[leighton] After we interviewed Nathan, we thought it might make for an interesting show to have his sister, the figurehead of the Westboro Baptist Church, come onto the sow. Unfortunately, in our opinion, we believe we were woefully wrong. Between attempts at maintaining calm there is little more than a long litany of quoted scripture and anger/screaming from both sides. We do not believe this is of the quality that we like to maintain, but before we delete and forget the experience we have decided to allow all of you to decide whether you want to be exposed to something blatantly bad.
If you all chime in with a desire to listen to this, we post it immediately without any editing and leave you all to torture yourselves. Whether you want it or not, we will post a new episode next week. This one is little more than that bit of extra liver on the side of our plate neither of us want to touch or even look at again.
EDIT: You asked for it. Shirley Phelps-Roper of the singin’ Westboro Baptists.
98 Responses to “Interview with Shirley Phelps-Roper”
Dear God… I’m stunned. Why is there not mandatory sterilization?
“Weathermen get it wrong all the time!”
That was fucking awesome! A perfect refutation of her point! Reading the vague scriptures are a lot like listening to a meteorologist.
And she had the nerve to accuse you of dodging straight answers to questions! You guys asked excellent questions and then she would spew out an encyclopaedea of irrelevent dogma particles that land nowhere near the point.
She also resorted to all the classics right away. Name calling, ad hom attacks, and non-sequitors. Holy smokes, What a vile and stupid woman!
You know, there are institutions for people like her… South Dakota has one in Yankton… MN has one in Anoka (where the Catholic diocese is located btw)… They’re state hospitals for the totally insane. Can we get that chick into one?
Um Chuck, you sure Haldol would be strong enough? I’m thinking she needs more than just a tranq shot…
Fellas. i often find you sophomoric.
But i herewith bestow a medal of honor and civility upon you for putting up with this horrific nonsense.
Wow. Not a surprise, in that we knew they’re bat**** crazy, but wow.
I guess her dad’s not the only amphetamine abuser in the family.
I feel dumb for listening to that… but it was so good, I may listen again.
If that dearranged individual or any of her spawn ever show up near SLC to protest, then I am going to take a day off work, find a vuvuzela and blast them away.
I never realized how f**king crazy WBC was/is. The bits and pieces of the news I heard about them never examined the depth of delusion that just melted my ears. Thanks for suffering through this.
@Leighton: Your my hero, kid.
Jesus will return to Earth to escape Shirley nagging when she goes to heaven. Romans 4:20
haha, yes do it. Oh my who does not want to hear crazy people and their mental disorders based on religion.
I would make a joke about how she probably needs some DYCK, but… she is far gone… there is no saving her, dudes. Chilling.
Wow! I would advise both of you to never do this again. it is one thing to get someone on who believes in god and is a nice person but this was so draining to listen to her ramble on like that with no end in sight. If you guys have more people on the podcast like that i think you would eventually give up podcasting. this seemed like it was mentally draining. her IQ was an anchor and drug both of you down. you could tell by the end of the podcast that both of you where just disappointed that no real insight was gained from interviewing her other then solidifying your (and my) stereotype about this type of religious nut.
Now… on to Prop 8 and crazy Mormon fiasco…
I love Shirley Phelps-Roper for the same reason I love Fred and Glen Beck.
Dude.
Engaging with her in debate is like trying to reason with a mentally retarded child. In trying to explain the absurdness of her claims, you may as well try to describe quantum mechanics to a cockroach.
The stupid is strong with this one. “SCOTUS”? I thought that was an acronym? She can form words but can’t make comprehensible sentences. It’s really difficult to comprehend any of her arguments at all, and when she starts saying “blah blah blah” while you’re trying to talk and interrupts you, it reminds me of arguing with a five year old.
You both are far braver than I.
I learned a new phrase this weekend from a podcast “feeling stabby in the face”, or “stabby” for short.
This makes me feel stabby. Very, very stabby. (Of course, I must put in a disclaimer that actual stabbing in the face of anyone is not condoned).
((sing with me, everyone: Late on 8))
Yep, those are my neighbors folks! My daughter used to sing in the children’s choir that sang in Topeka. The WBC were always protesting the church we used for the concerts. I never found out why. The only reason I was even there was because of the acoustics. A bunch of families show up to listen to kids sing and there’s Shirley and clan, hating fags and Mr Rogers.
I always think Shirley sounds just like a classic movie witch. She kinda looks like one, and always says “my dearies” or similar things…”dummies”.
Wow, that was exhausting listening to but I’m kind of glad I did. Some people absolutely cannot be reasoned with, and this woman is an example. Growing up in Mormonism was no picnic, but holy shit it could have been worse. It’s very easy to tell people that their life will be very simple if they only obey when you are the person barking out the orders.
Dynamite stuff. How could you have considered not posting it? It was not so much a heated debate (nor any other kind of debate), but a fascinating glimpse into a deeply disturbed mind.
They say that heroin hijacks a brain’s dopamine function so that the things that used to give you pleasure no longer do the job – all you can think about is your next fix. Maybe something like that is going on with her – except it’s not a drug, but the bible. Give her enough time to go off on one of her rambling, bible-quote filled non-answers, and her voice gets real calm. She mentions how she loves a particular passage, and how beautiful it is. Ask her a challenging question that snaps her out of this religion high, and again she’s attacking like an angry hornet. Even a man discussing a childhood trauma doesn’t deserve any empathy – fuck anyone that stands in the way of her bible-induced high.
Oh – another thing: Do you realize how much fabulous material she’s given you for little sound bites that you could use on the show? How about at the start of every show, before the synth thing plays, we hear Shirley shout “Listen Dummies!” ?
And if there’s any doubt that her kids aren’t quite as well-adjusted and well-raised as she makes them out to be, check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Anwsku-9IiY&feature=related
Those poor children are doomed to miserable lives. That’s so sad seeing such a young girl gleefully singing about people burning in hell.
I regret wanting to and then listening to this podcast. This was horrible. I laughed, I cried…then laughed again…but man…I barely kept my own sanity just listening to it.
You guys take it easy before interviewing that much stupid at once again.
I forgot to mention that I find the way she seems to confuse love with obedience extremely disturbing.
Excellent. Thanks fellas. I have tedious housework to be getting on with (no Fillipino children to do it for me Goddamnit) and this bitch’s witless blather will, if nothing else, make me feel good about myself.
I am SO glad that this gobshite’s God would hate me for some reason or other – I’m a disabled stay-at-home Dad. How many made-up “divine pronouncements” am I breaking? I may masturbate later just to make him cross (that’s the only reason – honest).
Keep up the good work lads.
Oh good grief. Just … staggering.
Well done Leighton in keeping your cool with that train wreck of a person. I could hardly think of a logical fallacy she did NOT employ in that short conversation. She is the most insulting, divisive, arrogant, judgemental harpie I have heard from in a long while (and I live in a country that suffered under Margaret Thatcher).
BTW is the “come onto the sow” spelling mistake intentional (because I had coffee come through my nose a little bit)?
I really think we need to just have a media blackout on the westboro Baptists. Right now we give them media presence because they are a disgusting freak show on the underbelly of America but I think it would be more effective just to ignore them, let them know we just don’t care about their nonsensical prophecies.
first wow…. This epidode scared me a little someone from that “church” could be a politician and end up being in charge of this country. I think alot more christians feel this way ( maybe at a more reasonable tone) than we think, if the most powerful country in the world is ran by someone who thinks the end is near or “imminent” we are in more trouble than we are now.
also leighton you have some big hairy balls
Having seen more of this woman, and a few of her family members on you tube I have got to say that how Nathan Phelps got out of there and salvage his sanity like he did is amazing.
The way these people throw out there message of hate Is totally vile and the way there teaching there kids to behave honestly make me sick.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOrz5k0jWdU&feature=related
Oh….. Wow! She hit nearly all the argument tactics from the Lying For Jesus handbook.
1. Claim people are taking their statments or bible verses out of context? Check.
2. Insinute or claim that the nonbeliever is either “angry” with “god” or just wants to go about sinning 24/7 without feeling guilty. Check.
3. Claim that the nonbeliever hasn’t read the bible and continue to claim that after having been corrected. Check.
4. Make claims of widespread (Yet strangely undocumented) persecution. Check.
5. Blame a persons parents and upbringing for that persons reigious choices. Check
6. Make inconsistent and outright contradictory arguements and then claim they are neither inconsitent nor contradictory. Check.
7. Hurl ad hominem attacks and resort to petty, pathetic, and juvenile name calling, then assert that you are the one with the moral high ground. Double Check.
8. Twist the meaning of words or phrases in such a way to make them support your argument, even if that entails coming up with meanings that are the polar opposite of the original meanings. Check-o-rama.
9. Make hard and fast claims about incredibly vague biblical prophecies, such as “The destruction of the US is immenent because the bible doesn’t mention the United States.” Check checkity check.
10. Place the blame for all attrocities and disasters on [Insert group you dislike here]. Summa cum Check.
11. And when all the above tactics fail, and they will, then continually talk over that person as loudly as you can so they can’t get a word in, then accuse your opponent of making you do that. Checkum ad infinitum
Lol. Double check, “Check-o-rama”. Man, you made me laugh.
PS: You said “cum”…
Ugh. Listening to Shirley Phelps is like driving past a road accident: You are strangely compelled to look while dreading it at the same time. I really feel sorry for Shirley’s 11 kids (indeed, all of the Phelps spawn locked up in that wacko religious compound) but I am sure they are all as twisted and hateful as Shirley and her siblings are after a lifetime of incessant injection of ugly dogma.
It will be interesting to see who takes the reins of the WBC after old man Phelps kicks the bucket since Shirley, a mere woman with a fucking big mouth, cannot. Maybe that hot mess of a “church” will fall apart after that ugly, hateful old man dies or maybe it will splinter into several even wackier sects just like Mormonism did after Horndog Joe Smith got his ass shot off.
In any event, kudos to Chuck and Leighton for keeping their relative cool while interviewing that Mother of all Nutbags.
Could you upload it but not put it on the RSS feed? I’d love to hear it, but if you’re not confident in it…
Shit! No wonder that dumb twat is so deluded. She can’t shut the fuck up long enough to think, not to mention listen to the thoughts of another mind.
What a cunt.
The dum-dum lady is going to give me nightmares.
Actually, this podcast was really interesting, in a visit-to-the-mental-hospital sort of way. And it was very sad. I couldn’t help but remember what Nathan Phelps said about his father’s abuse, and I wondered how many times Shirley was beaten as a child, to be brainwashed to this degree.
I’m also very concerned for her children. She doesn’t seem self-aware enough to break the cycle of family abuse. I kept wondering how often she calls her kids “dum-dums” and smacks them, erasing any childish inclination towards curiosity and self-inspection.
Leighton and Chuck, you need to be careful when inviting guests like this onto your show. This Phelps-Roper lady says that she only uses words and not real stones, but I wouldn’t trust her or her church. One of her brainwashed kids might grow up to defend mommy with a gun. These people are truly frightening.
As so many previous posters have so eloquently stated above… WOW!
There are so many layers to this crazy. The quoting of “The Book”, the abusive “debating” tactics, the intimidation. All of those are learned responses. They are tools.
A bit more unusual is the sudden changes of topics, the singing, little anecdotes about her family. Yep, the crazy is strong in this one. Drug crazy or “natural” crazy, or even a blessed mix of the two I can’t tell.
The paranoia of YOU MUST OBEY is vibrant all through the interview. There is a fear in this woman that is so strong it glows.
Which brings us to:
The hate. She (and her god) hates everybody. Not a little bit. Not as a tactic. Not as she was taught. She hates with force and effort. She hates children, she hates parents, she hates herself.
I think she hates as a defense. Something terrible was done to her. The interview with Nathan gave me some hints, but I had no idea of the scope. Her father must be some of the worst humanity has thrown up.
Her father is evil. He made her make herself evil as the only way out.
In the end I grieve for what she could have been, had the hate not eaten her soul.
But it is nothing compared to my grief and concern for the children.
Her evil will continue to damage her children until they either run or succumb to the “way of the Phelps”.
Are we just helpless here? Is there a way of rescuing at least some? I just don’t know what to do when there is such damage received and still dealt. I feel so sick to my heart.
–j
PS Leighton, I don’t know how you were able to take that and not just hang up and walk away. She found your weak spot in just minutes and stuck the rusty knife in. But she failed. Did you notice how she tries so hard, then break out into song? I don’t think she expected to fail to unhinge you, and she could not handle it.
PPS When I say “evil” here, I don’t mean evil as in satan or eating pork. I mean “evil” as in humans who hurt others because they like to hurt others in an abusive and non-consenting way. I think of it as “the atheist flavor of evil”.
There are no words to describe the depth of the delusion of these people… scary.
If nothing else good came out of that recording we did at least get a great new euphemism for masturbation. Let’s all mock the prophet!
After listening to this, I feel the need to thank both of you. That was a truly disgusting display and you did not need to expose yourself to it. You endured that for us and I want to recognize that. You aren’t being paid for this. You had to deal with Shirly Phelps singing at you!
Thank you.
Shirley Phelps is the type of xian I have grown to hate, and more often avoid, during my couple of years in Atheism. I regard her as being really bat-shit crazy. She was full of nothing but hate, and kept calling you two “dummies” and all sort of other rude things, but she did not curse (I will give her that one.) She seems like a really scary woman, and probably got it from her abusive dad. She has been manipulated and trained to go right for the jugular, such an attack dog is of little use to the world and should be put down. I think she also has a Jekyll-Hyde personality, at the end of the podcast she was all perky and happy, what an insane person!
I really have to give Leighton massive props for how he handled that. Chuck seemed to get pissed off rather quickly.
You guys really should do a follow-up podcast, excerpting and commenting on this clusterfuck.
AFTER the Prop 8 podcast.
It was a train wreck of an interview – but kudos for trying. I got to say that the comments here against Shirley are a bit unbalanced. She is an expert at what she does and she walked right over you guys. I had this picture of Shirley absentmindedly sorting or mail or folding laundry while she causally infuriated the two of you. I have seen her interviewed many times and the result is nearly always the same, with the interviewer frustrated and bamboozled.
I got the impression that you guys had in mind to get her to admit a contradiction or catch her up in some way. Of course this is both impossible and not necessary, since allowing her to clearly state her beliefs requires no further editorial.
One last point: the question that you read about the contractiction of picketing soldiers funerals when they are defending (and dying for) your freedom to protest. The point grates me badly since the statement is both illogical in its structure and false in its premises.
If soldiers really do protect the freedoms of citizens then protesting is presumably a right they are protecting. Telling people not to protest because people are risking their lives to allow them to protest is incoherent.
But more importantly, soldiers and armies do not protect civil rights. All countries have armies, the ones that have expanded civil rights did not get them from soldiers. They got them from politicians, lawyers, protesters, activists, voters, unions, businesses, courts, etc.
There is an obvious unstated premise that without an army to defend the borders, civil society within the borders would be overrun from outside forces, but the USA, due largely to its geography, does not face any military threats to its borders. Canada and Mexico will never invade, even if the entire US Army is disbanded. No other countries have the technical means to invade (despite what Red Dawn and the latest Call of Duty would have you believe).
The soldiers who died in Iraq were arguably dying for a cause inimical to US national security, and in no way were protecting or advancing the civil rights of Americans. If anything the civil rights of Americans were curtailed during the Iraq war as the patriotism of those against the war was soundly criticized.
What a mess, but it was doomed from the start. There was no possible way you could penetrate her pre-programmed “I’m right. If we disagree, it’s because you’re wrong.” But the fact that she had to raise her voice, talk over you, drown you out, demonstrates that you got through enough to make her nervous. The most fascinating part was her regression to the state of frightened child, calling you schoolyard-bully names like “dummy,” “loser,” etc.
She has no idea how vividly she just demonstrated that her faith isn’t as strong as she thinks it is.
The woman is insane and her religion fits her like a glove.