Plattsburgh For Peace
The city of Plattsburgh, New York has an openly gay mayor. On the weekend of July 9, 2005, the city will host the Mayor's Cup Festival (and Regatta on Lake Champlain). Fred Phelps (The Church of God Hates Fags) intends to picket various "sodomite churches" during the Festival.
Via Rachel Maddow, an organization named Plattsburgh for Peace is taking pledges to raise money for various charities, including Interfaith Council of Plattsburgh & Clinton County Food Shelf, Greater Plattsburgh Interfaith Hospitality Network, The Matthew Shepard Foundation, AIDS Council of Northeastern New York, and Southern Poverty Law Center.
It works this way:
Plattsburgh For Peace (PFP) is announcing a positive and constructive fundraising scheme to discourage Phelps from picketing in Plattsburgh. It's a pledge drive for people to pledge money to a FOR EVERY MINUTE PHELPS AND ANY OTHER WBC MEMBERS PICKETS IN PLATTSBURGH. In this way, the longer Phelps and other WBC members stay to spew hate, the more money will be raised for the exact causes they picket against!
You can pledge one dollar per minute of Phelps's picketing up to a limit you determine, or leave your pledge uncapped, then you pick which of the charities you want your money to go to.
Oh, this is just brilliant! I'm going to go pledge right now.
Posted by: punkrockhockeymom | June 24, 2005 at 06:59 AM
Done!
I'll link up to it later. I have a JPTO going out today so I'm swamped. But as soon as all of the grunt work is done, I'll get right to it. What a wonderful idea.
Posted by: punkrockhockeymom | June 24, 2005 at 07:05 AM
Done!
Me too.
Posted by: Corpsy | June 24, 2005 at 10:17 AM
Me too! I love it.
MKK
Posted by: Mary Kay | June 24, 2005 at 08:36 PM
At last! Someone in the East chooses the Midwestern way to deal with Phelps. He alsmost doesn't bother to get near Kansas City anymore because his presence raised so much money for AIDS charities.
Way to go!
Posted by: Scorpio | June 25, 2005 at 08:17 PM
We bow before the wisdom of our Midwestern brethren.
I'd never heard of this sort of thing before and I heap praise on whoever came up with the idea. It seems a very satisfying and, from what you way, effective form of "targeted giving". I like the sort of constructive backward pressure it puts on clowns like Phelps.
Posted by: Corpsy | June 25, 2005 at 08:33 PM
Hey all, I just wanted to say a quick THANK YOU for your support!! Plattsburgh For Peace is wrapping up our "Every Minute Counts" Pledge Drive (after a VERY dignified and overally peaceful response to the hatemongers, I might add) and we definately had a big response from this site!! It was really amazing how people from across the country were so supportive once the word got out. We hope this idea continues to be passed on so other communities see the possibilities in taking a stand against hate!
Posted by: Amy | July 14, 2005 at 08:24 PM