Pat Quinn

Illinois Governor Increases Restrictions On Military Funeral Protests

David Taintor | August 15, 2011, 5:51PM

Gov. Pat Quinn (D-IL)

Anyone who wants to protest a military funeral in Illinois will have to do so from a distance of 300 feet, according to a new measure Gov. Pat Quinn (D) signed on Sunday.

The legislation is an expansion of the "Let Them Rest in Peace Act," one of Quinn's "top initiatives", press secretary Annie Thompson told TPM. The extension expands on the law's previous 200-foot barrier.

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Westboro Baptist Church

FBI Invited Westboro Baptist Church To Agent Training Sessions

Jillian Rayfield | June 30, 2011, 11:07AM

Terry Jones and Westboro Baptist Protestors

The FBI confirmed Wednesday that it invited members of the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church to speak at counterterrorism training sessions, to teach new agents about domestic terrorists.

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Westboro Baptist Church

Supreme Court: Westboro Baptist Church Has Right To Protest At Military Funerals

Ryan J. Reilly | March 2, 2011, 10:52AM

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church have the right to protest at the funerals of members of the military, the Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.

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Westboro Baptist Church

Westboro Baptist Rips Off, Pickets Ozzy Osbourne (AUDIO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 21, 2011, 2:40PM

The Westboro Baptist Church, the notorious Kansas congregation known for their stunt conservative-themed protests of high-profile funerals, has found a new target: 62-year-old rocker Ozzy Osbourne. Yes, Ozzy, who's now about as controversial as Michael Bolton (albeit after a long career that had some colorful highlights.)

Nevertheless, the Westboro Baptist Church -- which is led by the decidedly controversial 81-year-old Fred Phelps -- reports there's much to fear from Osbourne, a reality show comedy foil and cellular phone pitchman. In a flier the church is currently distributing in Kansas City, MO ahead of Osbourne's scheduled concert there Saturday night, Westboro says unequivocally that "God hates Ozzy Osbourne."

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Westboro Baptist Church

Westboro Baptists Not Big On Obama's Call To Dial Down The Rhetoric

Ryan J. Reilly | January 14, 2011, 2:30PM

Shirley Phelps-Roper

There's a least one group not taking kindly to President Barack Obama's call for civility this week in the wake of the attempted assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ): the Westboro Baptist Church.

Not surprisingly, a spokesperson from the infamous congregation (best known for protesting the funerals of soldiers killed in action with anti-gay signs) blew off Obama's plea to bring it down a notch in a phone interview with TPM on Friday.

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Westboro Baptist Church

Westboro Baptists Wouldn't Be At Tucson Funerals Anyhow

Ryan J. Reilly | January 14, 2011, 12:20PM

Margie Phelps

The Westboro Baptist Church won't actually be protesting at any of the funerals of the victims of the attempted assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) last weekend, the Tucson Sentinel reports.

Tucson Police Department investigators confirmed that the extremist anti-gay group -- notorious for protesting outside the funerals of members of the military killed in action -- will not be coming to the state, spokeswoman Diana Lopez told the paper Thursday night.

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Westboro Baptist Church

Westboro Baptists Thank God For Giffords Shooting, Will Picket Funerals

Ryan J. Reilly | January 10, 2011, 9:35AM

Members of the hate group known as the Westboro Baptists Church, infamous for their inflammatory anti-gay protests celebrating the deaths of American soldiers, plan to show up to the funerals of those killed in the Tucson, AZ shootings which killed six and severely injured Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ).

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Westboro Baptist Church

Westboro Baptist Church To Picket Elizabeth Edwards Funeral

Ryan J. Reilly | December 9, 2010, 11:12AM

A member of the Westboro Baptist Church protests at a military funeral.

A Kansas-based church known for its high-profile protests of service members' funerals is planning to show up at the memorial service for the late Elizabeth Edwards, the group said Thursday.

The Westboro Baptist Church's website said the group will hold a protest on Saturday from 12:15 p.m. to 1 p.m. at a memorial for the Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of former Senator and 2004 vice presidential candidate John Edwards. Edwards, a lawyer and health care advocate, died Tuesday after a six-year battle with breast cancer.

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'Ground Zero Mosque'

Westboro Baptist Church Lawyer: Opposing Cordoba House Is 'Un-American'

Ryan J. Reilly | October 8, 2010, 9:35AM

Margie Phelps

A member of the Westboro Baptist Church who represented the fringe church before the Supreme Court in a freedom of speech case on Wednesday tells TPMMuckraker that they support the right of Muslims to build an Islamic cultural center two blocks from Ground Zero.

"Of course" Muslims should be able to build the Cordoba House Islamic cultural center in New York City, Margie J. Phelps told TPMMuckraker in an interview Thursday. She said it would be hypocritical for the United States to not allow construction to proceed, and called opponents of the mosque un-American.

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Westboro Baptist Church

Supreme Court Struggles With Westboro Baptist 1st Amendment Case

Ryan J. Reilly | October 7, 2010, 9:11AM

A member of the Westboro Baptist Church protests at a military funeral.

There's almost universal agreement that the tactics and message used by parishioners of the small, fringe Westboro Baptist Church are despicable. But does that make their provocative protests near the funerals of dead U.S. soldiers -- under the theory that God is punishing the country because it tolerates gay and lesbian Americans -- unconstitutional?

When Supreme Court justices took up that issue in court on Wednesday, the usually highly divided court agreed on one thing: these Westboro Baptist Church people are jerks. Their tactics are "very obnoxious," said Justice Stephen Breyer, usually a member of the court's liberal bloc. They used "nasty signs," said Justice Antonin Scalia, who's been described as the intellectual anchor of the conservative wing of the court.

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