Heath Ledger Wasn't Even In His Grave Before The Hatemongers Descended

At first I thought the whole Gibson/ Fox Radio thing was taken out of context, but then I listened to the audio clip for myself and was outraged into breaking my silence and grief at hearing of Heath Ledger’s death.

Less than an hour after the preliminary news broke of the Academy Award nominee’s death, Fox News personality John Gibson took it upon himself to open a segment of his radio broadcast with funeral music. As an organ dirge played over more audio clips from BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, Heath Ledger’s voice was heard talking about death, as Gibson began making tasteless jokes about Ledger’s state of mind, and speculating about drug abuse and suicide.

As Ledger’s saddened family and fans were just learning the grim details, Gibson referred to the actor as “a weirdo,” during his radio broadcast. While audio clips repeatedly played Ledger saying,”we’re dead,” the radio host laughingly echoed it, followed by insensitive remarks about how “we’d found a way to quit you!” referring to another famous clip from BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN.

The Fox News radio personality sarcastically quipped about Ledger’s alleged thoughts of death at the age of only 28, while the late actor’s fans listened in shock. Gibson then speculated that “maybe he was a weirdo?”

Tom Sullivan, also from Fox News, joined Gibson on the air and began an insensitive piece concerning Ledger’s name, referring to him as “Keith Bledger,” and continued to sarcastically speculate on the reasons of the actor took his own life. While early and sketchy details of his death were still coming in, Gibson laughingly speculated that Ledger was “depressed concerning yesterday’s downturn in the stock market,” and later quipped with a caller that he didn’t want a “Heath Ledger moment.”

Joyously continuing, he laughed that Ledger was upset while watching a Clinton/Obama debate because the actor was “an Edwards guy.”

While all of this was going on, to add even more pain to the grieving family, the 50-member Westboro Baptist Church led by Fred Phelps announced that they had already purchased airline tickets in order to protest Ledger’s death outside of the Academy Awards ceremony on February 24th. In addition, Phelp’s daughter announced that the group was determined to ferret out the details of Heath Ledger’s funeral so they could be there too adding, “They are going to try and hide the body like a bunch of ghouls so we can't protest. The only thing in this country people worship more than filthy sex acts is the dead.”

The hatemongering Phelps family, notorious for protesting outside of soldier funerals for Iraq war veterans, is already in the process of making signs reading “Heath in Hell” and “Mourn Your Sins!” in addition to their usual “GOD HATES FAGS” placards.

Heath Ledger’s brokenhearted family are intent on keeping the location and hour of his funeral a closely guarded secret, other than that it will probably be held in his native Australia.

When will the difference between hatemongering and free speech be defined?