The Westboro Baptist “church” clearly revels in its “most hated family” status, but might it be using the fury it generates to its advantage? Rota Farlow of Florida’s St. Petersburg Times examines the possibility that the controversial group may be provoking litigation to fund its frantic tour schedule:
The father of a Pennsylvania Marine killed in Iraq sued Westboro in 2006 over its protest at his son’s funeral. The father was ordered by an appeals court to pay Westboro $16,510 in costs, ruling that it had a First Amendment right to demonstrate.
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hear an appeal of that decision this fall, a potential bellwether case on First Amendment rights.
The U.S. Northern Command, monitoring protests at military bases, issued an advisory about Westboro in 2005 saying church funding came from litigation.
“This group does employ passive-aggressive techniques intended to provoke a hostile response or offensive reaction from others,” Northern Command wrote. “This group will then file a civil action in an effort to reach a settlement in order to fund future activities.”
The response from Shirley Phelps-Roper, the Church’s defacto leader, claims a less credible source of funds:
Phelps-Roper said the money comes from God. She said, “He loans us what we need.”
