People don't have respect for anyone or anything these days, so I'm not all that surprised anymore at stuff like this.

You nailed it - "morally repugnant." That's what these people are. So sad to hear about this.
R

What the hell are they protesting? Geez.

They are protesting gays in the military and Jews. That is so relevant to the grace and courage of a woman facing infidelity and cancer.

you don't do some things, and being rude at a funeral is at the top of the list.

duane said it.

It's heartless and one of the furthest things from being Christian. Elizabeth Edwards of all people...

Not that I can speak for the dead, but Elizabeth Edwards' soul will be shaking in disgust at this "protest,"because those church people will not be with her in heaven

Seems like the perfect place for a counter-protest. See the links after the WaPo article - 1st link in the bottom list.

How easily people forget that what they see on T.V. or read in a magazine or online are mere fragments of a personalities whole. Regardless of her politics, Elizabeth Edwards was a mother who's children will suffer her absence. Does that count for nothing? Have we become so repugnant (thank you for the word Cathrine) that we would dishonor a woman at her grave side with her children watching and do so in the name of God? Perhaps some time reading their own doctrine would be time in better service to their Lord.
This simply sickens me.

But love you Cathrine,
xoP

The god of the Westboro Church is not a god that I know.

Sad to see how low humans can sink at such an expense.

Religion, like Patriotism, may be used to cloak-in-'goodness' some of the worst instincts people harbor.
R.

This is so awful. I am trying to figure out where Jesus taught them to do stuff like this.

I like Bonnie's comment. Free speech or no, if they pulled something like that at a funeral for one of my loved ones, they'd be ducking everything I'd bought at the Farmer's Market. "Morally repugnant" expresses it best.

Gotta love America.

As to Bonnie's comment--there are many, many wealthy horrid reactionaries who hide behind the Bible.
Heck, the Hunt brothers of X were never tried for funding what James earl ray did to dr. King but I believe they should've.

What is wrong with these people? Seriously.
rated with hugs

At one time, I heard that where ever the Westboro Baptist nuts were showing up to protest that the Hell's Angels MC were showing up to stand in front of them so they couldn't be seen. I hope they still are. It would be appropriate for ordinary people and the Hell's Angels were standing arm in arm to submerge the Westboro folks in the crowd.

The Westboro baptist Chucrh is pure capitailism. They capitalize off the general public. They drive their short bus to the funerals of the Mother Teresas, the Pat Tillmans and the Elizabeth Edwards of our world. Then they protest and patiently wait for the reaction, a push, a shove, a punch or a lawsuit from from whatever city/town wants them off their sidewalks.
And the lawsuits come...and they usually win. That is how their sick mission is funded.

I would thoroughly relish burying Fred Phelps up to his neck in my backyard and trimming away at the fat with a push mower. But that action is not covered constitutionally...and until it is, I'll wait patiently, somewhat quiet like most should....because I'm dead sure that Phelps will soon pass.

The Westboro fucks are not affilitated with any Baptist group. Having been raised in the drinking and dancing Southern Baptist church (yes, there were some to be found), I must defend them. These fuckmuppets are not even connected to the whackjob right-wing, men-rule-women Baptist crackheads. These guys just use the name to sound semi-legitimate and then do their stupid hateful shit. They will burn in hell.

I'm amazed that these people haven't dried up by now, but just when you think you've heard it all, they manage to ooze even more slime.

I really can't stand those Westboro dirtbags. Elizabeth was a heterosexual civilian.... so what the hell are they doing there, to distress a family that's already under emotional duress?

First Amendment rights have to apply to everyone, but someone BADLY needs to train a firehose on those jerks.
rated.

I don't know how to avoid these losers, except that security should be hired to insulate the family from them during the funeral.

I've run into this at a funeral before. There were people that were to be refused admittance to both the funeral home and the graveside. We hired off-duty police to make sure that the family wasn't disturbed, and made sure that everyone made it from the funeral home (which is private property, so no one has a "right" to be there) to the cars to the cemetery (again, private property).

Can't we please have a mass funeral for the members of the Westboro Church?

I never met Elizabeth Edwards. Nothing she (nor her Iraq-war-voting pretender of a husband) ever did effected my life in a positive way....nor likely anyone else's on this forum.
I feel compassion for any child that loses a parent. For any human in pain.
But why do we care so much about this Elizabeth Edwards to write and opine so endlessly?
I say it has nothing to with her, but rather prurient interest in what we know about her husband's (all too normal) sex life.
We don't CARE about her. We like to watch.

What everyone else said, except for the guy right above me. It's just sad.

Sometimes when I think I've heard it all, there's more.
They have no souls.~r

MOTHERFUCKERS.

No. No, they should not be allowed.

Bring sharp things. To throw at them. Bring boots. To kick them. You stop a bully. You do not put up with them. No.

Wow!

Gross on every level.

There's more.
http://open.salon.com/blog/jlroberson/2010/12/09/protesting_elizabeth_edwards_funeral_enough_of_fred_phelps

Thank you for informing me of this. Ms. Forsythe, and consider yourself faved.

What the hell? This has got to stop.

I'm disappointed you posted about this; I'm disappointed the editors chose to feature it; I'm disappointed I clicked.

The problem is one of attention, as I think we all know.

A dime store cult; park trucks in front of them and refer to them by their family name..

This could get dicey Saturday. There are already two counter-protest groups organizing on FB. One group plans to ring the sidewalk outside the church and set up a human shield fence to prevent mourners from having to see the lunatics from Westboro. The voyeur in me wants to go see; but, I probably won't.

Someday soon one of these protests will end in violence and death. The Westboro family are all very seriously mentally ill and they bring out the worst in us with their vile and reprehensible behavior.

simply deplorable. what could they possibly protest.

The perfect protest would be to spray these dirtbags with some non-toxic foul-smelling substance -- something that smells like hydrogen sulfide. That seems like a fitting response to the stench of this sort of rapacious immoral hypocris.

What that Church is doing is grotesque to Christians and anyone with any common sense or decency.
Any death is mainly about the family. You do not have a right to mess with that, as it is bad enough as it is.
I think they are in "breach of the peace" and should be treated as the Common Law would do for creating a distrurbance at a funeral: period.
They are using fighting words and shouting fire in a crowded theater to any judge with sense who wants to enjoin them permanently from being within visible sight of the mourners.

Disgusting.

The *perfect* protest would be to ignore them. No media, no counter protestors, nothing. How long would they keep up this crap if no one looked?

You have to be pretty heartless to protest anything at anyone's funeral. This is all hate/no love - Christian or otherwise.

the real dirtbags are the local pentecostal,baptist, methodist and a.m.e. congregations who refuse to even denounce let alone confront these sik phuxx. their pastors should lead a counter protest and get in their face. but hey religion is all bout makin that money!

Any decent person of any faith should denounce this . Every church leader in this country regardless of denomination should speak publicly about this. The IRS should investigate them as a church and their tax status. We should all send prayers or positive thoughts toward the Edwards family, the families of soldiers and whomever else they choose to attack. And the members of this church and family should get down on their knees to the God they claim to follow and beg for forgiveness and wisdom. I cannot imagine that anyone on Earth will ever forgive them so they better look for it else where. It is the kind of act that makes me hope there is a Hell.
And to Jon, some of us just care about other humans and we do not judge a person by their family member's actions. Please show a little more compassion...you may need it sometime. We do not have to know someone to care.