By Wesley Wernecke
“God hate’s fags”, “God hates America”.
Those are just a couple of the statements that you may read on picket signs or hear from the roof top of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas.
Today, I sat down for a hour-and-a-half long, face-to-face interview with Shirley Phelps-Roper, the attorney and daughter of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church Pasteur, Fred Phelps.
I met with Shirley to discuss the current firestorm issue, the Supreme Court ruling in favor of Westboro Baptist Church, involving their picketing of United States Marine Matthew Snyder’s funeral.
Upon arriving to the Phelps compound, you can’t help but notice the magnitude of security. “NO TRESPASSING”, “ SURVEILLANCE” signs surround the estate.
Cautiously optimistic, I approached their front door. Surprisingly, the home resembled something out of a picture book and beamed with warmth.
After ringing the door bell, the voice of Megan Phelps (daughter to Margie) came across, “Can I help you?”
Upon entering the home, I immediately felt as though I was on the set of Jon & Kate plus 8. Their home had enormous tables, several couches, several desks, and 15- 20 coats hanging up. There was even a large-sized home theater room.
After a cordial and pleasant greeting, we sat and got right into the interview.
What was it like growing up in The Phelps household?
PHELPS-ROPER: Busy, Entertaining with all those kids. You know, my parents had thirteen (13) children? My dad, Fred Phelps, was a great motivator and my mother, Margie Phelps, was a great stablilizer. So my mama, she’s kind of the calm stable one. My dad, he has a lot of energy, a lot of ideas, he’s really smart. When he looks up and he has all these children, and now my parents are inundated with a lot of work, he says we are letting our health go straight to hell. He didn’t say that , I’m just saying, I’m paraphrasing. So then, my father started to buy books on healthy living, eating healthy, exercise and that’s what we did, my father is a great motivator.
Do you go out to eat?
PHELPS-ROPER : I’m not opposed to going out to a restaurant, but here’s pretty much what my restaurant experience is like. I can’t go anywhere in this city without being recognized, and then whatever comes with that.
So I’m not really interested in wondering if someone did something to my food, you understand? So, I go to Subway. I can walk, get a little exercise and I can see them make my food. When we have family functions, we use to take them out to eat, we don’t anymore. We now order something, and bring it home and have a nice little setting room in our bedroom and eat.
Are you fearful of being out in public? Of what people might do?
PHELPS-ROPER: I’m not fearful. I’m just not stupid about it. Last time I went to a restaurant, I got a lot of guff and gawking and carrying on. People don’t hesitate, see, we stand out on the streets. If you don’t like what we are saying, get out on the streets with your own stinking sign. You have the right to say your peace just like we have the right to say ours. We don’t go inside of places and get in there grill and say things. But people don’t hesitate to do that, they come right on by and sneer and do something over to top to us trying to deliver a message. Its hilarious!
Some people would say that you are bad people for having your little children out on the streets with signs. What would you say to them?
PHELPS-ROPER: First off, stop lying about us. My granddaughter was born last Monday. What? We’re going to stick a little sign in her hand? Babies can’t hold signs. When they are small and nursing, we stick to Topeka and if its nice, I strap them in the stroller and go. When you are determined to be obedient to the scriptures, which includes how you are suppose to raise your children, all will be good.
If one of your kids down the line said, “ Mom, I don’t want to do this any more.” What would you say?
PHELPS-ROPER: Its happened! Look, my children know the policy of this house. If you want to live in my house, you will follow the word of god! You can be grown and live in this house as long as they are determined to serve god. When my #2 son decided he was not going to suffers reproaches, he left his dad and I a note saying “These people hate us, and I don’t want that.” So of course you know Christ said, “you will be hated by all men for this gospel sake”, leap for joy!
We don’t own salvation, we can’t fake it. You don’t have that heart, you can’t pretend this is all good. I can imagine #2 didn’t like it and so he wanted everyone to like him.
I knew that child didn’t belong, and it says “they went out from us because they are not of us.”
It broke my heart momentarily then I got my right eyes. The most heartbreaking part of it is the latter end, that child will be in hell.
So on the 8-1 ruling Snyder V. Phelps was that anticipated or did you have reservations?
PHELPS-ROPER: No, that was anticipated.
How do you feel about the government?
PHELPS-ROPER: They have “The Beast” in the most powerful position in the White House. They have turned the army over to the fags! (Shouting) They have turned this country over to the fags!
5 million dollar law suit, was that excessive?
PHELPS-ROPER: Its was $10.9 million honey! It was $2.9 million on each of us. The court had our financial statements in front of them, they knew that would bankrupt us. The punitive damages cannot be as such that they would bankrupt. I laughed! Every dime I get my hand on is going to this job.
People think we have money. What am I saving money for? When this worthless country is dead? What am I going to do with their worthless currency?
Some people would say you always seem angry, are you?
PHELPS-ROPER: You don’t get to call my zeal, but of course they do it all the time. Hun, I’m not angry, I’m passionate. I feel this all the way down to my toes. That’s just how I roll.
About that time, we heard Shirley’s kids in the background recording their version of pop musician, Ke$ha’s “We r Who We r” song. Shirley said “They better not be doing that with out me. You wanna go listen to it?”. Naturally, I inclined. We got up and walked back to the room where they were playing it.
The Phelps’ have created a library of pop-music parodies and they have become astute at spreading their messages through YouTube videos and social media sites.
When you picket these funerals, as a human, do you feel sorry for their family?
PHELPS-ROPER: No, I feel sorry for the dead child. Their family made shipwreck of their house!
Matthew Snyder now being deceased, has no voice, do you think it was disrespectful to picket someone who has no voice?
PHELPS-ROPER: NO! that funeral wasn’t about Matthew Snyder it was about his father Al Snyder! He doesn’t want 99.999999999% of the country to say “you did just right”, he wants 100%, the whole stinking country to bow down and kiss his ass. What he did, cheating his child is not okay. How shameful is this picture.
Many people speculate that Fred Phelps is not in great health. When one of your family members pass away, how will you feel if they are picketed?
PHELPS-ROPER: My father is in great health condition. He is 81 and still preaching every Sunday! The question is not “WHEN” it is “IF”. You say “WHEN”…there aren’t any dead family members. I don’t have any dead family or church people.
Ok, I’m sorry “IF”…
PHELPS-ROPER: Yeah that’s a good way to put that, because you understand,the lord is coming. Paul specifically addressed the fact that there will be people alive!
I recently talked to the City Manager’s office, and their statement was that you, nor your family is a representation of Topeka, Kansas. How do you feel about that?
PHELPS-ROPER: I hope we aren’t! They don’t serve god, they serve themselves! Topeka is a bunch of mean, hard people!
People would ask, if you feel that way about Topeka, why do you live here?
PHELPS-ROPER: This is where the lord, my God put me. What am I going to do?
Westboro Baptist Church: Cult or a Religion?
PHELPS-ROPER: I’m not going to answer that!
Shirley’s passion and tone were overwhelming, to say the least. I was literally exhausted by the end of the interview.
As we concluded, the phones and email were wild with requests for pictures and interviews. Fox News was on one end, and CNN on the other.
It isn’t difficult to get an interview with the Phelps’, they are more than happy to repeatedly deliver their message, the trouble is understanding them.
Wesley Wernecke