The despicably vile Fred "God Hates Fags" Phelps finally met
his match in a large group of military veterans armed with the
collective roar of over 100 motorcycle engines in Chelsea OK during the funeral for Sgt John Glen Doles. Too bad the motorcycles were not present in Topeka KN but the 500 friends of Sgt. Dominic Sacco held their own against the vile Crypt Keeper, Fred Phelps.
TOPEKA, Kan. - The
widow of Army Sgt. Dominic Sacco, killed last month in Iraq, says she's
grateful that people stood up to anti-homosexual pastor Fred Phelps'
protest outside her husband's funeral service.
About 25 Phelps followers protested during the Dec. 2 service, but
some 500 veterans and other supporters lined both sides of the street
outside the funeral home to show their disgust for Phelps and his group.
"The support alone on the day of my husband's funeral was enough for
me," said the widow, Brandy Sacco. "I was extremely impressed. All I
could do was cry. What do you say?"
She had endorsed the idea of a counter protest when Phelps vowed
that backers of his Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka would picket the
funeral. Phelps and his followers have protested more than 60 funerals
of soldiers across the country, claiming their deaths are part of God's
wrath against the United States.
Brandy Sacco said the turnout in Topeka illustrated the public's distaste for Phelps' tactics.
"If they need to protest, go to Congress and the White House," she said. "Don't protest a fallen soldier."
There have been offers to baby-sit her children, infant son Anthony
and 4-year-old daughter Elissa. Neighbors brought food. They offered
condolences, sometimes struggling to put into words the sense of loss.
"I've received over 200 sympathy cards," the widow said. "People I
don't even know, or know Nick's parents, have donated thousands of
dollars to my son's memorial fund."
Sacco, 32, grew up in Albany, N.Y., and had been stationed at Fort
Riley since 1997. Assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 13th Armor, he
was killed during a firefight Nov. 20 at Taji. It was his second
deployment to Iraq, and he was the 59th soldier from the post to die in
Iraq.
At least 2,150 members of the U.S. military have died since the
beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated
Press count.
I give the Phelps' spawn a lot of leeway to spew their garbage
because they were horribly beaten as kids, they've had a rough life.
Poppa Fred is apparently a real monster who went after his wife and
kids with baseball bats, axe handles, mattocks, etc. This is all well
known in Topeka, where Fred has been operating his "church" (actually
just him and his extended family) for many years. You can read all the
sickening details investigated by a local newspaper and included as
Exhibit A in a legal document here
Warning: it's not for the weak of stomach.
Does God Hate Fred Phelps? We don't presume to speak for God unlike a lot of other people.
What we do know is that we are gay, straight, bi, Latino, Southern,
Asian-Americans, of German ancestry, Boston Irish, forty something, twenty
something, Catholic, Atheist, Jewish, heavyset,
athletic, legally blind, hearing-impaired, tall, short, masculine,
gender-neutral, feminine, transgender, polyamorous, monogamous, married,
single, parents, children, professionals, students, singers, dancers,
web designers, janitors, teachers, artists, aspiring rock stars,
taxpayers, sisters, brothers, neighbors, friends, and lovers, who won't
stand for intolerance, hatred, and violence against the people we love.
TOPEKA, Kan.
