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The Westboro Baptist Church, which has gained infamy for protesting at the funerals of men and women killed in combat, will have a new target on Saturday: the services for two little boys slain by their father. The church, whose "God hates fags" signs and messages have been seen across the country, intends to be at the funeral of Charlie Powell, 7, and his brother, Braden, 5. Saturday at the Life Center Church in Tacoma. The boys died Sunday after their father , Josh Powell, blew up their Pierce County home.

The controversial Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas is at it again. Now, the church said it will picket the funeral of the legendary Joe Pa -- longtime Penn State football coach Joe Paterno who died on Sunday morning. Joe Paterno died on Sunday. The controversial Westboro Baptist Church tweet Sunday after the news that it planned to picket Paterno's funeral. Margie Phelps, wife of Westboro Baptist Church leader Fred Phelps, sent out several tweets on Sunday after news of Paterno's death spread. The church, known for its controversial positions, suggested Paterno is going to hell. "Joe Paterno is dead....

Today I want to write about something that has bothered me for the better part of a decade. I’ve carved out no fewer than a dozen drafts of this post, all strangely unalike, all ultimately failing to accomplish the job I’ve set out to do. Truth is, I’ve been trying to write it off and on for more than a year now, and the right words have been seemingly impossible to come by. In the end, and in order to post it, I guess I had to care more about the message than I do about potential backlash. I’m not...

Mrs MindBender would not let me run them (and their filth) over at entrance to parking lot Could only flip them off Sorry could nof do more :)

In an ordinary town, in a quiet neighborhood, in a beige two-story house, a girl named Megan lives with her parents and eight siblings. She is 25, with a cheeky smile. Tall and tan and athletic, she has long, curly hair that tumbles down her shoulders in thick locks. Her voice is bubbly, with a pinch of country twang, and when she is talking about something she likes, she leans forward in her seat and says “Ohmygosh!” before unleashing a stream of syllables that come pouring out on top of each other. She is polite. If you were to stop...

Westboro Baptist Church, best-known for picketing funerals of dead soldiers, is now taking its show of hate to Penn State - to protest the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal that has rocked the country and shocked the university. However, the divisive group's actions have united a divided campus, by inspiring a counter-protest by the atheist and LGBT student groups. On Saturday, Nov. 11, the WBC will be holding up its famously abrasive signs at Beaver Stadium in University Park, PA where the Penn State football team will take on Nebraska. According to the WBC website, "Penn State has the...

Antagonists (hardly 'pro-testers'} from the Westboro 'baptist' 'church' (truly neither) left Atchison, Kansas after attempting to picket the funeral of one of the young men killed in the recent grain elevator explosion. This site has video of them leaving mere moments after arrival, having been surrounded by local citizens. Additional video is available at http:/www.fox4kc.com/2011/11/03/federinco-to-be-laid-to-rest-westboro-plans-to-picket/#00id=E0bGF5MjrvalDKdke7Soh1rLIa6Im6g1. The locals from A-town were singing "Jesus Loves the Little Children" when the Spirit moved the antagonists to depart.

Fringe religious organization Westboro Baptist Church plans to picket former Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ funeral, according to a tweet by top member Margie J Phelps.

WBC intends to protest Wed., 8/17/2011 @ 9:30 a.m. - Memorial Service to begin at 10:00 a.m. (Church of the Resurrection, 13720 Roe Avenue, Leawood, KS) for Navy SEAL Matthew D. Mason. Buriel will be private at Arlington National Cemetery following services in Missouri and Kansas. Mason, 37, was one of 30 Americans killed Aug. 6 when a helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan by Taliban insurgents. The chief petty officer had seven tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was severely wounded in 2004 in Fallujah, which was the largest battle of the Iraq War. Mason, whose wife,...

GRAND RAPIDS -- The Westboro Baptist Church -- notorious for twisting scripture to justify persecution of homosexuals and picketing at funerals -- have announced their intent to protest this week's memorial services honoring former first lady Betty Ford in Grand Rapids. On the Topeka, Kansas-based church's website, the fringe group said they will picket services on Thursday because Ford divorced her first husband William Warren prior marrying the late president Gerald R. Ford. In Westboro's eyes, that makes Ford an adulterer who "loved to sit with tawdry reporters and blather about sex." The announcement declares the group's intent to picket...

The FBI confirmed Wednesay that members of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church were part of a training program for agents and police officials at two separate bureau facilities, a move that has now been abandoned.

WICHITA — An Army veteran charged with stalking and conspiring to harm members of a controversial Topeka church pleaded guilty to lesser charges this morning, his attorney said. Ryan Newell pleaded guilty in Sedgwick County District Court to two counts of false impersonation of an officer — each "non-person" misdemeanors. He is receiving a six-month sentence on each count but is being released on a two- year probation, said his attorney, Boyd McPherson. "We had been working on a resolution for... six months," McPherson said. "I think both the District Attorney's Office and I wanted to feel comfortable that the...

Link only due to copyright: Westboro Baptist protestors are escorted from funeral scene by Metro police..

<p>NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A traveling evangelist who has sometimes aligned with Westboro Baptist Church has been jailed in Tennessee on charges of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.</p> <p>Nashville police Sgt. Robert Haught told WSMV-TV in Nashville that 48-year-old Glynis Bethel, who is associated with Twenty-First Century House of God in Loxley, Ala., pepper sprayed him in the face as he tried to stop her from leaving a scene Saturday.</p>

I just caught a story on WFAA-TV News about the Westboro loons coming to Dallas on Sunday June 5, 2011 from 6:15 PM to 7:00 PM. The site of their event is the American Airlines Center, timed to occur just prior to Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks. Their claim is: GOD HATES THE NBA! Fred Phelps and his crew go on to claim: WBC will picket the NBA game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat to warn this nation that they need to tear down their idols and worship...

Watch the video HERE.

Church members plan to protest when President Obama visits tornado victimsThe controversial Westboro Baptist Church is planning to protest President Obama's visit to Joplin, Missouri Sunday. On its website, the church writes, "Thank God for 125 dead in Joplin." Church members claim Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has attacked them by promoting laws banning them from protesting at soldiers' funerals.

Westboro Baptist Church plans to picket Hilliard school Tuesday, April 26, 2011 03:23 PM By Charlie Boss The Columbus Dispatch The Westboro Baptist Church, known for its anti-gay protests at schools and high-profile events, is making a pit stop at Hilliard Darby High School next month. Hilliard school officials sent an e-mail alert to parents today, alerting them of the group's protest scheduled from 7:10 to 7:40 a.m. on May 10. "While the group does have the right to gather in protest as well as free speech, they will NOT be exercising that right on school grounds," Hilliard Darby Principal...

The Westboro Baptist Church once again makes the headlines. This time however, the good news is that they were foiled in their attempts to disrupt another serviceman’s funeral. Mississippi gives the Westboro the kind of welcome that we would all like to give. Since we have reported on the Westboro Baptist Church a few times here, it is fitting that we update you on the latest. Last Saturday, USMC Staff Sgt. Jason Rogers was laid to rest in Brandon, Mississippi. He was killed in action in Afghanistan on April 7th. Many of the town’s residents paid homage along the route...

Louis Theroux has paid another visit to the so-called "most hated family in America" and found his own image on one of their controversial placards. More information can be found here.

Terry Jones, the Florida pastor who oversaw the burning of a Koran last month, said he did not feel responsible for the violent protest at a United Nations compound in Afghanistan today that left at least 11 dead. Instead, he said the violence proved his point. "We wanted to raise awareness of this dangerous religion and dangerous element," Jones said. "I think [today's attack] proves that there is a radical element of Islam." As for the 11 dead, which included seven U.N. staffers and guards, Jones told "Nightline" anchor Bill Weir, "We do not feel responsible, no." The deaths followed...

Ten United Nations staff were murdered - two by beheading - after extremists stormed their compound in northern Afghanistan today. Protesters broke into UN offices in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif after a demonstration against Koran burnings in the America turned violent. A small breakaway group attacked the UN compound, throwing stones and climbing on blast barriers to try to gain entry. They seized weapons from guards and opened fire before storming the site. An Afghan police source, who asked not to be named, said the chief of the mission in the city was wounded but survived. Among those murdered...

Those horrible, intolerant, heartless gay-haters at the Westboro Baptist Church are preparing to spread their evil message at Elizabeth Taylor's funeral ... a higher power tells TMZ. Margie Phelps -- daughter of WBC Pastor Fred Phelps -- took to Twitter today to announce the church is going to picket non-lesbian Liz's funeral ... all because Liz was apparently some sort of gay "enabler" and (God forbid) an AIDS activist.

An estranged son of anti-gay Kansas pastor Fred Phelps said Wednesday that the spiritual leader of Westboro Baptist Church hit his wife and beat his children with a mattock handle until they bled. "I think what he does out there is evil," said Nathan "Nate" Phelps, during an appearance on HLN's "Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell." Nate Phelps is the seventh of the Westboro Baptist minister's 13 children. The younger Phelps severed ties with his family on his 18th birthday and said he hasn't had contact with his father in three decades. Nate Phelps is currently writing a book about his...

Last Friday evening I read a headline that sent lightning bolts of anger shooting through my mind: “Westboro Baptist Church plans to picket funeral for seven dead Perry County siblings.” The seven siblings were children from the Clouse family, who ranged in age from 11 years down to 9 months old—6 girls and a boy. They were killed in a house fire on a farm in Pennsylvania last Tuesday night. The fire was apparently accidental. The children are survived by their parents and one 3-year-old sister. You may be familiar with the Westboro so-called “Baptist Church,” though it’s actually just...

TOPEKA, KANSAS Showing no discernible limit to their insensitivity, and seemingly eager to puff out their chests in the wake of their recent Supreme Court victory, the Westboro Baptist Church issued a press release stating they plan to protest at the funeral of the seven Clouse children killed in a tragic fire in Perry County this week. The release is full of bluster over their Supreme Court victory and claims the fire was a result of God's wrath for Pennsylvania. After all, isn't that where the man who sued them for protesting his son's funeral and inititiated a landmark free...

Westboro Baptist Church, the controversial group that just won a free speech Supreme Court case related to picketing soldiers' funerals, says it is planning to protest at the funeral for seven Perry County children who died in a fire Tuesday night....

Fresh off their Supreme Court victory allowing them to picket funerals of military soldiers, members of the Westboro Baptist Church have announced plans to picket the funerals of seven Mennonite children killed Tuesday night when their Perry County farmhouse caught fire. The children, ages 7 months to 11 years, were killed when a fire started in the home while their mother was milking cows and their father was on his milk delivery route.Their three-year-old daughter managed to escape and alert the mother, but the fire had already overwhelmed the wooden structure, police said. The group from Topeka, Kan., said the...

Lost and saved alike can agree that if they never see Westboro's Phelps gang again, it will be too soon. The Supreme Court has found the cult's outrageous behavior to be protected by the First Amendment. Many on the right have disagreed with the decision because they rightly desire to protect the grief stricken families of fallen patriots from the evil taunts of the death loving Phelps family. If the government shuts down these jokers, who's next? The lefty media delights in describing the WBC as "Fundamentalist Christians." Nothing would please the left more than seeing the public proclamation of...

No, not that kind of beast … THE beast … the anti-christ … the devil perhaps. I report, you decide. The lawyer, and daughter of the founder of the Westboro Baptist Church, made an appearance on Fox News Sunday and I came away with two impressions. First she is one angry woman. Second, she is very smart and now empowered by the SCOTUS decision last week validating her protests. That, I think, also makes her dangerous. She told Wallace that after the decision, they will now ratchet up the protests. Terrible. I won’t bother debating his stance or her willingness...

The attorney who won the Supreme Court case last week affirming the Westboro Baptist Church’s right to stage anti-gay protests outside military funerals suggested on Sunday the high court’s nine justices are going to hell. “I have no objective indicator otherwise. The default for mankind is hell unless you bring forth fruits meet for repentance. The assumption is that you will end up in hell when you quit your life on this Earth,” attorney Margie Phelps said during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday.” Phelps is the daughter of Westboro’s founder, the Rev. Fred Phelps. “There is a duty of...

Now that the Supreme Court has decided Westboro Baptist Church had a legal right to picket his son's funeral, Albert Snyder has to reimburse Westboro for at least some of its legal costs. The bill, which covers things like Westboro Baptist's costs for making photocopies, could balloon to more than six figures. At the moment, Snyder owes $16,510.80 for the costs of appealing the case to the Fourth Circuit court of appeals. Attorneys for Westboro have filed for additional costs from the 2007 trial in U.S. District Court in Maryland. Those costs are about $100,000, Snyder's attorney, Sean Summers, said...

LOUISVILLE, KY (AP) - A small Kansas church known for protesting at the funerals of dead servicemen and women is planning a trip to Kentucky this weekend. Westboro Baptist Church members say they plan demonstrations at three Kentucky churches in Owensboro on Saturday: the Blessed Mother Catholic Church, Owensboro Christian Church and Bellevue Baptist Church. They also announced plans to protest at Saint Lawrence Catholic Church in Louisville on Sunday. One of the Owensboro churches was the site of a suicide of a man who said in a note he had been sexually abused.

With the recent decision by the Supreme Court, some information came to light that I do not think is well-known. And that is, Fred Phelps ran for office 5 times... wait for it... as a DEMOCRAT! In the link there is audio of Michael Medved making this point and then a dissenting email a few days later where Medved again drives the point home. there are also links to a couple of blogs that knew this information some time ago as well as photos of similarities between leftist demonstrators and the Democratic Westboro Baptists. There are also photos of the...

The Supreme Court ruled that the Westboro Baptist Church's behavior in demonstrating at the funeral of Marine Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder was protected speech under the First Amendment of the Constitution. The Court of Public Opinion must hold the demonstrators to a different standard. Lance Corporal Snyder swore to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic. He died defending the very rights of the people who violated his and his family's right to mourn. I too took that same oath. As a retired Marine Colonel, please allow me to defend my Marine Lance Corporal...

When it comes to repugnant, it's hard to beat the reptiles of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan. But in America, repugnance is no barrier to the conversation, a point affirmed yesterday by the US Supreme Court in a big win for First Amendment rights. The high court sided 8-1 with Westboro and its right to picket funerals of slain military personnel. The church preaches that combat deaths are God's punishment for America's tolerant views on homosexual rights -- and members picket funerals bearing signs that read "God Hates Fags" and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers." When Marine Lance...

Let's start by stating the obvi ous: The Westboro Baptist Church is a hateful, odious fringe sect, less a "church" than the extended family of founder and "pastor" Fred Phelps, that has picketed nearly 600 military funerals with signs like "Thank God for dead soldiers," "Pray for more dead soldiers," and "God hates fags." The Topeka-based "independent Baptist church" is animated by extreme anti-gay, anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic views, and blames America's tolerance of homosexuality for what it sees as the country's moral downfall. In 2007, the "church" was sued by Albert Snyder -- whose son Matthew, a Marine lance corporal,...

Sarah Palin voiced disappointment with a Supreme Court decision Wednesday protecting the First Amendment rights of anti-gay protesters at military funerals. Continue Reading "Common sense & decency absent as wacko ‘church' allowed hate msgs spewed@ soldiers' funerals but we can't invoke God's name in public square," Palin tweeted . The court voted 8-1 in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church's right to protest outside the funerals - though the court recognized the right of local authorities to put restrictions on how close to a proceeding the group can protest.

Where should the nation draw the line on free speech? For Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, the defense of First Amendment rights expressed by today's majority ruling in the Westboro Baptist Church case goes too far. The 8-1 decision found that the fringe church's hate-filled picketing at the funeral of a Marine corporal killed in Iraq qualified as public discourse protected by the First Amendment. Church members claim soldiers' deaths are God's punishment for U.S. tolerance of homosexuality. Dissenting Justice Slams 'Brutalization of Innocent Victims' Kris Connor, Getty Images Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Jr. was the lone dissenter in...

<p>The Supreme Court has ruled that the First Amendment protects fundamentalist church members who mount attention-getting, anti-gay protests outside military funerals.</p>

A group of hacktivists acting under the banner, "Anonymous," has warned a church with a controversial history that unspoken retribution will follow it continues its practice of inflammatory protests. In an open letter to the Westboro Baptist Church, Anonymous has put the anti-gay, fundamentalist church on notice that "the damage incurred will be irreversible," and that "neither your institution nor your congregation will ever be able to fully recover." The Westboro Baptist Church is led by Rev. Fred Phelps. It has drawn particular attention for carrying out anti-gay protests at funerals of military servicemen with signs celebrating the deaths of...

A group from the Westboro Baptist Church is planning to protest the funerals of the two teenagers killed by their mother; Julie Schenecker.   Click the link   airforcetimes.com cannot be posted due to copyright complaint.

SALT LAKE CITY — The Westboro Baptist Church — a Kansas-based congregation synonymous with controversy and notorious for protesting military funerals with signs proclaiming God hates homosexuals — ended a weekend of protests in Utah with an early Monday morning demonstration outside of West High School. Why? According to one Westboro congregant, "to tell (students) the truth for the first time in their lives." What is the Westboro Baptist Church? The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is an independent Baptist church known for its extreme stance against homosexuality. The church is widely described as a hate group and is headed by...

Arizona Moves To Ban Funeral Protests The Arizona Legislature has approved emergency legislation to head off picketing by a Topeka church at the funeral service for a 9-year-old girl who was killed during Saturday's shooting in Tucson. Unanimous votes by the House and Senate on Tuesday send the bill to Gov. Jan Brewer for her expected signature. The bill prohibiting protests at or near funeral sites would take effect immediately. The Westboro Baptist Church said Monday it plans to picket Thursday's funeral for Christina Taylor Green. She is one of six people who were killed in the shooting that injured...

Arizona residents are locking arms to stop the Westboro Baptist Church from disrupting the funerals for victims of Saturday's shooting in Tucson, with bikers and others organizing a massive counter-protest and state lawmakers fast-tracking a bill to hamstring the group. The Kansas-based Westboro church is notorious for showing up at the funerals of dead soldiers and other high-profile gatherings wielding anti-gay signs. But when the church announced it would picket the funeral Thursday for the 9-year-old girl fatally shot over the weekend at a Tucson grocery store by a gunman who allegedly killed five others and injured 14 others attending...

Arizona residents are locking arms to stop the Westboro Baptist Church from disrupting the funerals for victims of Saturday's shooting in Tucson, with bikers and others organizing a massive counter-protest and state lawmakers fast-tracking a bill to hamstring the group. The Kansas-based Westboro church is notorious for showing up at the funerals of dead soldiers and other high-profile gatherings wielding anti-gay signs. But when the church announced it would picket the funeral Thursday for the 9-year-old girl fatally shot over the weekend at a Tucson grocery store by a gunman who allegedly killed five others and injured 14 others attending...

TUCSON, AZ -- The Arizona state legislature is planning to limit the ability of members of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church to disrupt the funerals of victims of Saturday's deadly shooting, an area state Representative tells TPM. In one of its first acts since a gunman attacked a constituent event hosted by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), a bipartisan group of state legislators is expected to push through a bill this week that would deny the Westboro Bapist Church -- the Kansas-based congregation led by Fred Phelps that's best known for protesting military funerals -- some of the media spotlight the...

Funeral pickets to be met by 'angels'By the CNN Wire Staff January 11, 2011 2:25 a.m. EST Tucson, Arizona (CNN) -- Tucson just isn't that kind of town, says Christin Gilmer. Gilmer is talking about Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, that has made its name picketing the funerals of people who died of AIDS, gay people, soldiers and even Coretta Scott King. **SNIP** They're planning an "angel action" -- with 8-by-10-foot "angel wings" worn by participants and used to shield mourners from pickets. The actions were created by Coloradan Romaine Patterson, who was shocked to find the Topeka church...

Speaking of hatred that knows no bounds or party affiliation, the Westboro Baptist Church, famous for picketing the funerals of slain members of the American military, has announced plans to disrupt the funeral of the youngest of yesterday’s shooting victims, 9-year-old Christina Greene. The child was among the six fatalities that resulted from a shooting spree in Tucson by Jared Lee Loughner that left Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords hospitalized with a brain injury. Christina, who was the granddaughter of former Philadelphia Phillies manager Dallas Green, had just been elected to the student council at school. She wanted to attend the event...

The nuts from Westboro Baptist Church will be picketing two Catholic high schools in Philadelphia on the basis that it would seem that, according to them, that the Catholic school teaches premarital sex and birth control are ok. And oh yeah, the students are demon possessed. Hey, you want logic out of people who picket military funerals and whose website is Godhatesfags.com?...