Westboro's Next Target? M.J.’s Funeral

The Westboro Baptist Church clearly knows no boundaries.

Members of Fred Phelps's fundamentalist church are planning to picket the funeral of the late pop icon Michael Jackson, according to the group's website. The funeral is scheduled for Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The controversial group became well known in the 1990s for picketing funerals of those who had died of AIDS, though they eventually moving on to picketing services for public figures and military personnel.

Jackson was using the Staples Center to rehearse for his upcoming 50-show concert tour, which was to start on July 13 in London, according to MTV.

Reader Comments

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Name: mike
Date posted: 2009-07-06 9:34 AM
Hometown: ohio

Comment:

people like pjr come here to start flame wars. just don't respond. ignore it and he'll get tired of the nonresponse. i could sit here too and call you all whatever slur i want all day and it doesn't matter, cuz if i get a rise out of no one, i'll get bored. people like that exist and will hate you regardless of any logic or reason and will continue to check everyday to see if someone got mad at them and so they can continue to spew their garbage. or do what i do. just laugh at those comments. yes, i know they represent mainstream america's opinion of us.. or at least 30%, but just remember that in time this will all be an ugly memory.

Name: PJR
Date posted: 2009-07-05 4:25 PM
Hometown: Michigan

Comment:

Sorry James: No anti gay hate from PJR! But you can see your heterophobic hate for sure! If I just put the correct label on homosexuality as mental disorder, as it was and should be, you spit out heterophobic hateraide. Calling homosexuality a mental disorder is certainly not anti gay hate, but fact. Frankly that's what homosexuality was appropriately defined as up until the gay agenda specfically targeted and went after the APA years ago to redefine another standard. All you have to do is read this comment section to see mental disorder is approriate. You have folks on here defending public park bathroom sex exposing children to vile behaviour for cripes sakes, redefining the problem to a good saying the public has to make room for this behaviour. If it's a problem in the gay community, the problem just gets redefined as good. That's truly annoying, and so wrong!! The hate is so obviously eminating from the homosexual side!

Name: Donna
Date posted: 2009-07-05 8:52 AM
Hometown: Tampa

Comment:

Picketing funerals will always be seen as replusive so the Phelps insanity will fail. This time they at least have picked a target where there are victims all over the world: little kids who were abused and betrayed, bought and sold by both their parents and someone they admired. Westboro hopes to pick up support from people who care about children and are disgusted with adult infantilism. Fans who refuse to acknowledge there was but saintly behavior from their idol of clay help that. What will not be seen is the plain truth: living the lie of hiding being homosexual while entering into fake marriages, self hatred and never growing up comes not from the gay liberation movement but from the opposition to it. MJ was the result of haters like Phelps, not the result of gay rights.

Name: amanda
Date posted: 2009-07-04 3:15 PM
Hometown: lawrence kansas

Comment:

I think this is a good example that the glbt community isn't as mean and violent because in all the years that this man or what every you want to call him has been spilling bile and not one person has done any harm to them or taken them out.Do you remember the movie "Poltergeist". The preacher in the second one reminds me of old freddy"COME WITH ME" thats just a scary part..since Sara pailin is out of her job maybe when fred kicks it she can take over,,She would look good on a street corner screaming her bile.She looks like a crazy Peggy HIll..Please don't say that I am just mad because I don't look like her..Because believe me..I woudn't want to be her for nothing..LOng live freedom for alll and not just for the hatefull...

Name: RA
Date posted: 2009-07-04 1:41 PM
Hometown: Treasure Coast FL

Comment:

Here's my comment...it is the Gay Community that has been dealing with the Phelps/Westboro Baptist Church for how long already? Let them show up so MILLIONS around the world will see what hatred exists in the world in the name of the CHURCH. Let's hope that the media does not just pass over Westboro Baptist Church on the scene of the MJ Memorial if they show up. Since we all know that it is BEYOND a disgrace they are even allowed to assemble the way they have. I belive the MJ crowd may not take a back seat to those morons actions at the memorial. Another embarassing moment for the USA is what it will be in the name of the CHURCH! Westboro...you are cordially invited...

Name: Jon in Canada
Date posted: 2009-07-04 11:55 AM
Hometown: Montreal

Comment:

First off, Phillip, you're a strange one and thus are dismissed without further concern. As to the Phelps', well all I can say is Butter up the Popcorn 'cause I see one hell of an Ultimate Fight match coming on. REALLY Fred!!??! You're actually going to protest MJ's Funeral???!!! Good luck with that and I hope you bring your health insurance because when the beat down is done, I suspect organ donation is the only thing you'll be doing.....then again, who would want those contaminated organs, so full of hateful puss and vile fluids....makes one shudder. I wasn't planning on catching any of the funeral but this could, sadly, make it very interesting. Let the games begin. As for Micheal, although I was never a fan, may he find in death the peace he clearly never found in life.

Name: Jason
Date posted: 2009-07-04 11:06 AM
Hometown: Los Angeles

Comment:

Lets not fall into the trap Westboro is setting. Up till now they have gained no sympathy picketing the funerals of soldiers and people with Aids. While many pop star dazed fans love Michael Jackson, millions of others see behind the idol worship and the picture is ugly: of closet homosexuality, child molestation / buying and of drug abuse. We have long fought the unfair sterotype that gay men want to sleep with kids. Well here is one who did and we don't need to support or deny that. He is NOT in "our" family but that of the hypocritical straight world. An example of what repression does, not liberation. Embracing him is exacting what Phelps would want us to do

Name: Miss Thing
Date posted: 2009-07-04 9:16 AM
Hometown: Miami

Comment:

Fred Phelps and Michael Jackson are made for each other. Both hate homosexuality. We can only hope Phelps joins Jackson in the coffin. PS- we don't support someone just because they once were black. How nice for his supporter here to admit the real reason he is ga ga over Miss Jackson: he once was a black man before he tried to change his race. It is the basis of support for creeps like OJ, etc.: racism. Right or wrong, we are suppose to support someone just because of their race. Let's face the truth: if MJ was the average person sleeping with so many little boys he would be in jail. And, yes, I AM better than that. I am honest about sex. Try it.

Name: Damon
Date posted: 2009-07-04 8:38 AM
Hometown: New York

Comment:

A circus where are the actors are homophobes: the funeral of a third rate singer and pop star who said he was against homosexuality while having multiple little boys sleep with him. (Anyone who thinks he was hot for his wives or paid millions in hush money just to help the families needs a brain transplant). Along comes this horrible Phelps "Church" to try to get publicity out of it. Too bad the whole affair doesn't just fall into the ocean, I'm sick of the media making idols of closet creeps just to provide airheads with a circus. Maybe the whole crowd can just "moonwalk" their way off a cliff. Any link to pedophilia harms the gay cause.

Name: Roger Burr
Date posted: 2009-07-03 6:00 PM
Hometown: Marble Hill, MO

Comment:

I think we are overlooking one important point here... When did Michael Jackson ever actually ADMIT he's gay? Did I miss that news conference? If he DIDN'T; then why would Westboro be picketing? Do they think God objects to music and dancing?? Even if MJ DID admit to homosexuality; those Westboro idiots have bitten off more than they can possibly hope to chew (no pun intended). There will be THOUSANDS of tearful fans, gay AND straight, who will be mourning the loss of their idol. Instead of throwing eggs at the Westboro whackos; they'll probably be using grenades and molotov cocktails. I hope someone gets it on film!!!!

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