Westboro protesting funeral of AR Razorbacks player

[Alecto]

One of my friends is a sports reporter, so I just got the scoop that Westboro Baptist is coming to protest the funeral of the Arkansas Razorback football freshman who died this weekend. Their reasons make so much sense:

 

He's Catholic (which he may or may not be, but went to Little Rock Catholic High)

God is punishing football because of Penn State.

 

A local sports radio host has offered to give them air time in exchange for not protesting, but it seems like they are not taking the deal. It also looks like they are going to include a local college tour in this, so after last week having Brother Jed and Sister Cindy, I might get to endure the Phelps clan, too.

[marmalade]

Their convoluted "logic" makes my head ache.

[Rachel333]

Is there a source? I mean, I believe you, I've been hearing about this for the past couple days, but I don't know where the information comes from.

The Penn State stuff makes sense, I guess (for them, which means not at all). I was having a hard time figuring out why they'd picket his funeral.

It's such a sad story. I feel horrible for his family. I do wish the families of every student who dies got the same outpouring of support, though. I feel like some people are making this more about football than about him.

[Alecto]

Check Shirley's twitter. That's where the information is posted. I sadly don't have the link.

[Rachel333]

Ah, okay, I found it. The stuff she's saying about him is really upsetting. I hope his parents don't see that.

[lilwriter85]

I hope they don't show up for the sake of the player's family. Hopefully the students will try to counter picket or something.

.

[apple1]

You know, way back when I was a kid (I know- gasp!), I clearly remember my elementary school teachers talking about freedom of speech, and including in the discussion that my freedoms must also respect other peoples' freedoms...

The concept is apparently lost on these people (as well as numerous other concepts of basic civility).

[SamuraiKatz]

My daughter's theory: The Phelps are so inbred and insular they are confusing patERNo with paTRINo. Phelps and Co threatened us with an appearance at last night's event at Bud Walton Arena (U of A Fayetteville). The weather was crappy, don't know if they showed or not. Daughter attended memorial but didn't mention any protests out in the rain.

A radio station in Tulsa exchanged five minutes of airtime to keep the Westboro crowd away from the OU basket ball coaches funeral/memorial. Who knows why they aren't accepting the same deal with Razorback freshman.

[finleeport]

Its a funny thing that your talking about the Phelps clan, I could have sworn that I met one in the Arizona Phoenix airport. She had rotten teeth, and had the same hairstyle that the Westboro hags had.

[SamuraiKatz]

Going from bad to worse. Gary "Moses" Bowerman is on campus bloviating. "Moses" is a lot like Sister Cindy and Brother Jed... "Moses is known on some campuses in Oklahoma as "Preacher Bob".

And the nut bag Mennonite/Amish posers are out there as well. I think the poser group may be the one from SW Missouri that has the headcoveringchick and her kids living in the church basement. They are out there yelling about women not being permitted to enroll at the U of A.

And in other news. Wesboro Baptist Church representative Shirley Phelps tweeted the time and location of the deceased football players funeral. I feel so sorry for his parents! They've lost their 19 year old suddenly and without apparent cause. Thanksgiving is the day after tomorrow. They have to plan a funeral on a holiday weekend and bury their kid during what is supposed to be the happiest time of year. And to top it all off they have to contend with the Westboro Baptist Church crowd disrupting their child's funeral. The Westboro crowd is anything but godly and they don't have a shred of decency to share among the lot of them.

[DinnerPlateDahlia]

Ah, okay, I found it. The stuff she's saying about him is really upsetting. I hope his parents don't see that.

I don't have the heart to look up the actual Twitter feed. What is their beef with this poor kid? That he went to Catholic school?

[divadivine]

The Washington Post article says it was a heart condition that killed the AR Razorback player, Garrett Uekman.

See article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/ ... story.html

Those people from Westboro are batsh*t crazy nut balls. Why they would protest a young athletes funeral is beyond me. There is no rhyme or reason with those fruitcakes.

[doggie]

They just make up excuses to protest big events. I mean do they need a reason for their crap? it does not really mean anything.

[emmiedahl]

Counter-protesting is not always the answer. A young man in my town was killed over in the Middle East and WBC came to protest at the funeral (actually this has happened twice, but I can only remember the specifics of the most recent time). A local church housed them and had a "meet and greet" night--cannot.fucking.believe.that. Anyway, there were counterprotesters and then WBC and all of the church people they rounded up, and it was a giant fucking mess. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people on the side of a street screaming, and then the poor family trying to have a funeral.

I feel like the WBC cheapen lives by turning the loss into another platform. Soldiers here get a funeral procession with police escorts, so I saw the hearse go by and thought, how sad for that boy and his family, that people reduce their pain to a religious and political issue.

[darkplumaged]

They just make up excuses to protest big events. I mean do they need a reason for their crap? it does not really mean anything.

Pretty much. None of their protests are in the least justifiable, but this one is a real stretch.

[Alecto]

They accepted the deal from a local radio station:

http://www.saline247.com/2011/11/22/kew ... broadcast/

[doggie]

I feel like the WBC cheapen lives by turning the loss into another platform. Soldiers here get a funeral procession with police escorts, so I saw the hearse go by and thought, how sad for that boy and his family, that people reduce their pain to a religious and political issue.

They cheapen everything to spread their worthless message of hate. they make Christians look bad. I am surprised no one has really done them harm yet.

[clarinetpower]

I'm at Penn State. They protested here, from what I read on the internet.

No one in town cared. I don't think it even made the paper.

I'm bored with them. They're not even shocking any more. Ho hum. Next. :roll:

[SamuraiKatz]

They accepted the deal from a local radio station:

http://www.saline247.com/2011/11/22/kew ... broadcast/

I hope they stick to their agreement. This family needs to be able to have their son's funeral in peace!