"God Hates Fags" church to picket VT funerals

[Chris]

Our favorite church idiots are at it again.

link

The Westboro Baptist Church has announced they will picket the funerals of the 32 victims of the shooting spree at Virginia Tech. The church are notorious for their anti-gay views, and often protest at the funerals of American military personnel killed in Iraq. "The evidence is they were not Christian. God does not do that to his servants," a church spokesperson told CBS news. On Monday morning, a lone gunman shot two college students in their dorm rooms. Around two hours later, at approximately 9am, he killed a further 30 people in a classroom building at Virginia Tech, a college of higher education in the United States. The gunman has been identified as 23-year-old Cho Seung-hui, who shot himself before police could arrest him. The Westboro Baptist Church first gained notoriety for their noisy picket at the funeral of Matthew Shepard. Their extreme homophobia has led them to protest at the funerals of servicemen and women killed in action. Their decision to protest at the funerals of the victims of Seung-hui's gun rampage is designed to garner more publicity for their belief that America is doomed because it tolerates homosexuality. The practice of picketing military funerals has caused outrage in America, with Congress passing a law, Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act, which President Bush signed in May 2006. However, that federal bill only covers the 122 national cemeteries.

[bishop]

they should treat these bible bigots just like they to anti-globalization protesters.. have the cops go and beat them up, gas them, etc...

just because they're bible bigots doesn't mean that they aren't entitled to the same treatment that the anti-establishment protesters constantly get.

[Jack]

I'm afraid that at some point they are going to incur the wrath of a parent or loved one and that person will snap and make martyrs of these fools among those who share their warped mindset. That would be a shame. They and their beliefs should be allowed to fade into their deserved obscurity non-violently. But they encourage such strong emotional responses, I don't see that happening.

[Duke1985]

maybe we could protest their martyr's funeral.

[Kamehameha34]

Just days after the day of silence, no less.

[DEEJ85]

this doesn't make sense.

Is there any correlation between the massacre at VT and homosexuality?

thats like protesting against the wearing of Fur at a soldiers funeral.

Have you noticed how everyone seems to hop onto any miscellaneous tragedy? they try to relate the horrible deaths to something completely unrelated in an attempt to further their own cause.

How convenient that the cause of such death and suffering just so happens to be exactly what these protesters are campaigning against. This wouldn't be so ridiculous if several different groups that are completely different didn't try to attribute it solely to their own cause.

so far (as far as I've heard) this incident is now caused by videogame-playing gun-mongering media-violence driven homosexuals?

Everyone is trying to attach their cause to the incident that they know everyone has seen, heard and despised. trying to use peoples fear and sensationalism to further their own agenda what its possible that the two are unrelated.

Could people please give the nation (if not just the families) some space so that they can grieve?

[InTheFlesh?]

The usually heavy fisted approach to picketing protesters the police adopt will only enrage the conservative christian right, who cares about tree hugging lefties like those eco nuts? but start beating up christians and you enrage a lot of people.

I am sure i have heard something about keeping God and state seperate in America... but all the God Bless Americas spewing from the American President confuses this idea.

This is less of a coherent point, more of a lefty middle-class Brit rant. woohoo

[Jack]

Is there any correlation between the massacre at VT and homosexuality?

All I can tell you is that Fred says that this is god's revenge on America for tolerating homosexuality. He also says that these students must not have been Christians because god wouldn't have done this to them if they had been.

That last comment is what will most likely cause people to react to his hyperbole. Too many folks secretly agree with his opinions on gays.

[DEEJ85]

What if some of the victims were Christian? how does he back this up?

please keep in mind that these are religious extremists and don't represent all of Christianity.

it is much like the difference between the Islamic religion and Islamic extremists who bomb people.

[Epistemologist]

Ah, regardless of their views, their public relations manager needs to change jobs.

[The Decider]

These protestors are scumbags. No doubt about it.

But I'm surprised that not one Libertarian has defended their right to free speech, not to mention freedom from police abuse or vigilante crime. Such actions were suggested on this thread, perhaps tongue in cheek, perhaps not.

Any Libertarian here prepared to take the position of Devil's Advocate? Pro bono, of course.

[Scribbler1]

Quote by: DEEJ85 Is there any correlation between the massacre at VT and homosexuality?

It would seem Phelp's moronic minions link EVERYTHING with homosexuality.

thats like protesting against the wearing of Fur at a soldiers funeral.

They already protest at fallen soldiers' funerals. They don't need fur, or anything else to fire them up.

[Scribbler1]

Quote by: The Decider These protestors are scumbags. No doubt about it. But I'm surprised that not one Libertarian has defended their right to free speech, not to mention freedom from police abuse or vigilante crime. Such actions were suggested on this thread, perhaps tongue in cheek, perhaps not. Any Libertarian here prepared to take the position of Devil's Advocate? Pro bono, of course.

There is no "devil's advocate" position to take. They DO have the right of free speech. It's offensive and idiotic, but they have it. There's no discussion to be had on the matter.

And this is hardly a Libertarian position only.

[The Decider]

Quote by: Scribbler1 There is no "devil's advocate" position to take. They DO have the right of free speech. It's offensive and idiotic, but they have it. There's no discussion to be had on the matter. And this is hardly a Libertarian position only.

Yet we had this suggestion on the thread:

they should treat these bible bigots just like they to anti-globalization protesters.. have the cops go and beat them up, gas them, etc...

Nobody commented upon it. Only Isherwood lamented the "shame" if somebody "martyred" these bozos in a fit of rage. Is police abuse acceptable?

I thought Libertarians are especially sensitive to governments squelching individual rights, even the rights of these pathetic excuses for human beings.

[Jack]

I thought Libertarians are especially sensitive to governments squelching individual rights, even the rights of these pathetic excuses for human beings.

I would expect anyone who respects the Constitution to be.

[Scribbler1]

Quote by: The Decider Yet we had this suggestion on the thread: they should treat these bible bigots just like they to anti-globalization protesters.. have the cops go and beat them up, gas them, etc... Nobody commented upon it. Only Isherwood lamented the "shame" if somebody "martyred" these bozos in a fit of rage. Is police abuse acceptable? I thought Libertarians are especially sensitive to governments squelching individual rights, even the rights of these pathetic excuses for human beings.

I can't address what was said by others, but the basic right of freedom of speech is a no-brainer. There isn't much point in repeating it with every topic.
Besides, there should be other ways to silence them.

As for the Westboro cretins, they will be tough to marginalize as they believe they do the work of the lord and the only way to stop a zealot is to tell them God wants them to knock it off. Phelps can do that easily. I figure a couple of large lawsuits and/or revoking their tax exempt status will persuade Phelps to shut them up fast as if you hit the top dog in the wallet he's bound to experience a revelation that God told him to cool it.

[shawmutt]

I know I've mentioned it before, but it bears repeating. Look into the Patriot Guard if you ride and want to do something.

Patriot Guard Riders -->Home

[Epistemologist]

So they're not going to ride as an organization for most of the funerals?

[Jack]

I figure a couple of large lawsuits and/or revoking their tax exempt status will persuade Phelps to shut them up fast as if you hit the top dog in the wallet he's bound to experience a revelation that God told him to cool it.

I'm waiting for the day one of their (pre-brainwashed) children asks why Jesus was single and only hung around with other men. That's when I hope Phelps' brain explodes.

[StrongHeartsWin]

Quote by: Isherwood I'm waiting for the day one of their (pre-brainwashed) children asks why Jesus was single and only hung around with other men. That's when I hope Phelps' brain explodes.

And when they ask about Jesus 'loving' one deciple a little 'more' than the others:

John 13:23
One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.