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Friday, October 06, 2006
Mike Gallagher :: Townhall.com Columnist
No good deed goes unpunished
by Mike Gallagher
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I'm starting to think that if Jesus Himself came back to earth, there'd be no shortage of people around who would criticize his every move.

I guess that's just the way we've become.

When I managed to convince the hateful, horrible members of the Westboro Baptist Church to call off their planned "protests" outside the funerals of the little Amish girls in Pennsylvania, I didn't expect to get a ticker tape parade or anything. In fact, I wasn't looking to do anything at all except figure out how to use my radio show to thwart these people from hurting the Amish mourners any further.

But getting slammed by people who are on the same side of the ideological fence as me was pretty surprising.

By now, you might have heard the story: while interviewing Shirley Phelps-Roper of the infamous little "church" from Topeka, Kansas on my radio show earlier this week, I came up with a tactic that I was hoping would keep them from inflicting anguish upon an already-anguished Amish community.

You know these people by now. They're the hateful people who carry picket signs outside the churches of the funerals of American soldiers that say things like, "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and "Your Sons are Burning in Hell." It's hard to understand their warped, twisted logic for doing this, but why try.

I saw a news report that said that these same people were planning to protest outside the funerals of the slain Amish girls in Pennyslvania, with signs that would say, "Your daughters are burning in Hell" and "They deserved to die."

I just wanted to do anything in my power to stop this from happening.

So while interviewing Shirley Phelps-Roper, I asked her what it would take to stop her from proceeding with their plans. "Money?" I asked. "Could we take up a collection for a new air conditioner for your church or something?" I asked. "You and your money can go to Hell", she snarled. "We just want to get our message out."

Suddenly, a light went on in my brain. What if I gave them an hour of my national radio show to say what they wanted to say (within reason), in exchange for their written guarantee that they would abandon plans to protest in Pennsylvania?

While hammering out the details with her, my mind was racing. And I was praying. If this could work, it would spare these poor people who are burying their children so much more grief.

Somehow, thank God, it worked. They bought it. They came into my studios in the Empire State Building in New York and signed the agreement. They spouted off for an hour. And the debacle in Pennsylvania was averted.

I went to bed Thursday night incredibly proud of what happened here. Instead of just talking about the issues for a change, here was a case of a talk radio show that actually did some good.

It didn't take long for the naysayers to surface.

First, I was told, Glenn Beck of CNN Headline News blasted me. "He's an opportunist who is just doing this for ratings!" he crowed.

Yeah, I'm an opportunist, all right. I took the opportunity to use my radio show to prevent those Amish families from being exposed to these hateful, vile people. From what I know of Glenn Beck, he's not the type of person who would complain that the Westboro Baptist Church would be kept from protesting in Pennsylvania. At least I hope not. He seems like a nice guy who's a talented broadcaster.

And then, there were the blogs. They ranged from claiming that I was actually in cahoots with the Westboro freaks to saying that I flew the Phelps sisters to New York on a private jet.

It was all pretty amazing.

Ultimately, good triumphed over evil. Glenn Beck is right, I'm not much of a big deal. But in my world, stopping the protesters from going to Pennsylvania is something to be proud of.

And I will be, til my dying day.

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About The Author

Mike Gallagher is a nationally syndicated radio host, Fox News Channel contributor and guest host and author of Surrounded by Idiots: Fighting Liberal Lunacy in America.

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Well,
It does seem to me like these inbred wack jobs from that Westboro "church" successfully used jihadi tactics to extort something from Gallagher: access to his microphone that they could never get any other way.

I'm amazed he doesn't see that.

My tactic, were they to interfere with a funeral for one of my loved ones, would involve baseball bats and several of my large and burly friends. We may be old, but we're mean. I can't imagine a case even being filed, let alone any jury convicting. Jury nullification and all.

Giving In To Terrorism
Giving In To Terrorism: Mike Gallagher, Westboro Baptist Church, and the Amish Innocents

http://www.chronwatch.com/content/contentDisplay.asp?aid=24158

Many thanks, Mike
The Amish people are the antithesis of the self-obsessed family from Westboro. They have already forgiven the man who killed their little girls and will move on with their lives. The Phelps family (the complete membership of the Westboro church) with their shocking rhetoric are, I am certain, bringing sorrow to their own lives as they spew their venom. They seem to have completely lost their way. Any sane person who listened to them for more than one or two minutes would realize they are shackled to the weight of their own hatred, envy, and bitterness.

What you did, Mike, was keep these people away from the Amish while they buried their dead in a simple and dignified manner, and for that many, many people are grateful to you. God bless you as He comforts the Amish mothers and fathers.

BrianR
I'm with you on that. The Westbro Wacko's need the crap kicked out of them!

At first I thought that Gallagher was just trying to do a good deed. And maybe he was in his own mind. But after reading the story that DocFarmer provided (his link) he should have known better. He only caved to home grown terrorists!

re: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
I agree with what Mr. Gallagher did, to spare the grieving parents. The Amish are a very nonviolent people. They are not able to do anything more than forgive when attacked. To not do anything to help these people would be a sin. Caving to the Westboro terrorists was a small price to pay for the good it did.
What I'd like to see is these Westboro wackos show up at a funeral for a fallen Marine, Green Beret, or Navy Seal. They would then be well advised to pre order paramedics!

Re: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
It was great you were able to stop them from protesting at one funeral. My worry, and I think the worry of a lot of people is what happens at the next funeral? Does Westboro start a process of blackmailing now? What price will we pay for hassel free funerals?

They are terrible people, and you gave them exactly what the want, publicity. I think we need to take a page from the Amish, and practice an old fashioned shunning of the members of Westboro church. If they no longer receive press, no longer attract interest, perhaps they'll go back to whatever cockroach infested hole they crawled out of.

Kim
Mike,

You not only gave the Amish the opportunity to mourn in peace, but you also gave the American people a chance to hear just what whack jobs the Westboro folk are.

And so, in a way, I'm sure in many of your listener's minds, you let the Westoboro guys/gals dig their own grave on the air.

Reading about them is one thing. Hearing their actual voices and hatred is another.

No one jihaded anyone here. The Westboros were able to be bought off with an hour of airtime. Shows just how committed THEY are, eh?

Nothing changes
Mike,

You started out by saying: "I'm starting to think that if Jesus Himself came back to earth, there'd be no shortage of people around who would criticize his every move." & that is different from what happenned to Jesus 2000 yrs ago? (No sarcasm intended.) They criticized him for eating with sinners,healing on the Sabbath, calling God His Father, etc.

Not having heard the interview on your radio show, I will not criticize it. I can only hope that you were able to challenge them on some of what they stand for v. what Jesus taught. Come to think of it, they probably would have been 1st in line to criticize Jesus. Think of it, standing underneath the cross telling Jesus He was getting what He deserved & would spend eternity in the theological place of eternal damnation. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

Maybe there might have been a better way to keep them away from the Amish? I don't know. Right now, what is important is that you tried your best to do the right thing. & that was what you did, protected those Amish families from the vile hate filed garbage that they would have spewed out.

I can't understand how they can claim to be followers of Jesus who said love your neighbor, love your enemy & then spew out such hate. Jesus called sin sin, but He did it in a way that proclaimed God's love & desire to have them turn from that sin. God never hates a sinner, just the sin. These people from Topeka seem to hate not the sin but anyone that they perceive to be a sinner based on their standards that are definitely not the standards of God.

(Note: I tried to use the H word & apparently Townhall won't allow it. A bit of irony since the word was used in the article. But, I accept it as it is probably the only way to keep it from being used in a way that isn't acceptable.)

Amish Funeral
I find it simply incredible how the extreme left has infiltrated some religious institutions. Or perhaps not. As I recall it, one of the most vociferous so-called "Christian communists" was a Baptist preacher, whose name I now forget, who lead an extreme leftist "Christian" movement in the early 1900's. The left is always so full of hatred - aren't they supposed to be full of love for their fellow human beings, reason why they are Marxists? - that they so far have managed to kill 100 million people around the world, in order to spread their message of peace. Better than that only the "peace loving" Islamists.

DocFarmer
Who the heck are you to judge? If you are so he1l bent on keeping these pukes from their disgusting actions I suggest you do what you threaten in your POS judgement of Mike that you were so happy to link to. All anyone had to do was turn the radio off and their hate would have dissapeared. That is much better than the spectacle they would have caused over national TV. Did yo even think of that? It sure as heck would have been on the MSM and reached millions more than what Gallagher has for an audience!

The biggest difference between the Amish and military personel is their complete lack of defending themselves, or don't you understand who the Amish are? My wife and I have freinds that belong to an Amish community and I guarantee you they would do nothing more than invite these vile monsters into their fold, all the while dieing inside from the hatred rubbing off on them.

They sure as he1l shouldn't have to put up with that! How is it you decide what negotiating with terrorists is? It was his frikkin show. I agree these pukes need an butt whupin, but I sure as he1l know the Amish are not the one's to give it to them.

How about the next time you hear of them showing up to protest, you put your money where your mouth is? That way you won't have to worry about another good samaritan trying to releive a family of more grief when these arseholes show up to make them feel worse.

I am always amazed at peopple like you that complain (they won't let me use the "B" word), about Phelps and his ilk but never show up to stop them. I was born in Kansas, 60 miles from where these sub-humans call home. We have tried to take them on. The police just won't let us get rid of them. Something about free speech, assault, jail, and all that crap! Perhaps you would have better luck, since you sure as he1l seem to have all the answers for Mike!

This was a funeral for 5 little girls of people who have a hard time killing mosquitoes, for cryin' out loud! They wouldn't defend themselves if the guy who shot their daughters was standing in front of them! Get in your dang truck and go stop them yourself, big man, if you think you can. Better men than you have tried, only to find out they have the protection of the cops.

What an incredible diatribe! I thought TownHall had a better class of people than this! Heaven help you if you ever lose a daughter and are confronted by this kind of evil! I would probably be in jail for life. What these so called "christians" do is worse than waterboarding to a grieving family!

The Amish sure as he1l didn't need any more grief! Climb down off of your high horse and help these people heal! What a thing to find fault of! I'm ahamed for you!

Re: No good deed goes unpunished
Gallagher's strategy was brilliant! Not only did he manage to keep these Westboro nuts away from Pennsylvania, he tricked them into making complete fools of themselves on the air before the American public. Talk about win-win! It's too bad Mike went into radio... he'd make a great soldier.

Westboro Baptists are 'NOT' Baptists
They are a bunch of self righteous bigots who are nothing but haters of all that is good, they are home grown terrorists without the assets to really do much damage, (thank God), they aren't fundementalists, (they're morons), these are the very people who give Christianity a bad name.


Thank you Mike Gallagher and doing something to help the Amish to be able to bury their children in peace.


More PR
You gave them more PR than they would have received otherwise, and that was a mistake. I hope you are prepared for every group of screaming moonbats to demand the same privilege as a reward for bad behaviour. Anybody with kids knows how that works.

Better get a bouncer. You're going to need at least one.

They have gone over the Pall
I am calling all christians to ask their parish to pray for these Westbro Baptist members. I beleive they have gone from people whom must have hated sin, to people whom just hate period. This evil is so pervailant in our soceity today. Just as Jesus was crucified when he walked as a man on the earth, hate so grown to epidemic proportions. I fear for man, as it is clear that man has lost all sense of right and wrong, good and evil, and are confused to all the elements that are infeasting souls today. Pray to Alighty God to stop the spread of this evil that lurks in the heart of mankind. Jesus, help us all, as man is going to destroy the gift God has given to his children, the gift of life. Amen!!!!

Patriot Guard Riders
Mr. G, you wrote:
I'm starting to think that if Jesus Himself came back to earth, there'd be no shortage of people around who would criticize his every move.

How silly. They did! They were called self-rightesou (emphasis on "self) saducees (very sad, you see) and pharisees (not at all fair).

What you did was quite American to the core, allowing and even promoting the concept of free speech, something not universally accepted (ala Columbia University).

I'm a Patriot Guard Rider. I'm one of those black jacketed, Harley-riding, freedom loving folk who stand shoulder to shoulder, backs to the Westboro Baptist Church protestors, sheielding the grieving families of fallen solders. We protect the families, stand silent and proud, carrying large American flags, applauding active duty service personnel.

Like you, we do not interfere with the right to free speech, but we do protect those who are caught in a time of pain and weakness. We do not engage the protestors. We do not respond to them (which is a large example of American self-discipline. We wanna beat the crap outta those protestors!!! We don't.)

You used your resoures to shield the Amish families from the hateful hurtful attacks by the WB church slime. I salute you, sir.

My two cents
Well done, Mr. Gallagher.

Mike Gallagher showed real empathy.
The Westboro crowd isn't a terrorist one. They are vicious malcontents though, to be sure. For them to punish the families because Gov. Rendell was going to show up -- they tried to justify elevating their personal grudge with Gov. Rendell to a stain on these little girls' lives. What hokum!! God will surely judge them the worse for that piece of rationalization.

Giving this group airtime was a brillant idea, and thoroughly empathetic and compassionate. Would I prefer that they be chased off with baseball bats? Sure. But maybe Mr. Gallagher didn't have time to organize a group for that. Or maybe he had work obligations he couldn't ignore. Whatever. His method worked. If I were the parent of one of those girls, I'd surely be in a complete daze and not even be aware of what anyone was doing on my behalf. But I know I would be grateful to anyone who would prevent salt from being poured on my wound.




Yeah right...
They already did. Remember?

Gallagher will be rewarded........
The term leadership as I know it is no longer viewed as an opportunity of integrity, honor, servanthood, selfless behavior, moral courage, eating at the end of the line.....et al...

It appears to me America has fallen so far in the abyss that only Divine intervention will pull us out..........

Mike took a step in doing the right thing.

Two Hat Gallager
First Hat - Mike, did you just start a new hostage process? Are these Kansans now so embolden to demand more press time? More harm is done by these people and to give them the spotlight only gives them justification as to what they are doing.

Second Hat - you did good for the families of the slain girls. You did good and since the families do not listen to your broadcast (you did good with not expected reward) it was from your heart.

I am glad I did not have to make that decision. I don't think I could have been in the same room as the Kansans. To sit that close to evil and not strike out at it. I missed the program but I don't think I would have listened anyway. I hope your ratings for that day were Zero.

Westboro Devils Cult
phred phelps and his ugly, hatefilled, harridan b***h(and its unfair to canines of the female persuasion to call his inhuman spawn that) of a daughter are not Christians of any sort. Didn't Jesus say something about he who is without sin casting the first stone? Well the venomous bile of these sub-human forms is definitely sinful. phred, take your phlock to Guyana and drink some kool-aid.

Thank you
Thank you Mr. Gallagher. The Westboro people got their "free speech," and the Amish got left alone.

Mr. Gallagher tact worked in this case because the Amish will be unaware of the commotion the Kansas people were causing. Unlike the rest of us,they will never hear the radio broadcast and thus be spared the pain.

At first I was worried about the whole "giving into terrorism" too, but Mike can easily take on the mouthpieces! It's his radio show, he can do what he wants.

He did the right thing, he spared a community further pain.

I agree with you
I want to thank you for what you did.

This supposed "church" definately does not display the love of Christ and anything that can be done to ensure that families have time to mourn without their vicious little protest is appreciated.

Thanks again.

GOOD JOB MIKE
I heard about Mike's plans to have the Westboro nuts on his show Wed. night on Hannity & Colmes. It wasn't very clear to me why Mike would allow these nuts to air their views until later in the show.

They had this Shirley Phelps-Roper on their program and I can tell you that this woman is scary!! Both Hannity and Colmes are pretty good at tearing a guests "logic" apart with reasonable, logical questions that the guest cannot really answer but neither could make a dent in this Roper bi*ch. I have never heard such vile hatred for mankind spew from anyone's mouth.

I have never seen either, especially Sean, get so angry at a guest that they couldn't say anything. Hannity was so PO'ed he cut the interview off saying, "You are a hateful, vile, (he almost said b*tch!), person, and this is over. For once, I was kinda' glad they went to a commercial.

Mike did the right thing. By slightly debasing himself he protected the Amish families from the Westboro nuts so they could grieve and bury their young. I know from experience, it's the hardest thing a parent ever has to do. My estimation of him as being a man and a decent human being just went up a couple of notches.









You did the right thing
Hey Mike -

You demonstrated a greater love by caring more about the families of the slain children than the criticism you might incur for your decision to let the freaks have the station for an hour. The world won't appreciate this show of love, but God will. I'll listen to your show more often just because of this whole event.

Mike you are right..
..you did a good deed. CNN is just jealous that a conservative can get the credit for such a considerate act. So instead of praise you get attacked, typical left-lunatic behaviour.

The Phelps-Gang are by far the most vile of creatures, they REALLY believe the stuff they spew, no sort of love and compassion exists for them. But the Loony-Left have their own form of vileness lately that continually astounds me...or were they always this way!!?? My fears for this country are from them (Secular-Progressives)if they gain the power back, more than the Phelps.

BTW-Progressives..what a joke.






Phelps Family
Mr. Gallagher- I cannot imagine why you would be criticized for doing what you did. I think it is a brilliant idea. However,I share Eddina's curiosity about who is financing these people. The whole "Westboro Baptist Church" smacks of Hollywood caricature. The Phelps Family seems to exemplify "the crazy fundamentalist " a little too perfectly - don't you think?

good job Mike
I wonder if Phelps and co have read:

"Judge not, that ye not be judged."

Somehow I doubt it.

Demonstrate in Your own Backyard
What Mike Gallagher did was flat out WRONG!

You NEVER give in to terrorist! NEVER!

Let them, (the Westboro whackos), show up for those funerals and see what would've happened. I'll bet the farm there would've been plenty of people there who would've shown the Westboro whackos the way out of Pennslyvania.

I, for one, would've driven there and made sure they didn't come anywhere near those funerals.

I know there is freedom of speech and freedom to demonstrate and all that but enough already!

Do your demonstrating in your own backyard and stay away from our soldiers funerals and the funerals of innocent children.


Mike was Right
Give these evil people the stage and let them speak. Any time we deal with the unhinged, I recommend we give them a forum and let them speak. Their own words show them for who they are.

Now that Rosie O'Donnel has the stage, look at the tripe eminating from her pie hole. No one needs to challenge this drivel, its lunacy is readily apparent.

I would go further, and translate and broadcast the sermons from the mosques here in America so all could hear what is being said there.

Sunlight is the best disinfectant. Mike was right to give these loonies a platform and shine the spotlight on them. Shine, shine, shine.

Nothing Like Sunlight
..... Mike done good. But all actions have costs. I think that giving these sad angry people a public forum that was focused on their thoughts and reasoning (such as it was) rather than shouts, signs and epithets at a Amish funeral was brilliant. And at minimal cost.
..... It brought far more sunshine into their world and may have actually helped them as well. Much of what they do has more to do with "notice me!!!" than reasoned thought. In fact, "noticing them" through direct physical attack would play into an obvious martyr complex. Look at the Branch Davidians and how that played out - for the women & kids especially.
..... As angry as their acts make us, should we should not forget that they are people, lost and projecting pain. People with kids & dependents. It would be good to find a more effective way of resolving their dysfunctions than mirroring their anger. Mike took a step in that direction. Bravo!! ;-)

kimberly, thank you
..your post proves my point! And regarding clueless..your post also demonstrates that that's your area of expertise!!! (I've read other posts of yours)

My beliefs are shared by many on this.. as well as many other forums. Yours are shared only with the likes of those that want to tear down this country and replace it with a Soros like Socialistic government. Get a clue yourself and realize MANY people don't want the progressive propaganda.




Right thing
I had seen pictures of these hateful people demonstrating around funerals and had been appalled, but actually hearing the mindless, Godless hate spew from their mouths was a revelation. You did the right thing, Mike. Not only did you spare the peaceful, Godfearing, forgiving Amish people the shock of seeing "worldliness" gone awry but also you revealed to your listeners the extent of the paranoia and evilness of these non-Christian-like cult members from the Midwest.

Kimberly
There is a HUGE difference between these nuts and Islamists. These folks rightly receive the condemnation of true beleivers, agnostics and athiests alike. They are confronted for their views. They are shunned by descent people in our community. They are not dangerous because they are universally condemned by fellow Christians.

The Islamists enjoy tacit support and a total lack of critisism from their community. No group from their community confronts them. Their message hides in the shadows of the world around them. They are dangerous because they have the unspoken support of the world given the absence of outrage from fellow Muslims.

Now put the Rosie KoolAid away and try to think for yourself for a change.


Kimberlys blinders
How about death Kimberly?

Since killing others is not part of the Christian message(no matter how much you wish it was) they are not even REMOTELY alike. Even weirdos like Phelps haven't killed anyone.

On the other hand...

Islamic nations have always been blood soaked not even counting their conquests over the centuries.

Environmentalists have killed thousands(millions?) through banning DDT.

Abortionists have killed 40 million children since the 1960s. How proud they must be.

Secularists have killed 100 million, you know those strong, controlling centralized government types-aka leftists.

Other than all those graves, yeah they are similar. How is that blindfold? Too tight?

Call Govenor Romney
I make a plea to All. Please call the father of gay marriage in Massachusetts. Please let him know that by indoctrinating our children into the gay agenda he is prostituting our children for the sake of political funds, votes and power. Big Bussiness is fairing quite handsomely, robbing our children of the innocence. All this is done trough the politicains, judges and courts, with our tax dollars that we have paid. so they can destroy our families and our children. They are certainatly not representing the american people's interest. Just groups of special interest which is who can gain the most power and money. Please call him at 617-725-4005 and let him know that this is unexceptable and cannot be tolerated.

Who is the Real Christian Fundamentalist
The Amish, a devout Christian group that forgoes the luxuries of modern life in furtherance of its religious values; or

The Phelps organization that crassly exploits the modern media and preaches hate that is antithetical to Christian values?

The Amish are radical Christian Fundamentalists by the common meaning of that term, but pose no problem to themselves or to the society they inhabit.

The Phelps are Radical Extremists, but neither fundamentalist nor Christian.

Well done
brilliant move...keep up the good work.

Giving in to terrorists?
Mike did not give in -- he offered them they hour of air time. They did not make any demands. Though they are evil cult members, they were not using terrorist tactics to get on the radio.

I can't believe the God Hates Fags crowd intended to go to Amish country. These people have never heard of Fred Phelps and his so-called church. They live a completely isolated life and would have been very confused by their appearance.

Fortunately, the state police blocked off all roads into the area and only let in buggy traffic during the funerals.

DocFarmer
Having read your link I have concluded you are an idiot. And I do not use that term lightly.

Riderwriter
Riderwriter I just want to say, "God bless you and all the others in your organization for what you do." It is wonderful.
When our Founding Fathers gave us the right to freedom of speech, I am sure they never invisioned how some people who abuse that right (by going to funerals and spewing their hateful words). True freedom does not mean being belligerent and trying to disrupt other peoples gatherings (right to peacefully assemble). Self restraint and respect for others feelings is imperative for freedom to flourish. "Your rights ends where the next persons begins."

What Bible verse is the Westboro Baptist Church basing their hateful beliefs on? They act like a hateful secularist in sheeps clothing if you ask me.

Kimberly, I feel leftists are closer to Islamists than right-wing Christians. It is leftist who go to our Republican conventions and block our entrances and get inside yelling and screaming (because we don't believe the way they do). I saw one demonstrator at the last Republican convention who said, "It is our right to try to disrupt and stop this convention." No, we ALL have the right to peaceably assemble. You leftists have the right to peacefully protest with signs, but you do not have the right to try to stop our conventions. This yelling and screaming is much closer to what muslims do. i.e. "You don't believe the way I do so I am going to protest and get violent and try to stop what you are doing that I disagree with." See the correlation Kim?

Nice Job
I lean left and I guess he might consider me a looney liberal but I just wanted to say that I feel Mike Gallagher did a couragous, selfless thing that actually benefited someone in tangible way. We could use more of that these days. Awesome.

Good move.
Mike,

I truly believe you were just trying to keep those people from disrupting that Amish funeral. I did not hear the radio broadcast, but I will bet those people were able to turn off millions of people to their "cause." Good Job!

You done good
You done good, Mike. You done good!

All these people who say "I would have gone down there with baseball bats....." and such are all talk. If that was true they would also be at the military funerals where these jerks "protest".

If all these tough talkers were really so tough, these "church" folks would have received many a whipping before.

As I understand it, you're the only one who has actually prevented these people from disrupting a funeral.

Like I said, you done good!

Diversion of Exposure
Thank you Mike Gallagher and doing something to help the Amish to be able to bury their children in peace.
I have no idea how many prople listened to the radio rant but I know millions saw the Amish carriages in the funeral procession on TV without any footage of the hatemongers or their vile,unchristian signs.
Sacrificing one hour of radio time and preventing the much wider exposure had the haters been in the TV footage of the funerals was a btilliant move.

Evil is ugly
You can see the evil on the leering faces of the sisters as they spoke. I saw a clip of them speaking to - I think Mike - on Fox last night. Their faces were filled with evil pride at getting on camera, evil self-righteousness, evil boastfulness. Then there was a still shot of a man - don't know if it was husband or father, and I thought I was viewing a still for a horror film. It was like the ending of The Portrait of Dorian Gray. (If you're too young to know the film, rent a copy or find one on eBay.)
Mike gave everyone a chance to see what these putrid people believe. They'll be out there again at funerals for military men. Bikers have courageously gathered around funeral sites to protect grieving families from these monsters. Perhaps others can do the same.
You know they're insane (and should be put away) when they call these children whores, and say it was good they died. Yet I understand one of them has 11 children of her own! Insanity rules them.

Thank you, Mike
When I heard these hateful people were planning to demonstrate at the funerals, I told a co-worker I had a good mind to get in my car and drive to Lancaster County and just get in their way. A new law keeps them several hundred yards away from soldiers' funerals, but there was nothing, other than brute force, to keep them away from the Amish girls' funerals. Anyone who knows of the Amish, as posted above, knows that brute force is not an option. I understand those who think Mike was "caving in" to terrorists, but, y'know, sometimes you have to think locally, not globally. By the way, I am a fundamentalist Baptist - these people ARE NOT.

A prophet has no honor...
Mike:

I was so glad to hear that the nuts at Westboro had called off their "demonstration" at the Amish girls' funeral. I didn't know until reading this that you were the one who managed to divert it. What you did was an a act of love and mercy. It was a blessing to the families of those girls, and to the larger Amish community. I know you didn't do it for praise, so I'll stop praising you.

Not only would Jesus be criticized today, but he was constantly criticized for the good he did when he was here on earth. As it says in John 4:44, "Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country."

You did a good thing, Mike
Myself and a fellow blogger recently made a decision that also turned out to be unpopular to other conservative bloggers, much to our surprise. I was also surprised to see some of those bloggers react negatively to your decision, one calling you an "appeaser."

I for one, Mike, think you did a good and noble thing. Don't let anybody else tell you anything different.

MsUnderestimated

Well, after reading all the comments
I've come to the conclusion that there are about 3 or 4 others here I'd share a foxhole with, and that's about it.

I've never been real big on turning the other cheek. Unless I was getting ready to take out the guy behind me.

I reminded myself...
... of Orwell: "Good people sleep easy at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf".

Sleep easy, people.

Couldn't find Mike radio station
I am so glad that Mike Gallager came up with a way to prevent the Phelps organization from doing more harm to innocent people. I tried to find the radio station though, I thought it was on 101.5 and couldn't for the life of me find Mike Gallager. If anyone knows which it is, PLEASE post it here. I'm not the only one that couldn't find it. We even called, and got no where. It is a satelite paid station or something? I hope they have a tape of the October 6th. airing somewhere because I want to know all that happened. Although it's to late, I really wanted to be able to voice my opinion on October 5th. also.
Thanks Linda

Couldn't find Mike radio station
I am so glad that Mike Gallager came up with a way to prevent the Phelps organization from doing more harm to innocent people. I tried to find the radio station, I thought it was on 101.5 and couldn't for the life of me find Mike Gallager. If anyone knows which it is, PLEASE post it here. I'm not the only one that couldn't find it. We even called, and got no where. Is it a satelite paid station or something? I hope they have a tape of the October 5th. airing somewhere because I want to know all that happened. Although it's to late, I really wanted to be able to voice my opinion on October 5th. also.
Thanks Linda

Would it really have mattered
whether those clowns has shown up or not? Law officials kept people back away from the Amish homes where the funerals were held. Even air space over certain areas was closed. So, as far as interrupting the funerals goes, it wouldn't have mattered a wit.

Sure, they might have demonstrated in town, and of course the media would have covered that. But the ironic thing is, the Amish folks would have forgiven them, too. And that would have really stuck a fork in them.

Somehow, their peaceful ways would have risen to the top, while the hateful ways of clowns from Kansas would stick out in contrast.

I don't fault Mike. I suppose he did what he thought was right. I never heard the show, not did anyone I know. Sometimes it isn't so bad to have a small audience. 8*)

You have done great things Mike!
We should all be humbled by the honor Mike Gallagher has bestowed upon us. He has honored his listeners by affording us the opportunity to use our own intelligence to decide just who the Phelps are and what they stand for.
He has shown us what true freedom of speech is according to our form of government. Even if one does not agree with what was said in any way, shape, or form.
He saved the Almish Community from a media circus
during their time of untold grief.
Comparing his offer of an hour of radio time to negotiating with terrorists is just plain foolish. The Phelps are an American internal problem that 'We the People" should be handling, and have no bearing whatsoever on our nation's international standing or place as a world power.
Americans who travel out of our country are subject to the other country's laws, they travel because they have the freedom to do so should THEY choose. However, they do not have America's military at their beck and call should they get in trouble. (No wonder the rest of the world thinks Americans have attitude..but I digress)
Many thanks Mike! Keep up the good works!

Westboro wackos
That was a very nice thing you did for those Amish families. It is too bad (evil)people cannot leave grieving families and friends alone at a time like that. God will make them pay for what they do, in fact, he already is. They are so full of self-hate they have to spread it around, but God will stop them and it will not be pleasant.

Good job, Mike!
Mike, I think that you did a blessed thing in doing whatever it took to allow the Amish families to mourn in peace.

I'm far too familiar with the antics of the "God Hates F@gs" crowd, but what in the world do they have against the Amish? What were they protesting?

Thanks, Mike.
You did a great thing.

Thanks.

CNN: Glen Beck
where ever he came from, is just another attempt by the diminished former Turner Broadcasting System to regain the prominence they once held. When will they realize that they're just like the Studebaker or De Soto car lines that have been relegated to museum status. Beck is a victim directed by his producers who dictate what his positions are. It's entertaining to catch his outrageous antics just to get a juxtaposition on what the CNN politic-of-day is. Spend a few seconds viewing the carnival barker and get a good belly-laugh. It'll do your heart good.

The Patriot Guard Riders
has done a wonderful thing in protecting the families of fallen soldiers from these lunatics. It is my understanding that the PG only goes to funerals when invited by the families.

Wether Mr Gallagher has done a good thing or not, I don't know as I have not heard the ravings of these idiots on his radio program. I do however, if he is sincere, commend his motives in protecting the Amish mourners.

As for me, if my eldest had returned from Iraq differently than he did, and the wackos from WBC planned on protesting at his funeral...I would have at least been tempted to find a little elevation about 4000 yds away in order to effectively put on a little demonstration of my own with my bull barreled .223 complete with 6x-14x mildot scope and bipod.

Thanks, Mike
Seems to me that you did 2 things:
1 - Saved the Amish from undeserver additional grief
2 - Provided a forum for the "church" members to expose their unreasonableness and hatred thus alowing anyone with at least a partially open mind to see their lack of Biblical Christian characteristics.
Again, Thanks Mike!

How do we
tolerate those Kansas wackos?

Well that's what happens in a free society. You either overlook their obnoxious behavior or you confront it.

Mike confronted it on HIS terms and did everybody - especially the Amish community - a great service.

Now, if the MSM would ignore those idiots we'd probably not hear anymore about them again. Too much to ask of the LL MSM?

Thanks Mike for your strong character, dedication to truth and honesty.

Wish you were syndicated on Atlanta Radio.

The Amish
Dissuading those fanatics from protesting the funeral was, of course, a good thing. They are the beginnings of a Christian form of Islamofacists and should be countered whenever possible. My heart goes out to the families on this senseless tragedy. The courage of the older girls was an outstanding example to the rest of us of self sacrifice.

Much has been made of the Amish lifestyle and how good it is. That's true, however, I think we should not lose sight of the fact they can do what they do, because we do what we do. They live in a fairy-tale world made possible because the rest of us protect them from harm. If we all became like them it would be nice, but ... we would be overrun the next day. The rest of us CAN'T be like them. It would be a catch-22 in that their pacifism would result in our annihilation.

My point is that, while we can look at their customs and come away with good feelings, the hard reality of the world is we can't be like them, no matter how hard we may wish to be. It's like wishing to be Peter Pan or Wendy in Never-Never land. The Amish, while fine, loving and giving people, exist in their Never-Never land because the rest of us take the brunt of the world for them. I say kudos to us for it.

Andy

BrianR
I agree with the person who said we must think "locally and not globally" about this. I agree with you that many, if not most of us enjoy peace at night due to the sacrifice of others, but let's get real here. The Phelps family is not a physical threat to anyone. If any of us were to actually assault them it would serve no purpose.

Thank you (I assume) and all our military people for their brave sacrifice on our behalf -- including the peaceful Amish, for they are allowed to flourish (and rest) in peace because they live in this wonderful country.

To Kathy: You are using these boards to further your narrow agenda. This is apparent and transparent. Please try to stick to the topic. Can you say "Amen!!"?

And Kathy
...please turn on your spell checker.

Mike did the right thing.
I hope only that it doesn’t backfire somehow.
Gurky makes a good point on one way that might happen.

ben Haggai: nice, I was worried that no one would find a way to blame the commies or the left.

BrianR, NRAlifer and the rest of Sgt. Rock’s squad: The Westboro Baptist Church has been at this for a while. Maybe you should form a posse and put some of that big talk into action. I bet you two are the greatest soldiers since the boys of Easy Company retired.

AndyO
Good post. I have often believed this myself. I grew up in the 1950's near Pottstown, PA, right next to Amish country. Back then everyone's America looked more like the Amish still do. We slept at night with unlocked doors. But today, it's a different world. And we must be prepared to confront evil.

Good job, Mr. Gallagher!
I don't know of anyone who actually approves of what those nutjobs at Westboro are doing. There are many who would do all they can to make them stop. Sadly, money/distance prevent the majority of us from doing more than simply speaking out against them.

The whackos at WBC do things that appal us, and we're exposed to this sort of thing on a daily basis. Can anyone imagine what the victims' families are going through because of this?

Bravo Mr. Gallagher. Thank you for having the courage to do what you did for the victims and their families here. Yes, the crazies have gotten more airtime than they ever would have, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices in order to perform the greater good.

To use a Baseball metaphor,
(afterall the Cardinals and the Padre's are playing tomorrow) Mr. Gallagher and his audience have taken one for the team.

And while I appreciate BrianR's solution, the facts on the ground at a loved ones funeral often require that we engage in reflective stoicism with regards to the odious Mr. Phelps and his cabal of hateful hacks. I don't know that Baseball Bats are appropriate, perhaps simply shooting them with a paintball gun, and then asking if they deserved to die would refocus their rage.

I like the idea of investigating Mr. Phelps financial backing, but unfortunately, I doubt that anybody will pursue it in a serious manner.

You're a Good Man, Mike
There are too many folks in this country who live their lives beyond the grasp of reason, full of anger and hate at imagined wrongs. This Topeka crowd is paving a road to He77.

Thanks Mike for relieving a potential strain on those poor families and the community that already has to contend with unspeakable acts.

I already had to take Kimberly out to the woodshed on another inanic post. Whatta maroon.

Who
are these people? And why haven't I heard of them? Is this that Cindy Sheehan bunch of pink ribbon crazies? I don't know how I managed to miss all this. I live in Missouri, right next door to Kansas, and I don't know what all this is about? And for what reason do these people think those little murdered girls deserve to be murdered? And will spend eternity in he**? I'm out of the loop...

Clarification
I'd prefer it if those people posting comments who have been referring to them as those "Kansas people," or "Kansas Wacko's" please refer to them as something like Wesboro group, Phelp's clan, idiots, etc. Living in Topeka, I can pretty much speak for everyone (aside from Wesboro Church folk) when I say that they are absolutely over the top. Mayor Bill Bunten constantly has to warn officials in other cities that this wacko church may be protesting a funeral in their area, and that their views do not represent those of Topeka or Kansas citizens. I can think of a million things that the people here in Topeka would love to do to this group. Unfortunately, Fred Phelps and most of his "family" are lawyers, and they are constantly finding loop holes, filing lawsuits, etc. I cannot stand driving in Topeka on any given day, seeing the protestors standing on the sidewalks with their vulgar signs. I've been seeing this since I was around 10. The saddest part is that they often times have their kids holding up these highly innappropriate signs; kids even as young as 7-8 years old!

Covert leftists?
Someone has suggested that the Phelps family may, in fact, be a front for the far left to further heap hatred upon Christianity. This idea never occurred to me, but I have never heard such filth pour forth from any Christian I have ever known, from whatever church. And I have known a wide variety, from Roman Catholics to fundamentalist Pentecostals. NO ONE talks like these people do. Since these two women are lawyers, this would imply that their father saw no harm in them attending law school. True fundamentalist Christians would not be so inclined, at least in my experience.

Thanks, Mike
I agree with others who believe you saved harmless people grief, and exposed nut-cases in one act. The hour you gave them could have been better used to explore more interesting topics, but you gave what you had to help others.

Well done. God blesses your act of charity, I am sure.

As to giving in to terrorists, I bet you'd give Islamists an hour if it would save others pain. It's not pulling cartoons out of newspapers in fear, it's exploring and exposing irrational hatred for what it is. You trusted your listeners enough that they could discern both your motives and the nonsense spewed by these hate-mongers.

Treating the American public like adults. What a concept. Think it might catch on?

Thank you Mike
Mike,

Thank you for what you did. You saved some very nice people additional grief, and helped expose these Kansans for what they are.

These crackpots are non-Christian, even though they label themselves otherwise. The Bible says, even if you have faith that can move mountains, without love you are nothing. I detect absolutely no love in them or in their message. I sense only hate and I denounce them.

H6ll is an eternal, burning torment that Jesus does not wish for anybody. They can explain why they seem to be just fine with people winding up there.

(And I notice that h6ll is even an unacceptable word on some forums.)

a very good thing
I believe that Mike did a great thing in keeping these "people" away from the Amish funeral. If they had been allowed to protest they would have received a LOT more media coverage than they enjoyed on Mike's show. At least with Mike they came across as the evil, hateful, Biblically challenged people that they truly are. If they had protested they would have been in every major newspaper, magazine, and TV news network for weeks or longer. And we wouldn't have heard their vileness in full force. Thank you, thank you, thank you Mike for what you did.

No good deed goes unpunished
Gallagher is a true hero for coming up with the one way this group could be persuaded to stay away from the funerals. He saved the families of these precious little girls from the additional grief the Phelps clan would have inflicted.
In the Bible, Jesus spoke of children in the most tender and loving way. In addition He was always gentle to people in their grief. I can't imagine where these creatures get their ideas of hate and cruelty.
One has only to take a good look at them and the pictures of their founder to see that there has been inbreeding going on and it has produced some very twisted minds.

Mike Gallagher
Thanks for doing the right thing. Saving those families from this kind of vile expossure is a commendable actions.
Thanks again-God Bless!

Who is what.
I am a Christian, I don't say I am, I know I am. you might recall the fighting that went on in Ireland between the Catholics and the Protestants sometime back and at the same time calling themselves Christians. Like these Westboro so called Baptist's. I'm not Baptist, but as a Christian I consider them on the same level as I am. Not by name but by being a doer and a follower of Jesus Christ. I would like to see the different Baptist Organizations stand up and denounce these so called Baptist's, perhaps they have, and I have not heard. But these Westboro So called Baptist people are no more Christian than the Man In The Moon. The Apostle Paul said it best about this kind in
Acts 13:10
10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
YOU DID A GOOD WORK, MIKE. HANG IN THERE.

God Bless, Crashon

One more thing
If the body bags from Iraq are in response to our nation's tolerance of homosexuality and abortion, I wonder what our collective sin was during WW2? After all, during that time sodomy laws were still on the books. Homosexuals were derided and not accepted as an alternative, okay lifestyle. Abortion was outlawed. If God is just "getting warmed up" now as the prophetesses said, then what was WW2? God's practice session? Should not things be a lot worse by now? Our body count from Iraq pales in comparison. Was God on a coffee break until now?

Andy

response to your article
Mike: I certainly agree that if Christ returned to earth he not only be critized as he was his first time on earth but would also suffer the same fate as before. By that I mean killed, perhaps not on a cross, but killed. I have felt that way for a number of years.


Well Done Mike!
I am sorry for all of you who feel the need to blow the spittle of your righteous indignation at the low-lifes of the WBC. I could not read through all of these posts, but I noted at least one PGR brother come online to be heard. The WBC crowd are all too well known to us. It seems to me that generally speaking a nice wall of flag-bearing bikers is a good antidote to the poisonous rhetoric and hateful demanor of the WBC crowd. Having seen them personally in Lubbock, Texas and having read enough of their materials to convince myself that they are every bit as miserable as most people who know of them say they are, I can say that I think Mike figured out the best solution to the problem at hand.
Because the Amish do not listen to radios, getting the WBC'ers to abandon their intentions to disrupt the little girls' funerals was a master stroke. No matter how we out here might feel about these self-loathing gay-haters, no kind of confrontation, silent, verbal, or violent, could have done anything but add to the burdens borne by the Amish community in question. "Satisfaction" against the protesters might well have been attainable for some of we "English" outsiders, but those who are suffering through their grief,having already forgiven the killer, would only suffer more should they become involved with, even by sitnessing, any kind of confrontation. Even more, no kind of entirely peaceful physical barrier, such as that we normally provide for the families of fallen American warriors, couldhave helped but disrupt the intentions of the mourning families. Our usual display of motorcycles and flags may well have been just as intrusive on the privacy of the Amish as the angry words and signs of the WBC.
Mike did what no one else seemed willing to do: he put the interests of others above his own. Bravo Zulu!

Thanks, Mike. Get a bike if you don't have on and come ride with us; you are already a brother.

AndyO You couldn't be more wrong
"The Amish, while fine, loving and giving people, exist in their Never-Never land because the rest of us take the brunt of the world for them. I say kudos to us for it."

The Amish, their Mennonite cousins, and other Anabaptists have been around for 100's of years without taking up the sword or seeking protection from those who do.

While life in the US is pretty soft, in the past Anabaptists have been killed in great numbers because of their faith, yet remained true to their convictions. They were killed by Protestants as well as Catholics and banned by governments, yet they survived.

They really don't need your protection from Phelps or others. Life may get tough, but they'll survive quite will.

A Topekan Agrees with Mr. Gallagher
Well done. Keep them away from the Amish families, and let them air their vitriol in a forum where you can discuss it aftward.

Jesus will come back, but this time no one will be able to lay a hand on Him. We will need to fear Him, not He us.

Good deed
Mike did the right thing to keep these horrible people away from a community of mourners who would not have understood the protests and who only have been further grieved.

Someone suggested that Mike shouldn't have allowed the air time and that plenty of people would have shown up to keep the Westboro group away from the funerals. The Amish are not stupid people and they are not altogether uninformed. This is according to a friend of mine who grew up Mennonite in Amish country and still has family there. They deplore violence of any sort. They would have been hurt by the Westboro group, but they would have been further dismayed by any violence we so called protectors might have engaged in to keep the Westboro group away from them. That would have been adding more harm to more harm where harm has already been done. They would not have thanked anyone for using violence to protect them.

Mike did the right thing. The Westboro "baptists" (as a Baptist, I use the small "b" deliberately, because they don't relate to any Baptists I know) have a right to be heard. Some of what they have to say has a kernal of truth in it. How they choose to spread their message is what makes them horrible. I don't know these people, so I can't make claims for them, but sometimes when people who have an unpopular message to transmit feel that they cannot be heard, it makes them act in stupid and foolish ways. If they are allowed to be heard by more conventional means, they might ease off visually assaulting military funerals. I'm not holding my breath, but I'm suggesting it as a possibility.

What I would like to see Mike do is allow some air time for other Christians with a more loving message to speak on his radio show. Not as a direct rebuttal of the Westboro group, because that would only encourage them, but as an alternative. Christianity is not a religion of hate, though few Christians would go so far as the Amish do in assuaging violence. That is a message that needs to be heard and there are quite a few modern-thinking, Bible-believing ministries out there that could speak as a counter to the Westboro show.

Again, Mike, you did the right thing. It wasn't a quick and clear choice, but it was the loving, Christ-centered choice.

Support
I, for one, applaud what you did. They would have gotten more attention by making a scene at the funerals, and I was disgusted to hear that they had thought of going there and glad to hear they had chosen not to. (The story I read didn't give you credit for that choice however). If you accomplished this you did something good, and letting them rant away from Pennsylvania didn't do any harm.

Kathy/Call the Dem Controlled StateHouse

This is the second time I've seen you falsely accuse Govenor Romney for legalization of gay marriage in Massachusetts. You obviously have some larger concern... Perhaps Mitt's future political aspirations?

For the record, the Massachusetts SJC under Margaret Marshall -- writing the majority opinion -- legislated from the bench. By your standard, that would make Margaret Marshall "the [Mother] of gay marriage in Massachusetts." And by further implication the Statehous DEMOCRAT's
her offspring.

Here's the link: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/02/05/sjc_affirms_gay_marriage/

Mitt called for the people to be able to vote on this but he can't get through the DEMOCRAT controlled Statehouse... 70% of the MA population, when polled were against gay marriage.

Westboro Baptist Church
Thank you for allowing Westboro Baptist Church to express their views on air rather than at the Amish Funerals. I believe that their hateful attitude toward just about everyone showed. It's a shame they call themselves a church. Please know that most Kansans do not support Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church (and I use the term church "loosely" in this case). While a student at WSU, minding my own business while walking to class, he screamed at me, "You're going to he**!" without knowing anything about me or what type of human being I am. I cannot believe that our (everyone's)creator (regardless of which faith we may be) would approve of this behavior. I cannot help but wonder what type of skeletons are in the closet of Fred Phelps and his family because I am certain he is not squeaky clean...and would not be surprised if he is an abuser of some sort.

WBC
Way to go Mike!! I hope your listeners realize most of the people in Topeka, KS are disgusted and appalled at the protests by Fred and his family from the WBC. I really hated to see this family get national exposure, again, but if it kept them away from the funerals of those little girls, it was worth it. Living in Topeka, we deal with their picketing on a daily basis. As disgusted as the citizens of Topeka are with this family, no one has been able to put a stop to them. Since they are a family of attorneys they know the laws, so no matter how sick, twisted and disgusting their messages are, they know nothing can be done to them and they'll sue if you try.

Bartering for peace
riderwriter writes:
Patriot Guard Riders

rider, thanks for what you guys do. I am sure our military families have undying appreciation for your group. Keep up the good work.


Kimberly writes:
Right right

Not only is "moral equivalence" a poor analogy, but it is so sinfully and ignorantly misplaced here. But expected.


The Westboro pack are NOT a church and are NOT Christians or Baptists. They are a rabid cult, and should be under any/all investigations possible ... most especially by the IRS. And by the looks of them (physically) are nothing more than Halloween-like ghouls and goblins.

The Amish are Christian fundamentalists and "far right" ... Don't insult these devout, private and peaceful people by equating Islamists with the "Christian right".

I see no Christians practicing beheadings ... even with this lame-brain cult. No, these crackpots usually do themselves in before taking hostages, torturing, and beheading. Jim Jones. The Hale-Bop comet group (their name escapes me), and to a certain extent the Waco group (with a little help from Janet Reno).

The Westboro Cult is second guessing God ... and He doesn't take well to that at all. I have a feeling He'll be letting them know such in due time.

I believe Mike's painful sacrifice of an hour of his radio time was in no way easy for him. I know he let his heart, not his head, lead his soul in this case. While I am torn as to whether or not I agree with his decision, I cannot fault him for it. Mike was "Amish" in his heart.

Again, thank you
I am one conservative blogger who supports what Mike did to spare us here, so close to that evil shooting, and let those humble, devout people mourn in peace.

Thank you.


Thanks Mike
Some of us appreciate you getting these ghouls away from the good people in Pennsylvania.

CNN
Who among us would ever watch CNN, the Clinton Nonsense Network?

Give 'em adequate rope to properly hang
There is NOTHING more damning to a hate monger's cause than giving them the opportunity to express their message in an unfettered manner.

There first-person rants open the eyes of their audience to their message of hate and intolerance more so than anything a third party could ever write about--people never believe that "sane" people could ever really espouse such venomous and unreasoned hatred--until they hear the rant first hand. The general response is to such spews is complete revulsion.

Christ is recognized by Christian and non-Christian alike as an advocate of tolerance, forgiveness, love, sympathy and compassion--teachings of hate and infliction of suffering upon those who grieve, are both hallmarks of someone else.

Hate-groups are their own worst enemies. I think that subjecting an audience to an hour of their tirades will do more to solidify public opinion against them than anything anyone else could possibly write or say.

Thank you
I have just recently found your radio show here is Colorado. I just wanted to thank you for doing what you felt was necessary to protect the families who have suffered a great loss in the death of their children.

I was horrified when I heard what that "Baptist" church was saying and I thank God that my Baptist upbringing has not taught me to hate they way they do.

They need to worry more about what they will be judged by when they stand before God instead of being judge and jury here. I am not perfect and there are somethings I will answer to God for so I try not to judge others. All I can say is when I am in Heaven and they try to enter they will know the truth them. What a wake up call that will be.

Thank you again and keep up the good work.


jannieb
I watch CNN as well as FOX and MSNBC. I never heard of the Clinton Nonsense Network. The CNN I watch is the Cable News Network. You must get more stations than I do.

WBC conspiracy
To Sdan, and others who mentioned it first:

Several years ago, a contingent of the WBC group came to our small midwestern town to demonstrate at the funeral of a fallen Iraq war hero. Since then, I have been attempting, in my spare time and when these people are back in the news, to learn what I could about them. Here are my observations.

1. The old man is now a totally disbarred lawyer, so it’s no surprise that he spawned more of the same. (Remember the bumper sticker that read “Help save America – run over a lawyer!”) As far as actual, real, Christian fundamentalism (as opposed to the WBC) is concerned, there’s no necessary conflict of interest between the Christian faith and life and the practice of law. But the old man was a shyster lawyer 40 years ago, long before they gained notoriety. So I assume that there’s a method to their madness. Crazy maybe, but stupid, no.

2. The WBC congregation numbers around 120, comprised of two families, with some intermarriage. The old man rules the roost. No one marries outside of the “flock”, or without permission. They live in a Jim Jones, David Koresh – like compound. Evidently, church outreach and evangelism are not their forte, so there won’t be any long-term growth of their congregation. And the state will undoubtedly prevent any more intermarriage. So these people have some other agenda in mind.

3. No hint of any serious family fortunes there. Yet they jet all over the country and overseas. This must have cost millions over the years. Where does this money come from?

4. The church is constantly involved in litigation regarding their cause. Who funds all of that?

5. They run a big web site. Someone has to fund that.

6. It turns out that one of the families has ties to the so-called “Identity” movement. That is why they are listed as a so-called hate group on the ADL site. This might be a lead as to where the money comes from.

7. Others have observed that they don’t reflect Christian views and morality. Exactly. Obviously, they are the perfect foils for the MSM, who give them inordinate attention, utterly out of proportion to their significance. I’m surprised they don’t get more publicity, and that the Left hasn’t made more insinuations that all Christians are like these people. But I expect to hear such in the future.

8. Thought experiment: Who would you rather have as your neighbors: Osama, Zarqawi and co. or WBC? This is a measure of their real significance. The rants posted by the DocFarmers and such above are merely that. We have bigger fish to fry. But there’s no doubt in my mind that WBC is not going away soon. This leads me to suspect that some left wing conspiracy is afoot.

Its too bad.....
I hate to be the first person to say it, but it is too bad this lunatic didn't drive to Kansas and mass-murder some of these WBC loonies instead of poor little Amish children. Just my 2 cents.

Get Ready
Mike,
I personally am grateful for the leadership you showed by allowing these WBC misguided misfits wearing Christian coveralls free air time. You spared another more loving, yet closet bound, group more pain at the same time.

Yet I am afraid that a new trend will now appear. People who are willing to create controversy to get free air time during situations that are very difficult for one group or another. If it worked for one bizarre group, another will certainly try the same thing at another time.

We all have to be aware of being trapped into allowing hate, fear and lies to reach our young people. Right now such things are only allowed in our major universities, like Columbia in NYC.

RE: Get Ready
Dandelion,

I would suggest that when you look closely at this particular situation, not many other situations would lend themselves quite as well to the idea of providing such an alternative to the hate-mongers as did this one.
To begin with, for just about no other community could one expect to glean the same benefit by exchanging protest signs for air time. In most other situations, it would be likely that members of the community might still wind up hearing the views of the WBC crowd. In this case, an opportunity to remove the point of protest from the precise location of the funerals to the radio ariwaves accomplished not one, but at least three things of importance to the mourners:
1. No hate-mongering protestors present or hate-mongering message delivered to grieve the families even more.
2. No body of counter-protestors (no matter how respectful the intent and quiet the execution).
3. No ugliness among outsiders within sight of the funerals.

Too Much Attention
I am not joining those who are criticizing Gallagher. I think he did what he thought was right and he did apparently avert what could have been an ugly scene at the Amish funerals. Perhaps most importantly, he did it legally; not, as some of us would have preferred, in a more physical way.

My only problem with Gallagher's action is that it gave too much attention to the WBC lunies (I know some might spell that "loonies" but why insult an innocent bird? "Luny" refers to the moon, which was once thought to cause insanity.) I would much prefer having ALL of the media ignore them or simply report that a fringe group planned to protest at a funeral AND NOTHING MORE -- not even any further identification. Depriving them of free publicity would soon send them back to their holes where they could spew their hate to each other and save the rest of us the aggravation. Of course, only a real dreamer would ever expect ALL of the media to behave sensibly but it has to start someplace and even one media outlet ignoring such idiocy would be an improvement.

Me too
Unlike some others that I usually agree with, I do not see this as Mike givng in to any demands. As Mike stated, he freely offered the time so that the Phelps clan would not attempt to disrupt a funeral.

While physical violence may seem to be a satisfactory way to deal with people like this, it usually isn't. If you attack them, it gives the mantle of victimhood and a platform to spew their venom to a broader audience. And you just know that the MSM would be front and center to show these folks and try to convince people that they are 'fundementalist' Christians.

Mike did the right thing and should be commended for it.

Mike R
We always called it Communist Network News.

RE: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
You did good Mike.
But I do have a question, is the "Westboro Baptist Church" for real? They don't sound like any church I have ever seen or attended.

Think about it; the secular left couldn't buy better anti-Christian propaganda than what these people provide. It makes me wonder if they are all just crazy or some leftist front group.

Question:
Since the Westboro Baptist Church is actually a thinly disguised hate group, I wonder what their tax status is? Surely, they're not tax exempt like a legitimate church.

Where was everybody...
when Phelps picketed only the funerals of gay people?

Incredible thoughtfulness, Mike
Mike, thank you and God Bless you richly for
your brilliant tactics to allow those funerals of the precious innocents to be buried, to be free from the vilest tripe of 'so-called humans' on earth. I read on another blog (think it was Bad Christian--Dave Burchett) of the story of the two sisters who begged to be shot first and second and allow the other little girls to be freed. Sadly, the monster of unbelievable evil continued in his vile ways.
Clearly to my mind, this continues to show how determined satan is to destroy our children--the most precious ones of God-- and I do picture them in the arms of Jesus. Now we must wake up as a nation and seek God's mercy and His face, to bring about the needed change...otherwise, satan continues on his merry way---he does know that his time is short, so he is exacting all the pain he can.
I, and all I know, who know Jesus as Savior and Lord, do continually pray for our country and our people. I pray that we are delivered safe from "terrorists from without and from within". These vile persons are indeed terrorists--and we must battle them in the spirit world with the power that God gives to exert. If you do not know what God's word says about these things, it is not too late, (yet) to begin to seek His face and His will. God Bless you all....

Thank you Patriot Guard
You stand for us all. I have stood up in dicey situations knowing better men have stood up in worse. United we stand.

Cat Trapper
You have to mean 400 not 4000.

Proud Lib
Same place you were when they were picketing soldiers' funerals. Now relax, you made a good point. Its just that we can't all show up for every act we recognize as something we deplore. We all have our axes to grind, mine is the second amendment. Kathy, Flagwaver, celtic-dragon, Kimberly, Phylo -- we all have our buttons. I think you have just pushed yours. That's ok, but don't hold it against us that we don't have the same one.

Mike
YOU RULE MAN!

Mike

Thanks for exposing the sisters of Satan and their venom.

You kept them away from getting anywhere close to the Amish.

I think Phelps looks too much at Leviticus and not enough at Matthew 25:41-46


Rose
That's a frightening thought.

The advice I would give to Phelps and his chirch (spelling intentional) is to doubt their own salvation; it's the same advice I'd give to everyone.

Work it out with fear and trembling.

So....
...if we just give all the evil people in the world exactly what they want, everything will just be hunky dory.

Unh huh.

in the foxhole
Brian wrote

I've come to the conclusion that there are about 3 or 4 others here I'd share a foxhole with, and that's about it

I'd share a foxhole with just about everyone here, except maybe three or four, because everyone seems to know who the real enemy is. If we were in a foxhole with the enemy nearby and a bunch of witchy old woman started shouting vile garbage at us we wouldn't waste our time and amunition on them. They're not the enemy. They're not killing, torturing, beheading any innocents. They're definitely rotten to the core but that's about it.

And thank you riderwriter for all you do for the soldiers and their families. I'm the proud mother of a young airman who returned home from Iraq less than a month ago. I thank God that he came home safe and sound and that he was willing to put his life on the line for our freedoms. I can't imagine what it must be like for parents who lose their children and then have to put up with the likes of the witches of westboro. Thank you for caring and being there.

Peace

sdan: I don't agree
I'll start with thanking you for the kind words.

You indicate that beating the crap out of these a-holes would serve no purpose. I strongly disagree. They are abusing the First amendment, and the authorities are doing nothing about it. Even here in Leftifornia, we honor the "fighting words" doctrine, amazingly enough. They want to heckle a funeral under First amendment? Fine. I want to beat the crap out of them under "fighting words" doctrine in response. It will make me feel better, and it's the Right Thing To Do.

Again, for Mike R and John of wherever
If you'll notice, I specifically mentioned that I would take physical action if it were at a funeral in which I was directly involved, i.e. one of my loved ones.

So, Mike R, f%^& you very much for your opinion.

And John, I'm not too big on paintball guns. When I point a gun at someone, as the Coke people say, it's the real thing.

patsyp: Well, it's very clear to me...
... that you never had to actually share a foxhole with anyone. Therefore, it's totally understandable why the rest of your post made absolutely no sense whatsoever in the context of my originating post.

NRALifer: Gunny
I just saw your post. Obviously you understand you were one of my "good guys".

Well, I finally made it to the last post
I was amazed. Most of you people are "sheeple".

I was also fairly disgusted. All someone has to do to comandeer the microphone is threaten to make themselves obnoxious and you all think caving in was a good thing.

You guys think you're tough enough to stand up to the jihadis? I have to laugh. These inbred morons just pulled the old Muhammed cartoon stunt, and you think Gallagher's caving was a good thing.

I have to leave. I have a very bad taste in my mouth.

BrianR
Mike G fell into appeasement. Motives good, immediate results more good than bad, future results disastrous. This is the only pattern of appeasement i have ever observed. Reality can not be demonstrated in instances of appeasement. Goblins only postpone their actions if appeased and the problem gets worse not better. The wackos will not cease until confronted and decide ceasing is more attractive than continuing their demonstrations.

You bring in the Jihadis. All above applys in spades (as Flagwaver would say).

BrianR, the difference between this and
appeasement is that in normal appeasement, you give that which was demanded. Here, Phelps didn't demand airtime.

Besides, if they try to demand airtime in the future or else they'll protest, that would probably be a crime for which we could finally get Phelps jailed and raped.

jerubaal
You make a nice distinction. The downside is that Mike G's action may well lead them down the path where appeasement becomes noticed as an attractive possibility. I agree on the desireablility of a situation where they overextend into some move that gets Phelps into the slammer.

OH, PLEASE! BS!
I ducked back in and find a couple of people who should know better equivocating.

Pistol: You got it right, except the slammer for these inbred morons won't mean a thing. They'll view themselves as martyrs to their cause.

Jerubaal: I'm surprised and disappointed. They didn't demand it (microphone)? So what? In that case Gallagher caved without even a demand being placed. That's a position of strength? Are you kidding me? So, what, next time the jihadis make their demands in the form of a suggestion and everyone nods their heads and says "Oh, cool"?

I have seen nothing here that changes my "sheeple" assessment. By God, if this is the best the conservative side can do, and all the oomph the Christians can come up with, you guys deserve to lose.


Creative Distraction
Mike,

What you did was the equivalent of distracting a mad dog long enough for a child to get out of the danger zone.... and at some risk to yourself as well.

May those who criticize you for this never need protective "cover" fire while trying to escape the bullets of a mad man.

Thank God there are still some people left who are willing to take a hit themselves in order to prevent a greater offense. Thanks for being one of them.

Ted's Wife
Robyn

BrianR
I couldn't agree more. I think most who have commented have done so through emotion instead of logic. Yes the families were spared the ranting of these wackos. This time. But who's next? And when? I'm sure Mr. Gallagher's intentions were good. But will only embolden these Westboro wack jobs toward bigger things. And at the same time, may encourage copy-cat groups to do the same. Time will tell.

Missing the Point
Mr. Gallagher did good. He removed the group from the little girls' funeral, and put them on the radio where most people won't hear them, and where those who do are free to change the dial.

What's so famously off-putting about the Westboro Baptist Church is where they choose to protest, not what they choose to say. If they did their schtick in newsletters or on public radio, we all wouldn't know their names.

I read an admission on the WBC website that they use these shock-tactics to trick the media into denouncing them, therefore publicizing them, therefore helping them spread their message.

And here's the rub: the people who are hopping on the bully-pulpit and loudly denouncing Mr. Gallagher are giving the WBC an audience, too.

In their case, with nothing gained.


Mitt Romney,
Cutter Bench-

Mitt Romney authorized gay marriage in Massachusetts, he is the one who had athority to sign or veto, or denie the Judge's ruling. I have called him repeatly for 3 1/2 yrs. now, and he claims he's under too much presure from the Dumocrats. Still he is the final athority and has an obligation to protect the people and children of Massachuesetts. Our children are being indoctrinated into the homosexual agenda and are being put at horrible risk. I am going to pray for Romney because he is choosing the easier way out. Our children's innocence is being denied and they are sexualizing them into deviant behaviors. This is a tragadity and our state has become very dangerous and a horrible place to rear children. In the name of Jesus, this is the truth. May this injustice be on the adults of Massachusetts that refuse to protect children and let them have a childhood free from adult sexual concerns and disease and pain. Children need protection, love and guidance. Mitt Romney and the courts and big bussiness fair well off the loss of our childrens innocence.

Romney and The Courts
Romney knows all to well that the Speaker of the House, Tom Fenneran, surpressed the vote for gay marriage, and when it became dead in committe, they sent it to Judge Margret Marshall, an Activist Judge. She and 3 others judges voted for gay marriage and 3 voted against it. That is not enough to say this is legal, it is not. No legislation has been changed or passed, no law for gay marriage just Romney's athourization. This is a misscarry of Justice for all of Massachusetts.

Goshawk/BrianR, Sdan, and everyone else
Goshawk/BrianR;

You say Gallagher has "caved" on this matter. How do you figure? The Phelps clan, sick though they may be, are not performing any real violence, just saying words that you and I happen to find repugnent. That is their first ammendmant right, and their willingness to use it can be used to our advantage. If anything, Gallagher did a real service to his audience by allowing these dweebs to spew their bile. "Know thine enemy" is the first rule of war; physical, spiritual or otherwise. These pillowbiters are definitely our enemies, and were only too happy to let all of us know everything we need to know about them via Gallagher's program. Which, BTW, was a much smaller/more intelligent/more critical audience than they would have had if they had made a scene at the funerals and the MSM had been there to broadcast it (which you know they would if they could).

Gallagher simply believed that his audience could hear these closet queers out and take them for exactly what they were. I place the same faith even in the readers of my own sorry little blog.

On top of that, the freaks stayed away from the funerals of those little Amish girls. That really was that big a deal for the small towns in east Lancaster county.

Sdan:
True, assaulting these freaks might not have changed their minds, but it sure would have been fun. I was in Paradise PA (about 6 miles north of Nickel Mines, where the shooting took place) the day of the funerals. The CB radio was crackling with truck drivers holed up around the area looking for a showdown with the Phelps clan had they shown up. We were almost disappointed when we heard they weren't going to.


http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog&Mytoken=2811BA26-7367-441F-B561449E4F48066C65721231
My own sorry little blog

Lydia
I grudgingly agree you (and others) may have supported the better course. A man has got to know his limitations, and pick his fights. The Amish are huge contributors to this country, and it doesn't hurt that Mike's decision was in support of a group that certainly deserves it in a heart-breaking situation. May God give them peace and strength to endure. Still, i stand by my classic position that appeasement of evil is merely a postponement, and it usually increases the power of the evil and makes the next chance at scotching the rats more painful and expensive.

Fred Phelps
Mr. Phelps.. and I say this for the record.. If you or any of your reptilian offspring EVER show up in my community... I will sucker-punch you like there is no tomorrow !! I will come up from behind you, tap you on the shoulder, and when you turn around... LIGHTS OUT, BABY !! I don't give a rats a$$ if you are a lawyer, the worst I can be charged with is assalt causing great bodily injury... and again, I say this for the record - It will be worth it !!

in the foxhole again
My dear Brian. You have no idea. As a matter of fact I happen to be quite masterful with a rifle, handgun, and shotgun. I've used physical force to defend myself in the past and I happen to have a concealed carry permit. I would definitely be a good person to be beside in a foxhole. Don't be so presumptuous. Besides, I thought you were leaving. Something about a bad taste in your mouth.

Peace out.

You did the right thing Mike
"For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." - Hosea 6:6

Thank you Mike
You definitely did the right thing.

The WBC & Mike
The WBC is RIGHT! I did not know of the WBC, nor of Mike (believe it or don’t) until the 4th of this month via a news blurb i heard out of a local news station that I did not hear from any of the other large media sources in the area! Hardly enough time to get a posse.
I was the first caller of the day when Mike Gallagher removed the SBC by contract from Pennsylvania and only had time to ask the simplest of all the questions about why they use the name “Baptist” in their churches name and if truly their affiliation is of that. But the scriptures that they used in the context of the show were correct, they way that they use them is all wrong, but that’s another story.

Let’s see how many people and blogger’s only read the first line and get on with the new found respect I have for Mike. Thanks Mike! Thank you for keeping these people out of this peaceful neighborhood. Thanks for helping to keep the sanity of the insane situation! Thanks for being a person of moral fiber! Thanks for NOT giving in to the biblical terrorists.

They (the WBC) do know the Bible, but to take it and use it to punch holes in people’s hearts was not it’s intended plan. If you delve into the Phelps family you will find hate in three generations. Father whips Father whips Son.
The daughter’s said in the show that they were not preachers but “prophetesses put on the earth at a critical time, in the last of the last days”. I had an Uncle Mike who loved the book of Revelation, and I remember the section in the “Last of the last days” about “false prophets”. Hmm, didn’t say anything about prophetesses did it? I suppose using the laws of man, looking for a loophole like a good lawyer should, the Phelps girls found it (probably their Daddy did since he is the omnipotent one of the clan). So I suppose we can say that they are truly prophetesses. To bad man’s law does not apply to God.
But Jesus said we should follow the laws of man while on earth, so I guess they can twist it to their wants and desires. Being a lawyer family, they will be able to use loopholes and squeeze our laws to their endeavors for quite a few generations*, and that is exactly what Satan wants to do.
Jesus said they (evil doers supreme) would be here to greet him (Satan) when he arrives, and our own laws will probably make it quite comfortable for him. Seems we as a nation and our founding father’s were barely able to think of the ramifications that the future would bring in the first amendment. And to let the WBC belch out filth to help show the world how bad the laws of man really are, even in a country where the values of those founding laws are the best the world can offer.
Here is what the WBC wants you to do; they want you to hate the way they hate. By spitting out their fury they hope for you to get as or more hateful than them. How can you help it when you read what they are doing, hear and see what they are saying?
They live eat breath and breed in hate and use the Bible and America’s own laws to justify their ways. Call me a nilly willy but that sounds like Satan’s blood to me. Here is what they don’t want you to do. Ignore them. They want to bite your mean spirit and make it grow logarithmically. They want you to feed on hate and learn to love it to the point where you want to kill to prove your point, and if you listen to them long enough you will.

*From the information I have gathered, Fred has 23 grand children, however, 3 of his own have left the flock, and thus hopefully not all will instill the hatred.

I wonder what Dr. Al Mohler & Cal Thomas would say about the WBC?
Len
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