Toronto Radio Station Trades Air Time To Westboro Baptist Church In Return For Cancelling Protest At Murdered Child's Funeral In Arizona
"TORONTO — Members of a radical Kansas church have cancelled plans to picket the funeral of a nine-year-old girl killed in a shooting rampage in Arizona, after being promised a live interview on a Toronto radio station.
Dean Blundell, a controversial morning show host on rock radio station 102.1 The Edge, said he brokered the deal with Shirley Phelps-Roper of the Westboro Baptist Church in an effort to prevent further suffering for the victim's family.
Phelps-Roper has also credited Blundell and another Arizona radio station for persuading her and fellow church members to stay away from the funeral for Christina Green, who was one of six people killed on Saturday in Tucson, Ariz.
The church had previously planned to picket Green's funeral on Thursday, saying the Arizona shooter had been sent by God to punish sinners in the country.
The organization also has a long history of picketing the funerals of fallen American soldiers on the grounds that the nation is too tolerant towards homosexuals."
CTV News Online
Dean Blundell, a controversial morning show host on rock radio station 102.1 The Edge, said he brokered the deal with Shirley Phelps-Roper of the Westboro Baptist Church in an effort to prevent further suffering for the victim's family.
Phelps-Roper has also credited Blundell and another Arizona radio station for persuading her and fellow church members to stay away from the funeral for Christina Green, who was one of six people killed on Saturday in Tucson, Ariz.
The church had previously planned to picket Green's funeral on Thursday, saying the Arizona shooter had been sent by God to punish sinners in the country.
The organization also has a long history of picketing the funerals of fallen American soldiers on the grounds that the nation is too tolerant towards homosexuals."
CTV News Online
It was a deal that didn't need to have been made. The Arizona legislature made picketing funerals illegal, and the cops would have arrested the Phelpsbrood on sight.
Posted by
Dr.Dawg |
11:21 am, January 13, 2011
Would baby jesus accept bribes? (air time in turn for not being a complete arse)
Posted by
sassy |
11:21 am, January 13, 2011
Actually Dr. Dawg the Arizona new legislation only prohibited demonstrations within 300 ft of a funeral. The Westboro fascists would still have been able to protest and pledge to protest at the other 5 victims funerals ... allowing 300 ft as per the law. AZ is still nervous about legislating free speech hence the accomodation.
Posted by
leftdog |
11:41 am, January 13, 2011
Thanks Buckdog. I stand corrected.
Posted by
Dr.Dawg |
12:54 pm, January 13, 2011
Leftdog, that is. Sorry! Much on my mind at the moment.
Posted by
Dr.Dawg |
12:55 pm, January 13, 2011
Apparently Phelps & co have been given a voice on this station before and they claim the WBC appearances are so outrageous that people tend to just laugh.
NEVERTHELESS, activists and progressives need to tune in and monitor what the station broadcasts. If anything said rises to the level of hate speech as defined in Canada, then action must be taken against the station.
My guess though is that the WBC folks, like all good bigots, know how to "ride the line" and say just enough to be hateful, but not enough to be charged with anything. No doubt a producer will have a hand ready on the mute button too.
Considering we will not permit these people to cross our border into Canada I find it quite repugnant that a radio station gives a voice to their twisted sense of reality.
Posted by
Elliott Taylor |
6:50 pm, January 13, 2011
Because the Westboro cult claim to be Christian, I have always thought that real Christians have an obligation to speak out against their blasphemous filth. Here is the link to a blogpost when I proposed a Christian response to their intent to protest at the funeral of Greyhound Bus murder victim Tim McLean.
http://simplemassingpriest.blogspot.com/2008/08/dealing-with-hate.html
Basically, I propose that Christians (whatever their views on homosexuality per se) gather between these hatemongers and the people they are attempting to abuse and to drown them out with classical Christian hymns about God's love.
Posted by
Malcolm+ |
9:59 pm, January 13, 2011
Malcolm what a wonderful way to handle the situation.
It would also help build community when different groups meet for a common cause.
Posted by
Norma |
10:22 am, January 14, 2011