That disgusting preacher from Topeka

[proud2BlibKansan]

For those of us here in Kansas, we have been disgusted by Fred Phelps for YEARS. I thought maybe some of you just now getting acquainted with them would be interested in some background info.

Here is a book written about him. It was never published, due to a legal conflict between the author and his employer, the Topeka newspaper. So you have to read it online. But it is very informative.

http://www.rslevinson.com/gaylesissues/features/collect/phelps/bl_phelpsmain.htm

Wikipedia has a great entry on Phelps. Please note the extensive information under "Political Affiliations". Yes, Virginia, he is a registered DEMOCRAT.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rev._Fred_Phelps

Here is an article from Log Cabin Republicans about Phelps' ties to Al Gore, complete with pictures.

http://www.logcabinwa.com/archive/200010251159.shtml

Now for the good news. Here is a link to a wonderful organization in Kansas which combats anti-gay crap here in the Sunflower state. Our own DUer, MuseRider, is on the board.

http://www.kansasequalitycoalition.org/

Please don't nominate this thread. I am only posting it so DUers can have a reference. So bookmark it if you want. But I hate to give Rev Fred and his sick family the satisfaction of knowing a thread about him was nominated here on DU. They are attention hogs and LOVE the media attention. (Yes, I expect his clan will discover this thread eventually. I am told they are quite adept internet surfers and regularly Google themselves. Hence, the reason I left his name out of my thread title.)

edited to add link to his website. The reason to go there is to look at the calendar to see where they will be next.

http://www.godhatesfags.com/main/index.html

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. That's why I never use their name

He is Fred Phelch, as far as I'm concerned. :hi:

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. He is unbelievably crafty

One of the stories I like to tell is when a friend of mine in Topeka was visited by his brother from New York, he drove by the church so his brother could see the clan in action. His brother rolled down the window and said something hateful back to the protesters and flipped them off.

Next day, my friend started getting hate calls from Fred and his clan. Then they found his email address and deluged him with hateful emails. A year or so later, my friend's wife bought a fax machine and Phelps found that and sent her so many faxes she went through an entire ink cartridge in one day. She had to disconnect her fax machine. My friend's boss received phone calls and letters from Phelps, calling my friend a homosexual. He has had to change his phone number and email address several times.

All of this for just driving by and expressing disapproval. See, one (maybe more) of the family members works for the state of Kansas and can trace tag numbers.

[AndyTiedye]

7. Isn't There A Law Against That in Kansas?

Most states have laws against making harassing phone calls like that.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. From the Wikipedia link:

Phelps was first arrested in 1951 and found guilty of misdemeanor battery after attacking a Pasadena police officer. He has since been arrested for assault, battery, threats, trespassing, disorderly conduct, contempt of court, and several other charges; each time, he (along with Westboro and its other members) has filed suit against the city, the police, and the arresting officers. Though he has been able to avoid prison time—often on technicalities —he has been convicted numerous times: <30> <22> <31>

* 1987: Witness intimidation, threats, and attempted extortion (charges were brought up by the Kansas Bar Association and used as evidence in Phelps' disbarment and the launching of disbarment hearings against his children)
* 1992: Disorderly conduct
* 1993: Disorderly conduct
* 1993: Witness intimidation
* 1994: Contempt of court
* 1994: Two counts of assault (reduced to disorderly conduct on appeal)
* 1995: Assault and battery
* 1997: Two counts of disorderly conduct
* 1998: Disorderly conduct

Phelps' 1993 convictions stemmed from a raid on the offices of his family's lawfirm, "Phelps Chartered," in which $37,000 worth of equipment was seized as evidence. Phelps later sued the city of Topeka for seizing the equipment and won $43,000 in damages. By the time an appeals court overturned the ruling, the statute of limitations had expired and Phelps was allowed to keep the money.

Phelps' 1995 conviction for assault and battery carried a five-year prison sentence, with a mandatory 18 months to be served before he became eligible for parole. Phelps fought to be allowed to remain free until his appeals process went through. Days away from being arrested and sent to prison, a judge ruled that Phelps had been denied a speedy trial and that he was not required to serve any time. <22> <31>

In December 1996, in the wake of Fred Phelps' assault and battery conviction, two Topeka police officers came forward claiming that then-police chief Beavers had, in 1993, enacted a "no-arrest" policy that actively ignored complaints against Phelps and WBC members unless they were blatantly physically violent and/or witnessed by several persons. Beavers was quoted as saying:

The Phelpses are not going to live in my house. Don't these officers know the Phelpses can sue us and take our houses? Commander, do you understand my order?

An investigation was launched by the City of Topeka and the Topeka Sheriff's department in 1996. It was determined that Chief Beavers had been allowing Phelps and WBC protestors to commit crimes without arrest, and that Phelps and WBC members had taken advantage of their knowledge of the policy by becoming more abusive towards Topeka citizens; in following years, Topeka citizens formed a loose support group on the Topeka Capital-Journal message board recalling abuse they had suffered from Westboro members during this period, which included threats of sexual assault to women and children; some claimed that they had caught members of Westboro going through their garbage looking for personal information to use against them. Following the findings of the city and Sheriff's office, Beavers was asked to resign, and his successor immediately repealed the "no arrest" policy.

In addition, Phelps could be tried for the alleged abuse inflicted on his family if not for the statute of limitations.

[AndyTiedye]

12. This Confirms That He Operates Above The Law Somehow

Who is protecting him? Where is his money coming from?
Why are the judges letting him off?

Sure, he can bring lawsuits. So can anyone. Not much of a threat if
the suits are groundless. Yet the authorities in Kansas let him break
the law with impunity.

It is clear that this toad is getting protection from high places.

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. No he is just relentless

His money cames from his family's legal practice. And legal settlements. I am sure there are a few sick bastards who send him money but the bulk of his wealth comes from lawsuits. Hence, the reluctance to tangle with him.

[MuseRider]

15. Think mafia...

not that he is involved or supported in any way by them but that IS how they operate. My city has lost a ton of money over this group. He is constantly provoking trouble and he knows just how far he can legally go and how to play the system. He also knows when the person he is provoking is about to lose it. He then pushes just to the point that they get themselves in trouble and he reaps the benefits.

It has been a many long years struggle here. Any attempt to stop him or confront him can land you in a world of hurt (see Proud's post about her friend). That kind of stuff happens a lot and has brought several businesses and our government to it's knees in the past.

[xmas74]

27. Which is illegal according to the NCIC.

That's a point that I would fight over. I used to dispatch so I know what the rules about about tracing for your own personal use. It includes jail time, fines and in some places even having to pay the fees for usage of the system on top of everything else. (That can hurt-Alert is the system used in KC and their fees for one computer run about $27,000 a month, according to stats at a conference I went to four years ago). If I lived in KS I'd start a campaign to charge them with misappropriation.

I'd love to see them try to squirm out of those charges. When you run a plate you have to be logged in on a computer with a password known only to you. Every time you run a "hit" it goes through the switch, is recorded, and then the result is sent back to you. The exact terminal the hit originated at is known, the person logged in on that terminal is known and the time of the hit is known, along with what the request was.

The state could prosecute if they wanted to. Information from DOR is NOT public knowledge-you must have extensive background checks run, training and constant recertification.

[proud2BlibKansan]

30. Well he gets away with a LOT

and has been getting a pass for years.

[xmas74]

31. That's what is so irritating.

If I had shared any of the info I had been privvy to when I dispatched I would have been arrested but they get away with it.

You know that the info they use from those computers, to an extent, also comes from the FBI and Homeland Security. I've always been surprised that they don't come after them but we know who some really are siding with.

[proud2BlibKansan]

32. A good friend of mine from Topeka thinks that the city and the cops are

afraid of him. She said when she was in high school, her mom and dad, (who were a social worker and a doctor), knew several professionals who hot lined Phelps for making his kids and grandkids stand outside in all kinds of weather, holding signs. He also forced them to go door to door for years selling candy and they hot lined that as well. But Phelps immediately filed lawsuits and tangled reporting agencies up in court. Apparently that tactic worked, as now, no agency will even take a report filed against him. My friend said her mom says that Phelps could probably commit murder and the Topeka cops would look the other way. Sad.

[xmas74]

34. IMO,

for every lawsuit he files they need to file five separate charges, in different fields every time. For example, they file one lawsuit. The state files charges via Family Services, Dept of Revenue, on behalf of the county for excessive harrassment,etc.

He is the schoolyard bully. What's one of the best ways to get rid of a schoolyard bully? Dogpile.

[YOY]

2. Wow...the Wiki article

Man oh man, he is just a NASTY human being...the Debbie Valgos part says it all.

Nasty piece of work using God's name for hatred and nothing more than hatred.

A product of abuse and still abusing everyone around him.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. That is a very thorough article

and I know Wikipedia cannot always be trusted for accuracy, but what I read seems quite accurate to me.

[YOY]

9. If half of it is true...daaaaaaaaaaamn

The 'Children's crusade' part.

The 'Fagin' operation WITH HIS OWN KIDS.

The German Shepard.

Advocating wife beating!

His rejection from the Eastside Baptist Church because HE WAS EVEN MORE CONSERVATIVE AND HATEFUL THAN THEM!

If half of it is true, than this man is evil beyond words.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. Oh he really is that evil alright

[YOY]

11. The "Anti-Atticus"

Yeah I know Kansas is neither North nor South...but the exact opposite of Harper Lee's Atticus.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. That is a great comparison

And, FWIW, Fred is from Mississippi. He didn't grow up here.

[MuseRider]

16. I was in school

with his oldest son and several of the younger ones during the "candy campaign". The funny thing is that in 5th grade Fred Jr. decided he liked me and he would leave me several packs of those old Beatles cards with the bubble gum every day after lunch on my desk. I probably have one of the largest collections of those cards in the country! Someday they might be worth something and if so I will sell them and help support the KEC all on the back of a youthful Phelps!

[proud2BlibKansan]

17. Oh that would be great

And you know if they can sell a grilled cheese sandwich on ebay, there is definitely a market for your candy.

[MuseRider]

18. Oops, I chewed the gum!

BUT I still have a hugh stack of cards. I never wanted to turn loose of them because I love the Beatles but if they could bring in a sizable chunk I think it would be a perfect thing to do. Phelps supports the KEC!

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. You could add some gum

and call it santorum.

http://www.spreadingsantorum.com/

[MuseRider]

21. GAG! n/t

[MuseRider]

4. That is a great

book. I think it was DUer karlrschneider who turned me on to that book. Parts of it had been published in the paper but I had never seen the entire thing until he posted it.

His motivations become crystal clear once you read it. That is why, as you so smartly posted, those of us who have dealt with him longest try to ignore him.

Thanks for posting it. :hi:

Oh yes, thanks for the extra KEC publicity too!

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. I really hated to do this thread

But you know I will put in the good word for you and your wonderful organization whenever possible.

:yourock:

[SheilaT]

20. Most or many of the Phelps kids

also attended Washburn Law School in Topeka, and I've been told by other attorneys who attended at the same time that the Law School professors were very careful about many things because of them.

What enrages me is that people like the District Attorney in Topeka never held Phelps to the same standard of abiding by the law as the everyone else.

[proud2BlibKansan]

22. Hi Sheila!

I think most of them are disbarred now. I talked to a lawyer last night who told me there is only one lawyer left in the family.

She also told me that Phelps is asking ACLU for help in overturning the new anti-protest law in Missouri.

[SheilaT]

23. And I believe I heard on NPR

that the ACLU was going to take the case. Maybe it was just that they were considering it.

I'm glad to hear they're all disbarred. I bet I could go to the Kansas Bar Association web site and track down that information.

[proud2BlibKansan]

24. I would be surprised if they don't take the case

But there is also another group of protesters here in KC who is challenging the new law. I am part of that group. We protest against the war twice a week. We are meeting with an attorney next week. It was a tough call, but free speech is free speech, even if you don't agree with the message.

[tigersumtin]

25. What a sick

F_ _ K. This guy needs some serious therapy. It sounds as though he is a victim of sexual abuse, and venting his anger on the world. Thanks for posting this, very interesting reading.

[proud2BlibKansan]

26. I think he had to have been abused as a child too

That is the best explanation.

[im10ashus]

28. That's more information than I need to know about that certifiable family.

I've had my own run-in with them when they brought their filthy mouths to Chicago to protest against the Methodist church that was performing gay commitment ceremonies. They came to the "gay" neighborhood with about 5 of them. They were greeted by about 5,000 Chicagoans. They were escorted out of the neighborhood in police vans in about 5 minutes.

So sorry that they have sullied the image of your state. Heaven knows they will reap what they sow.

[proud2BlibKansan]

29. 5,000 - awesome!!

[im10ashus]

33. It was amazing!

I was never more proud to be a part of such a diverse community. I vowed never to back down from a polluted few.

[Ladyhawk]

35. WTF was Al Gore thinking???? n/t