps’ Topeka, Kan., church building and law offices.
So I’d just like to know who is paying for the Phelps cult to travel around the world spreading their hate, paying all of their court costs and related expenses (though several members of the family are lawyers, they still need to pay for things like posting $225,000 in bond ordered by a judge last spring). And that doesn’t even mention stuff like keeping the lights on and food on the table at the Topeka compound where they all live.
So who is keeping this mission of hate afloat? And why isn’t someone in our media doing some digging to find this stuff out, instead of doing the hate crew’s biding by reporting every time a Phelps family member shows up to picket someone’s funeral?
Come on, doesn’t anyone do investigative work anymore? Anyone?
Bueller?
I suspect learning the identity of Phelps' backers will do wonders for promoting gay rights in this country.
