Here's the article in full, from canoe. ca.
Westboro church calls off protest of girl's funeral
By SHEENA GOODYEAR, QMI Agency
The Westboro Baptist Church has agreed not to picket the funeral of nine-year-old shooting victim Christina Taylor Green. (REUTERS/Mark Henle/The Arizona Republic/Handout)
The Westboro Baptist Church has agreed not to picket a nine-year-old girl's funeral in exchange for airtime on radio stations in Arizona and Toronto.
The WBC is a Christian group with an extreme anti-homosexual agenda based out of Topeka, Kan., and headed by Pastor Fred Phelps.
With just 70 or so members, mostly from Phelps's family, the group has drawn widespread attention for protesting the funerals of soldiers, politicians and murder victims, arguing their deaths are God's punishment for North America's sins.
The group had planned to picket Thursday's funeral for nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green in Tucson, Ariz. Green was one of six people killed in a shooting rampage Saturday that left Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords fighting for her life.
But the group agreed to call off the protest in exchange for airtime on 102.1 The Edge in Toronto and KXXT-AM in Phoenix, Ariz.
Shirley Phelps-Roper, the church's spokeswoman, was on the The Dean Blundell Show on The Edge Tuesday morning and will be on again Thursday morning at 9 a.m.
“She spewed her religious rhetoric and she agreed not to go to the funeral,” host Dean Blundell told QMI Agency. “I just couldn't stomach those parents out there, with those idiots across the street screaming at them.”
Blundell has invited Phelps-Roper on the show five or six times before, he said, usually to prevent the group from attending Canadian events, like Toronto's Gay Pride Parade.
“It's an effort to expose her for the crack she is and protect Canada from her,” he said.
Blundell hopes Thursday's appearance will convince the WBC not to protest the other funerals from Saturday's shooting.
KXXT-AM, a Christian radio station, confirmed that a member of the WBC will appear on The Steve Sanchez show between 7-8 a.m. Saturday.
“The host and owner of the radio show negotiated this interview in exchange for a promise from the members of that controversial church not to picket the funeral of the victims of this shooting rampage in exchange for the interview. Steve Sanchez has done this out of love for the community of Tucson and the victims,” the radio station said in a statement.
“KXXT does not agree in anyway with the representative of this church in Kansas nor does Steve Sanchez.”
The Arizona legislature passed a motion Tuesday banning protests at or near funeral sites, but the WBC indicated it would not be deterred by the new rules. Green's funeral, as well as that of U.S. District Judge John Roll, another victim of Saturday's shooting, are still listed on the WBC's online picket schedule, which was last updated Tuesday
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Honestly, I really would love to kick that Phelps jackass in the nuts numerous times, preferably with steel-toed boots. He's a disgrace to humanity and I do NOT understand why they let him get away with the **** he DOES get away with. Free Speech should only go so far. Planning on picketing the funeral for a NINE YEAR OLD GIRL? I cannot believe how much much of an a**hole he is.
And they would not be deterred by the new rules(had the legislation gone into effect)? I have a feeling that they'll picket the wrong funeral someday and then there will be quite a few asses kicked.
Yeah, buying these people off is just too silly....I personally think that counter-demonstrations should be organized....I bet a thousand people would have showed up, let them surround the Westboro folks, hiding them from view, rendering their "protest" useless.
Either that, or have a group go down and kick their ****ing teeth down their throats.....no jury in the USA would convict them.
Actually, I think I like Option Two.
