2008 Woodie Awards
Community makes the message clear to the WBC
Jon Miller
Issue date:
12/5/07
Section:
Opinion
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For the first time in my
life I can truly say I am
happy to call myself a resident
of Kitsap County.
I stood among hundreds
of counter-protestors who
stopped the Westboro
Baptist Church from
spreading their message of
hate.
WBC, a church group
from Topeka, Kan. led
by Fred Phelps, has been
speaking out against
America's tolerance of
homosexuality for years.
They claim that the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks was God's
punishment for America's
transgressions and have
assembled at military
funerals across the nation
yelling "God hates fags"
and calling the military a
"fag army."
On Friday, Sara Phelps,
granddaughter of the infamous
church leader, assembled
in Port Orchard with
four other WBC members
near the memorial service
of fallen soldier Sgt. 1st
Class Johnny C. Walls in
an attempt to deliver their
message of intolerance to
Kitsap County.
But before the antihomosexual
group even
arrived, more than a hundred
counter-protesters
had already gathered at the
intersection of Bethel and
Lund avenues and were
waving flags and holding
signs that supported
troops and promoted love
and acceptance.
When Sara Phelps
and her fellow members
showed up, a diverse
crowd of military veterans
and gay rights supporters
instantly bombarded
them.
There are a ton of videos
on the Internet showing
previous demonstrations
of the WBC and none of
them show the WBC being
shut out the way residents
of Kitsap County residents
did, sending a strong message
of intolerance for
hate.
Not only did the community
vastly out number the
controversial protesters,
they drowned them out by
yelling "God doesn't hate
anyone" and singing "The
Star Spangled Banner."
The proud residents of a
military based community
made it clear that they will
not allow their soldiers'
sacrifice to be discredited.
life I can truly say I am
happy to call myself a resident
of Kitsap County.
I stood among hundreds
of counter-protestors who
stopped the Westboro
Baptist Church from
spreading their message of
hate.
WBC, a church group
from Topeka, Kan. led
by Fred Phelps, has been
speaking out against
America's tolerance of
homosexuality for years.
They claim that the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks was God's
punishment for America's
transgressions and have
assembled at military
funerals across the nation
yelling "God hates fags"
and calling the military a
"fag army."
On Friday, Sara Phelps,
granddaughter of the infamous
church leader, assembled
in Port Orchard with
four other WBC members
near the memorial service
of fallen soldier Sgt. 1st
Class Johnny C. Walls in
an attempt to deliver their
message of intolerance to
Kitsap County.
But before the antihomosexual
group even
arrived, more than a hundred
counter-protesters
had already gathered at the
intersection of Bethel and
Lund avenues and were
waving flags and holding
signs that supported
troops and promoted love
and acceptance.
When Sara Phelps
and her fellow members
showed up, a diverse
crowd of military veterans
and gay rights supporters
instantly bombarded
them.
There are a ton of videos
on the Internet showing
previous demonstrations
of the WBC and none of
them show the WBC being
shut out the way residents
of Kitsap County residents
did, sending a strong message
of intolerance for
hate.
Not only did the community
vastly out number the
controversial protesters,
they drowned them out by
yelling "God doesn't hate
anyone" and singing "The
Star Spangled Banner."
The proud residents of a
military based community
made it clear that they will
not allow their soldiers'
sacrifice to be discredited.
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