Liens issued against Fred Phelps church tied to protests
Monday, April 7th, 2008federal judge in Baltimore has issued liens against a fundamentalist Kansas church and ordered two of its members to post cash bonds while they appeal a $5 million judgment resulting from the church’s protest at a military funeral.
Westboro Baptist Church has filed a motion seeking to stay November’s verdict, in which a jury found that the Topeka, Kan., church intentionally inflicted emotional distress on Albert Snyder of York, Pa. Snyder’s son, Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder, 20, was killed in Iraq in March 2006.
Members of the church frequently picket military funerals, arguing that the deaths of U.S. troops overseas are part of God’s punishment for the nation’s tolerance of homosexuality. Since the verdict, the church has protested at other high-profile funerals in the Baltimore area, claiming that “God hates Baltimore.”
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett placed a lien on the properties of the church and its founder, Fred W. Phelps Sr., and ordered two of Phelps’ daughters to post cash bonds of $125,000 and $100,000 within 30 days.
The church property was appraised recently at $442,800. Bennett also placed a lien on a $232,900 office building owned by Phelps and his wife that the family law firm uses. The liens mean that no new mortgages can be taken out on the properties, and no money can be borrowed against the equity in them.
Bennett noted that it would require “extraordinary circumstances” for the church to avoid posting a portion of the judgment.
As you can see from his picture Fred Phelps is an aging southern cracker. His is in his late 70’s and in poor health. He has spawned 13 offspring who themselves have spawned over 50. They’re a regular cracker breading farm. He is an ordained Southern Baptist preacher that makes his living selling hatred, intolerance and bigotry. He travels the world with his family in tow living off the donations of other bigoted southern crackers. His ilk are nothing more than publicity whores. The more publicity they gets the more money they get. He is known for his outrageous publicity stunts like picketing funerals, weddings and churches. He has instilled his hatred and intolerance in his children and grandchildren.
How sad is this picture of his daughters and grandchildren? All smiles, so proud to be bigoted southern crackers. Even his littlest grandbaby is wearing one of their trademarked “God Hates Fags” t-shirts. How very tragic and sad it all is. Notice the upside down American flags. Fred Phelps and his ilk have no problem displaying their hatred for America and American freedom They get right in your face with it. Fred likes to wear the red, white and blue but he hates American freedom. He and his ilk want to turn American in to a theocracy. One where Americans will have the live by the bible laws and only rightwing Republican Calvinist Christians will have freedom of religion and freedom of speech.