So yesterday I was listening to the Mike Gallagher Show and he had on the idiot in Christian’s clothing named Shirley Phelps-Roper. Of course you know I’ve spoken out against that band of idiots at the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka Kansas many times over.

Mike started out with Shirley-nut-Phelps-Roper by saying he did not want to have an argument that would not go anywhere. But he wanted to talk to her about her cult’s desire to protest the funerals of some slain Amish school children. Then he offered Shirley Phelps-Roper $50,000 not to picket the funeral. She said she would not take “so much as a shoelace” from him. She said she wants an honest discussion of “the issue” in America. So Mike offered her 1 hour of air time and she accepted.

Mike told a caller afterwards, that he does not want to turn away listeners, but understands if people won’t listen today. He says he does not know if he’ll be able to listen himself.

From the moment I heard the deal made on the air, I have felt like Mr. Kraybill and I feel Mike Gallagher made a terrible deal. I mean just awful! People were calling Mike’s show giving him verbal pats on the back for his actions. I tried to call, but of course the lines were all tied up. Mike Gallagher cut an appeasement deal with a band of idiots, who now will have 1 hour of airtime to spew their trash on the 6th largest radio talk show in America. It sets a terrible precedent for any band of nuts that wants to blackmail their way into getting their trash message a broader audience without interruption.

The nuts laid the bait and now it has been taken hook, line and sinker. Even offering them money is a bad move. They should get nothing but scorn.

There was a better way. The people of that part of PA vowed to keep the Phelps cult followers far away from those funerals. Mike should have rallied for masses of people to turn out and drown the cult nuts’ noise. This would have helped to bring the entire area together in a unified display against idiots like the Phelps-clan. Who are abusing scripture for their own self promotion.

update 10/5/2006 10:00PM: So I tuned into Gallagher’s show for 5 seconds just to see if he would actually go through with it and he did. He said she would be on at 10AM for an hour. So I tuned in for 3 seconds during the 10AM hour just to see if he would actually allow a nutcase to have a full hour. And he did. I heard her (Shirley Phelps-Roper) spewing her trash and immediately turned it off.

Other bloggers who don’t like the idea of nutcases getting away with blackmail to hijack radio air time: Fire & Hammer, TailOverTeaKettle.com

update 10/6/2006 2:22PM: Mike Gallagher Claims He Does Not Understand Why His Appeasement Offer to the Phelps Was Condemned? What a Crock!