As if losing the life of this beautiful little girl wasn’t hard enough on her family and the Tucson community as a whole, it seems the hate-filled Westboro Baptist Church is planning to picket the funeral of Nine year-old Christina Taylor Green, one of the six victims of Saturday’s shooting in AZ. But the people of Tucson won’t stand for it and they’re fighting back…with peace and love. Via CNN:
Tucson, Arizona (CNN) — Tucson just isn’t that kind of town, says Christin Gilmer.
Gilmer is referring to the actions of Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, which has made its name protesting the funerals of people who died of AIDS, gay people, soldiers and even Coretta Scott King.
But when the church announced its intention to picket the funeral of a 9-year-old girl — one of six people who died Saturday during the attempted assassination of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords — Gilmer and others put their feet down.
Tucson is a “caring, loving, peaceful community,” according to Gilmer, who said two of the six people killed were friends.
“For something like this to happen in Tucson was a really big shock to us all,” she said. “Our nightmare happened when we saw Westboro Baptist Church was going to picket the funerals.”
They’re planning an “angel action” — with 8- by 10-foot “angel wings” worn by participants and used to shield mourners from pickets. The actions were created by Coloradan Romaine Patterson, who was shocked to find the Topeka church and its neon signs outside the 1999 funeral of Matthew Shepherd, a young gay man beaten and left on a fence to die in Laramie, Wyoming.
“We want to surround them, in a nonviolent way, to say that our community is united,” Gilmer said. “We’re a peaceful haven.
Why is Westboro targeting a 9 yr. old?
Westboro Baptist Church, founded by its spiritual leader, Fred Phelps, and run mostly by family members, did not respond to a request for an interview in time for this article. But a flier released by the church about the picket targets the Roman Catholic Church because Christina and her family were members.
“God hates Catholics!” the flier, posted on the church’s “God Hates Fags” website, says. “God calls your religion ‘vain,’ as it’s empty of His truth; you worship idols!”
These people are disgusting. But, let us all, like the good folks in Tucson, respond to them, not with more hate, but with love, peace…and prayer. And let us pray for young Christina Green and all the victims and of Saturday’s shooting and their families.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen
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One Comment on “Westboro Baptist Church to Picket 9 yr. Old’s Funeral”
I know those sickos. They are simply addicted to hate – they use every excuse on getting picketing and spewing their hatred. They once planned to come to Finland (as our President had once been a social worker working with gays and lesbians in her youth), to insult our President and burn the Finnish flags, but certain Finnish military reservists, who happened to be hackers, cracked the WBC website and replaced each and every page there with a Finnish flag.
Why is WBC targeting a nine year old? Because she is an easy target – helpless, unable to defend and one whose funeral being sabotaged gets attention. It is the attention they really are craving for – just imagine your standard schoolyard bully. They really couldn’t care less about her life or her religion – it is the hate itself, the very feeling of hate and the adrenalin rush it creates is what they care for.
Hope Mr. Phelps enjoys pushing metallurgical coke at the Cosmic Steel Mill in the Kingdom Come.