Westboro Baptist at it again

[jlewisinsyr]

I had some freinds for the 20th ENG BN come home this weekendthumbsup2) and I was with their parents at the coming home ceremony...these idiots(excuse my language on the DIS) came up in a conversation and we were all in agreement....It would be the BIGGEST mistake in their lives to show up to my husband's or any other soldiers' we know funerals......FOR REAL...flame if you want but I'm sorry

I understand how you would want to do it, but you'd be doing what they want. It's better to ignore then fight in this case.

 

[MnMomtoboys]

Hell is to good for them.

 

[GeorgeG]

I just took a quick look but couldn't find the YouTube clip my granddaughter sent me about a college student who came up with a great non-violent response to the Westboro Wackos.

During a Westboro picket event, he set up tables across the way and was taking donations to any cause the Westboro people picket against and the deal was to make those donations in honor of the Westboro Baptist Church. That must have frosted the wackos. Gotta love that kid!

 

[kellyg403]

They have come to our town in NC a few times to protest a few military funerals. The very first time, everyone in our community decided not to give them what they wanted and did not protest back.

I went downtown later in the afternoon (the Military cemetary is right next to the downtown district) I noticed there were 5 people holding placards and kinda standing on the corner, which happened to be the representatives of WBC. 2 Adult women and 3 girls probably 10, 11, 16 age range. What a protest. No men in sight. Not a one. No huge group of people protesting or anything. It was very odd, because the first thing I thought was "and I was worried about this"? I envisioned large crowds etc.

I think their group is so small that when they actually DO show up at a protest, its usually women and its usually 5 or 6 of them. Don't know what the men of the group do but its not protest most of the time.

While their message is horrible, their version of protest is really not ours. How loud can 5 people be when they are hundreds of feet from the funeral. In our case here, they very rarely come if the funeral is at the military cemetary...you have to pass the gate AND it is way farther than 300 feet. I respect Freedom of Speech but sometimes you just have to wonder if they and others like them understand with all their rhetoric how lucky they are to even live here.


Kelly

 

[kellyg403]

I just took a quick look but couldn't find the YouTube clip my granddaughter sent me about a college student who came up with a great non-violent response to the Westboro Wackos.

During a Westboro picket event, he set up tables across the way and was taking donations to any cause the Westboro people picket against and the deal was to make those donations in honor of the Westboro Baptist Church. That must have frosted the wackos. Gotta love that kid!

What a quick thinking young man..way to turn it around. I would love for everyone in America to make a donation to every organization they claim hatred for and put in their name...lol I can imagine that would really frost their buns.

Kelly

 

[eliza61]

Every time the news reports on them and their protests they are getting what they want. Why can't people learn to just pretend they aren't there.

Because I don't believe the "ignore them and they will go away" theory always works. Many atrocities in human history have been ignored until they turn into mass genocides and then every one is wondering "why" some thing wasn't done before.

I think many people are wondering why the nutcase in Tuscon was ignored for so long.
That's why every time some white supremist group or the KKK tries to march, I organize.

It may be because I'm a civil rights baby and/or because I've got the personality of a bull in a china shop, I've never been one to "ignore" atrocities.

So, I'm one who thinks that every time these wackadoodles plan a protest there should be 50,000 folks fired up to take them on. And Yes, maybe it will end up with me on the back end of a lawsuit or a misdemeanor but you come to my home with the intent to cause trouble and spread your brand of craziness get ready 'cause baby we're gonna dance.

 

[FireDancer]

Because I don't believe the "ignore them and they will go away" theory always works. Many atrocities in human history have been ignored until they turn into mass genocides and then every one is wondering "why" some thing wasn't done before.

I think many people are wondering why the nutcase in Tuscon was ignored for so long.
That's why every time some white supremist group or the KKK tries to march, I organize.

It may be because I'm a civil rights baby and/or because I've got the personality of a bull in a china shop, I've never been one to "ignore" atrocities.

So, I'm one who thinks that every time these wackadoodles plan a protest there should be 50,000 folks fired up to take them on. And Yes, maybe it will end up with me on the back end of a lawsuit or a misdemeanor but you come to my home with the intent to cause trouble and spread your brand of craziness get ready 'cause baby we're gonna dance.

What they are doing is morally reprehensible but they are not actually hurting anyone other than their feelings. Ignoring them isn't ignoring the Nazi treatment of the Jews or potential gunmen. Part of civil rights in the freedom to protest and while I don't like their message anyone for freedom would err on the side of allowing them to protest as opposed to squashing their right to do so because we don't like the message. I'm sure being a civil rights baby you wouldn't want to limit their civil rights.

Even groups like the KKK and Black Panthers should be free to organize. If their retoric becomes action or violence then it should be stopped but until they do something they are not breaking any laws. If this "church" starts to hurl stones or molotov cocktails at funerals of course they should no longer be ignored but they aren't. One of the side effects of our freedom is that people we don't agree with or don't even like will also have those freedoms.

 

[Mermaid02]

I don't think they're truly religious - I think they keep a church name for tax exemption purposes. They're media *****s and nothing more. If, as others suggested, the media would ignore them they'd go away.

I know someone who is a Patriot Guard Rider as well. Thanks for what you guys do.


(oops. I got *** - but the *** is appropriate for those *insert a not so nice word of your choice here*)

I'm with you. I don't even think they believe the crap they are spewing. They are doing it for the $$ they get from lawsuits etc.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I hope the newspapers are around to let us know when Karma catches up with them and picks them off one by one.

 

[eliza61]

Even groups like the KKK and Black Panthers should be free to organize. If their retoric becomes action or violence then it should be stopped but until they do something they are not breaking any laws. If this "church" starts to hurl stones or molotov cocktails at funerals of course they should no longer be ignored but they aren't. One of the side effects of our freedom is that people we don't agree with or don't even like will also have those freedoms.

Oh heck yeah. Definitely don't think I want them to stop organizing. No way, you are absolutely right, as long as they do so legally hey march away. Just don't be surprised when you seen a whole bunch of counter marchers standing in your way.

I just don't buy into the "ignore them and they will quietly slink" away group.
I think one of the most dangerous things good people can do is to "keep" silent in the face of evil. and imo evil usually starts out as rethoric and words long before it escalates into violence. Hilter didn't start off immediately with the holocaust, he built up to it with words, propoganda and rethoric (sp). Why do you think dictators go out of their way to "silence" any opposing voice. How do you think the KKK operate? they use hate speech. They use it to recruit, fundraise, intimate and harrass. When you use words to make people fear for their life that they don't vote, you are causing great harm. To say "just ignore them" is not going to make them go away.

So once again, I totally agree with you. They are citizens they get their constitutional rights, I just get the same rights and tools to stand toe to toe with them every step of the way.

That's why I totally support the Vet groups, the motorcycle groups and anyone else who have let westboro know, We are sick of your %^&it & you want to disrespect our love ones and cause pain and more suffering to the family? bring it on!! You do not get to spread your nonsense unchallenged.

What's really interesting, every time Westboro has announced that they were going to picket a military funeral in South Jersey (once) and it Delaware (once). when they found out that there was going to be a boat load of counter protestors, they miraculously had a reason not to show up.

They are cowards and like most cowards once they figure out no one is afraid of them any longer, they slink back to a safe place.

 

[skhermsmeyer]

Every time the news reports on them and their protests they are getting what they want. Why can't people learn to just pretend they aren't there.

http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2011/01/fallen_nj_soldier_faces_one_mo.html

Westboro Baptist plans on protesting at the funeral of another American soldier, this one killed in Afghanistan last week.

I don't really want to argue their religious beliefs or politics, but I do have a couple of questions...

Do they protest at the funeral of EVERY American soldier? If not, how do they determine which soldier's funeral to protest?

I grew up in KS and saw them more often than I would have cared to (I never wanted to see them).

They would protest anything and everything whenever they had the chance. Bill Cosby came to KU to give a speech/do a show and they were there.

It really doesn't matter how much you ignore them, they always pop back up. It's heart breaking to see little 5 and 7 year olds holding those signs and spewing that filth out of their mouths.

They are very active in KS and some parts of MO, but every instance of them luckily isn't reported by the media.

 

[eliza61]

It's interesting that they pulled out of the little girls funerals protest reportedly because they were offered air time on a radio show.

That makes no sense though. if they wanted publicity why would they pull out? Every major tv and cable station had a news team reporting from Arizona. they could have had tons of free air time. They backed down because the entire town of Tuscon were ready to rise up "en-masse" and give them a real welcome and they damn well knew it. So they slunk back to some local radio station where it was nice and safe.

 

[agnes!]

To me they are 'The Fred Phelps Cult' (not the WBC)...that is what they are, a cult of personality gathered around one man and his control of the group.

Here's a funny response to a Phelps Cult protest at the University of Chicago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZfZiBRFM5w
All I can say is God Bless the Frat Boys.

A couple of facts about the Phelps Cult:
The group consists of approximately only 71 members.
They have an annual travel budget of $200,000.
Fred Phelps is permanently disbarred from practicing law in the State of Kansas and in Federal Court.
Phelps & his wife have 13 children, 9 of them are still in the group and four have left. The group shuns the unbelievers, the break is absolute.
If anyone wants to read some more about the cult without going to their website, the following are some main-line sources:
America's Most Hated Family - Louis Theroux's thoughts about his BBC documentary on the Phelps cult from the BBC website
The Most Hated Family in America Wikipedia article about the Theroux documentary
Fred Phelps Wikipedia article

Now pardon me while I go wash off my brain...I feel contaminated from even reading about these people.
agnes!