May 02, 2003
N.B.: This is my second post of two today, my first having been the result of a computer crash and a bout of insomnia. Note to self: do not drink caffeinated soda at 11:00 p.m.
The Westboro Baptist Church, home of Fred Phelps and God Hates Fags (I'm not linking to them because it's a revolting site—it lists, for one thing, the number of days Matthew Shepard and Dianne Whipple have been burning in hell), is planning a protest at Fred Rogers's memorial service in Pittsburgh this Saturday. A man named Brad McNaughton has had a terrific idea about what to do about it.
Posted by Faustus, MD at 08:41 AM
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Comments
1) Chris said (on 05/ 2/03 at 10:56 AM):
Oy, Fred. I used to live in Lawrence, KS, which is 30 minutes down the highway from Topeka, and he and his geeks showed up at every damned thing we did. I have many a photo of me posing in front of him and his signs and I once went as his wife for Halloween. He has horrific b.o., by the way.
The Fred-a-thons have been done by lots of groups over the past few years - I think it's an excellent solution. Actively protesting against him does no good - it's not like anyone's going to change him, so it's a waste of time that just gets him more time on the local news, which is exactly what he wants. I'd much rather see someone do this than get all outraged - outraged, I tell you! - and raise a ruckus that only plays into Fred's purposes.
2) Faustus, M.D. said (on 05/ 2/03 at 11:13 AM):
Trust me to have no idea that this isn't a new thing.
I'm about to get a Razor scooter, too.
Maybe I should retitle this blog "So Five Minutes Ago."
Chris, those pictures are faboo.
3) Brian, the 646 Guy said (on 05/ 2/03 at 11:14 AM):
Why is he protesting Mr. Rogers? Am I missing something?
4) Chris said (on 05/ 2/03 at 12:04 PM):
He's protesting there because there will be cameras there.
Basically, he shows up at anything that he can condemn for not being as completely, psychotically anti-gay as himself. His logic in choosing things to picket is about as sensible as anything else he does.
I grew up in Hot Springs, Arkansas. When Bill Clinton's mother, who lived in my hometown, died some years ago, Phelps went down there to picket the funeral. The idea was, I think, that she was responsible for Bill's moral upbringing, and since he wasn't a complete homophobe his mom was going to burn in hell. I remember my mom calling me to ask, "Who are these crazy people from Topeka?" Heh. He also has some pretty funny "Fag Dole" signs.
5) Chris K. (diff Chris than above) said (on 05/ 2/03 at 10:34 PM):
I currently live in Lawrence, KS. For the past 3 years the GLBT organization at the University of Kansas (KU) has been doing Fred-A-Thons. This year the thon raised over $1,200! I think it should be known that this works!
6) Makky said (on 05/ 2/03 at 11:00 PM):
There's actually some bastard who wants to protest Mr.Rogers? Is there a lack of nothing to do where they are? They dont realize there's a whole world of crap they can put their energy into and they want to protest a Memorial service of MR.ROGERS?! Mr.Rogers...the nicest neighbor in the world?!....Im simply aghast.
7) Chris said (on 05/ 3/03 at 12:55 AM):
Hey, Chris K.! I used to be *way* involved in Q&A (but that was about 7-8 years ago, so I doubt anyone around there remembers me). I created the Brown Bag Lunch Drag, even! Glad to know you guys are doing the Fred-a-thons!
(Sorry to hijack your comments for this, Dr. Faustus - the other Chris didn't leave an email address.)
8) angelo said (on 05/ 3/03 at 01:25 AM):
You know, when I somewhat co-organized a counter-demonstration to his picketing in Berkeley, I found the whole thing to be a joke.
Wrapping myself in a rainbow flag, adjusting my earpieces, and chanting, "Gucci, Prada, and Chanel, God Hates Fags can go to hell!" was about the only thing I could do apart from throwing tomatoes at his fifteen-year old daughters who were holding signs that charmingly read, No Tears for Queers.
9) milksop said (on 05/ 3/03 at 02:03 AM):
Faustus, an off-topic query: Why do you always begin your italicized double-post notices with "N.B."? I've always assumed these alerts are for everyone, but it suddenly occurs to me that this N.B. (who requires an awful lot of coddling, by the way) might just be your (gasp!) soul mate. Did I just win some sort of hidden contest?
10) Faustus, M.D. said (on 05/ 3/03 at 09:28 AM):
Milksop, "N.B." is an abbreviation for "nota bene," which is Latin for "note well." It's generally used to alert the reader to something he or she should be aware of about a text that isn't properly part of the text.
I'm now going to go make lists of names that convert via my algorithm into N.B., so as to try to figure out who my soul mate is.
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