THE TIME IS OUT OF JOINT….

OMG—it’s the end of the world as I know it!!!!

I agree with something Bill O’Reilly is doing!?!?!? [what the eff???!!!???]

Generally O’Reilly and his ilk have me screaming at my TV set as they vomit out their conservative crap—most of it highly inaccurate. I get seizures when I hear some of the stuff Fox News puts out there under the guise of news. It’s even scarier that so many people buy it all. But the other morning I got the shock of my life when I agreed with something he’s doing.

Okay, let me walk ya through it.

A soldier, Matthew Snyder, was killed in Iraq in 2006. At his funeral, the Westboro Baptist Church picketed and carried protest signs—as they have done at a number of soldiers funerals in the past 8 years. [The least offensive of these signs states “God loves Dead Soldiers.” (charming, isn’t it)] Their rationale is that soldiers are dying because of America’s acceptance of homosexuals. [They make Glenn Beck look reasonable] The families of these young people have had to try to bury their relative—and grieve—while having epithets hurled at them by a bunch of religious zealots. It’s disgusting.

The Westboro Baptist Church and Fred Phelps are very familiar to me. They protested outside of Matthew Shepard’s funeral and the trial of his murderer. When I directed a production of

THE LARAMIE PROJECT a year and a half ago, I learned a lot about this group and its founder [a despicable human being]. One of the most powerful scenes in the play is when Fred Phelps is depicted spewing out his hate—while carrying a sign that says “God Hates Fags.” [It was a very difficult scene for all involved—especially the actor playing Phelps. My cast burned the sign after the final performance]

Lance Corporal Snyder’s father was appalled at the horrendous events at his son’s funeral and took action. He sued the church and its founder,

Fred Phelps for harassment. A Baltimore jury awarded him $5 million in damages for invasion of privacy and emotional distress. But the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that decision on First Amendment grounds in September 2009.

AND—ruled that Mr. Snyder had to pay the church’s legal fees to the tune of $16,500. Apparently, according to a Philadelphia attorney familiar with the case, that’s how it works in appellate court—the winner pays the losers fees. [That is just wrong in my opinion]

Well, word of this got out and as Albert Snyder was being interviewed on TV, Bill O’Reilly called the program and offered to pay the bill for Mr. Snyder.

And that’s when my head exploded…….