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<p>I would have guessed their reason would have been that Elizabeth favored legalizing gay marriage. But I was listening to the news on the radio this morning and one of the WBC members they interviewed stated that Elizabeth was “rebellious against God” for having two more children after losing her son. I just don’t know how these people sleep at night, but that’s the nature of fanatics.</p>
<p>I <em>totally</em> got Elizabeth’s fervent wish that she live long enough to at least see her kids graduate from HS and that she put up with cr*p in the interests of giving those kids a stable, loving environment and her influence as long as humanly possible. I told my docs when I was diagnosed that I had to have eight years minimum and get my kids launched into college. What hubris on my part. I know too many fine, fine people who only got a fraction of that time.</p>
<p>Cancer really, really sucks.</p>
<p>CountingDown,
I have never lived in your shoes or Elizabeth Edwards’, but when I read her remarks about wanting ten more years so she could see her kids through to high school graduation, it pained me as a mom. Further, while not entirely the same, when my dad was dying of cancer, he said the same exact thing about how he had wanted to see the six grandkids through to high school graduation and now would not be able to (the two oldest, including one of mine, were HS seniors at the time). So, the whole thought really grabs me in the heart. And this is one of the many reasons I feel sorry for Elizabeth Edwards and her children.</p>
<p>Nrdsb…I just looked more up about West Baptist Church’s planned protest of EE’s funeral and it is incredible. Just so horrific. Their words boggle the mind. I can’t imagine any friends or family of EE reading the statement that WBC has put out!! </p>
<p>[Elizabeth</a> Edwards Funeral To Be Picketed By Westboro Baptist Church](<a href=“HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost”>Elizabeth Edwards Funeral To Be Picketed By Westboro Baptist Church | HuffPost Latest News)</p>
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<p>THEN, they go on to post the news release put out by the West Baptist Church on their protest. I will not post it here and it is just horrific. It is included in the linked article. </p>
<p>If these folks are so into God, do they really believe God would condone such behavior at a funeral, where the deceased should be honored and remembered? I don’t get how people can claim to be so religious and yet behave in such a fashion!</p>
<p>soozie - </p>
<p>You know, while I was in the middle of my long drive home yesterday and thinking about her death, the funeral, the kids, etc., I don’t know why, but it popped into my mind that Westboro just might try to do something to garner attention for themselves. But as you mentioned, she doesn’t fit into any of their typical criteria. What I know does tend to happen is that they threaten to show up and often don’t. In the meantime, communities often rally around the grieving family or event that they’ve threatened to picket at and find a way to visually block them.</p>
<p>True that they might not show up but just their press release alone is so hurtful that I hope nobody close to EE ever reads it. :(</p>
<p>It includes statements such as “God hates Elizabeth Edwards,” and “Elizabeth Edwards is in Hell.” The body of the text is just disgusting. How do people say and act this way? It seems inhuman! (not to mention, they are “religious” folk)</p>
<p>(PS, I called them West Baptist by mistake and it is Westboro Baptist)</p>
<p>It will be interesting to see how the police and people in general react if they do show up. So far their “rights” have apparently superceded the rights of the mourners at soldiers funerals.</p>
<p>In the last few weeks a couple of towns here in Oklahoma have started trying to stand up to them a bit. At one they were harassed and when they tried to leave their tires had been slashed and no one would help them (and usually Oklahomans are very helpful). The second time they were surrounded, peacefully, by a large group of the townspeople so that the morners could not see them.</p>
<p>They are evil people.</p>
<p>My son has a couple of good friends in the military. He has said that if one of them died and this group of hatemongers showed up at the funeral he would find it hard to handle it peacefully. And he is a pretty peaceful kind of guy.</p>
<p>This group claims they will keep a “respectful distance” at the funeral when they protest. How can they even utilize the word, “respectful” in this context??? :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Isn’t a case about them before the Supreme Court right now??</p>
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<p>I saw one funeral recently where the whole town banded together against them. They all got up really early and parked in every single available spot within many miles of the funeral. When the WBC people showed up, they had no place to park, at least that would allow them to get to the funeral on time. Also, I believe, the townspeople also made use of the large banners, etc. I say good for them!</p>
<p>Or the Patriot Guard may show up to protect the mourners, or some other group will model their behavior on the Patriot Guard, who protected a Southern IL. family in November from harassment.</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://www.patriotguard.org/]Home[/url”>http://www.patriotguard.org/]Home[/url</a>]</p>
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<p>They make quite a bit of money, apparently, by provoking people into attacking them and then suing. (Phelps’s daughter is a lawyer.) In that sense, it’s a racket.</p>
<p>Basically, I think it’s all pretty much one extended, lunatic family.</p>
<p>I’m sure their condemnation of EE has as much to do with her being pro-gay rights as it does with her “defying God” by having more children (?!). Don’t forget that after the tsunami a couple of years ago, they openly applauded all the deaths in Thailand, saying it was God’s punishment of that country for encouraging gay tourism, having surgeons who treat trans people, etc. And the primary basis for all the “God hates America” stuff, and for picketing military funerals, etc., is the fact that the U.S. “allows” gay people to exist, as opposed to having, say, public executions of them.</p>
<p>These people are just about enough to make you believe in a few additional well chosen exceptions to the right of free speech. </p>
<p>As far as “defying God” I know that Edwards never openly acknowledged what is a 99.9% probability that her younger children were conceived by way of donor egg. They would have been vilified for that when he was running for office, so she never said either way, and was consequently criticized on both sides. It is entirely too bad, because way too many people are clueless that having a biological child is in the realm of a miracle at that age. Sadly, these hate groups will make an issue out of anything.</p>
<p>WBC isn’t a church - it’s almost all members of one warped family. </p>
<p>I really hope the Supreme Court lets the judgement against them stand. I don’t think it’s unconstitutional because they weren’t charged with a crime for their hateful speech. The judgement against them is a civil judgement for pain and suffering brought by the family of a deceased serviceman. I think the Constitution gives WBC the right to say whatever obnoxious thing they want - and the obligation to take responsibility for what they say. If that means compensating someone for the pain and suffering caused by what they said, so be it.</p>
<p>BUT… the thread is moving away from its purpose of memorializing Elizabeth.</p>
<p>What EE can provide them that the soldiers and others cannot is extra publicity. I certainly hope the media chooses to ignore them completely. What they’re looking for is publicity. </p>
<p>Is the Patriot Guard the Harley riders? I think at the IL funeral there was a band of local Harley riders who formed a ring around mourners and used their bikes to drown out the protesters. </p>
<p>I think these people are despicable, and if anyone will end up in hell, it will be them.</p>
<p>Yes, the Patriot Guard are bikers. I heard one speak a couple of years ago at a workshop on mental health and military families. Many of them are Viet Nam vets who have found healing by doing this.</p>
<p>Roshke-- why should EE have had to say anything about how she conceived these children? It’s nobody’s business!</p>
<p>The WBC are pure evil.</p>
<p>The best way to fight Westboro Baptist (aka the Phelps Family) is to have a fundraiser based on their appearance, the proceeds of which go to something like a local high school’s GLBT group. For every minute the Phelps Family is present, people pledge a quarter, a dollar, whatever. They tend to leave quickly once they see the signs thanking them for their appearance and why the students/residents are happy to see them. It’s like sunlight to vampires.</p>
<p>I’m sorry to see that Elizabeth Edwards funeral has attracted them. However, it has happened in the past that the WBC has promoted their appearance and then not shown up. This may be just such a feint.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl, You are right, she shouldn’t have to! I was just responding to Donna’s post and speculating that EE, and others in the public eye may otherwise have <em>chosen</em> to be open on subjects like this one if it weren’t for the fear of incurring the wrath and the rhetoric of those who think it’s akin to “defying God.” And that there is all manner of fallout from these hate groups. She was, of course, entitled to privacy on the matter.</p>
<p>I can’t say I am sorry to see her gone. She and her husband were/are greedy, disingenuous, power hungry and just generally awful people. I wouldn’t be surprised if he marries the chick he knocked up. </p>
<p>Everyone has to die. Doesn’t mean you are a good person just because you get cancer and die of it. She certainly wasn’t.</p>