Westboro cultist extorts thousands from city

Another day, another outrage by Fred Phelps's anti-people Westboro cult.

Phelps's daughter, Shirley Phelps-Roper, is the disgusting, scowling meanie who is often interviewed on cable regarding the right-wing cult's activities. She reminds me of a teacher I had in 4th grade who dug her fingernails into my arm and dragged me down the hall.

Now Shirley Phelps-Roper has extorted $17,000 from the city of Bellevue, Nebraska, in exchange for dropping a lawsuit against the town.

America is supposed to have broad free speech protections, and I'm cognizant of the fact that cities must be held to these standards. The Constitution must protect all. But nobody in their right mind would claim the Westboroists were truly harmed to the tune of $17,000.

This comes on the heels of the father of a deceased soldier being ordered by a right-wing federal court to pay the cult's legal fees after he sued the cult for disrupting the funeral.

This is how the Phelpses make their living. They extort money from cities and (thanks to Bush-appointed judges) win huge windfalls from families of deceased military personnel. If they were more interested in legal principle than in money, they would have let the Nebraska case go to trial instead of just taking the dough. But you can't expect right-wing bigots to give a shit about law, I guess.

They just got $17,000 for free, while most folks in my city don't make that much in a year.

(Source: http://www.omaha.com/article/20100728/NEWS97/100729702)