So, does God hate my blog?

I'm not sure if many are aware of a place called the Westboro Baptist Church. Or of Fred Phelps. Fred Phelps is a self proclaimed fag hater. In otherwords, he hates gay, lesbians, bisexuals, and transvestites. I'm not certain, but I think he also hates the war in Iraq. I will explain more...

...now.

Fred Phelps is a former lawyer and a pastor with the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. He believes that homosexuality and it's acceptance has doomed the world to damnation. In his early years, he was a successful lawyer, winning awards for his service in defending black clients. But he was disbarred in 1977, after an incident with a court clerk.

Phelps had requested a transcript, which the clerk had not prepared for him in time as was promised. While this action did not affect the outcome of his case, he demanded $22,000 in damages because of the action. In the ensuing trial, he called her the clerk to the stand and declared her a hostile witness. He then cross examined her for a week, making accusations that she was a slut and was a participant in deviant sexual behaviour. The cross examination brought the clerk to tears. For more information on this, it is available from Phelps Wikipedia entry found here. I advise the reader, however, to research as much as possible. Here is the reason why.

Phelps and his family are very, very knowledgeable. In the law and in the readings of the Bible. From what I have read on the family, they know the book forward and backward. But here's where things get a little odd. As a group that fundamentally knows the ins and outs of the Bible, they have taken to vocally hating those in the gay community. It's almost like a contradiction, really. On one hand, yes, God did say that man shall not lie with man as he would with woman, for it is an abhorant act. Okay, I get that. But what happened to the part about, love thy neighbour. Or was I just dreaming that. I also don't recall anything in the Bible that says it's alright to picket funerals. Again, I could be wrong. I haven't read the Bible from back to front making cliff notes.

Okay, so Phelps hates gays. I can live with that. I can deal with that. I'm not gay, but I'm also not going to go out of my way to voice or protest gay marriages or funerals. Personally, I think the latter action is disrespectful to the family of someone who died of the AIDs virus.

But Phelps has a large number of protests scheduled, some to those who have died of the AIDs virus, but what's shocking is the protests against those who were killed in an Illinois Mall shooting. Several were killed, and Phelps deems it necessary to protest the funerals of the fallen.

And the funeral of Heath Ledger. Yes, Ledger played a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain. In one movie. I guess that constitutes a protest. But according to the fliers page at the Westboro Baptist Church website, Ledger's and many more are scheduled to be conducted.

Including several members of the United States military. It was Phelps group that actually prompted the US Government to pass the Fallen Heroes Act. The Act states that no protests may be conducted within a certain distance from the gravesite. A quick search through Google should bring about the proper information.

I sit back and read the things that Phelps and his organization have done, mind you none of it has been violent, so he gets a mark in his favour there, and I just have to give my head a shake. What if he did that in Canada? What would the reaction have been, had he and his followers shown up to the funeral of four slain officers from Mayerthorpe, Alberta. Or the two killed in Spiritwood, Saskatchewan? Or the constable killed in Hay River, North West Territories? I'm pretty certain it would not have been viewed at all well.

Thankfully, Fred Phelps doesn't live in Canada.

Until next time...

...keep 'em flyin'.

The Big Chill

One month in and already the talk of 2008 is how cold it is. Among other things, actually. Many times I have heard the case of global warming affecting the planet, and I think of one key word in that phrase. Warming. At -28 degrees Celsius, I rarely think that feels warm. Unless I'm comparing that to, oh, let's say, -89. But then, after a while it really doesn't matter how cold it gets. There's a point when the cold temperatures just don't matter anymore.

This week has felt much better than last week, as there is less wind, more sun, and temperatures are evening out. Still a bit below normal, but better than hearing about (or feeling) minus 35 with a windchill that makes it feel like minus 55. This is a big thing, but not in the way one would think.

It's big, because it means I will never complain about the heat in summer. Ever. Okay, maybe at plus 36 with humidity that makes it feel like I'm swimming when I step out my front door. And yes, those are the extremes of winter and summer here in Saskatchewan. Several months of cold, a month or two of indecision, a few months of extreme heat followed by a couple of months of teasing and right back into the cold again.

Speaking of cold and winter, Ground Hog's Day has come and gone in both Canada and the U.S. The American weather forecaster, Punxsutawney Phil, has predicted another six weeks of winter. Fear not, however, as the Canadian weather prognosticator, Wiarton Willie, has predicted an early spring. It should be noted that Willie is much more accurate than Phil, so here's hoping the little guy is right.

Until next time...

Keep 'em flyin'.