Westboro Church Protest Mega-thread

[Maxadia]

Bullshit,........who says cemeteries are public spaces??

Sorry Bruce....who says that they aren't?  Certainly not the churches....they open their cemeteries to anyone who would like to visit.  The don't advertise them as private places.

(yes, I get your point...)

 

[The Bread Guy]

This from the Supreme Court decision allowing Westboro to spread its vile message:

.... Speech is powerful. It can stir people to action, movethem to tears of both joy and sorrow, and—as it did here—inflict great pain. On the facts before us, we cannot react to that pain by punishing the speaker. As a Nation we have chosen a different course—to protect even hurtful speech on public issues to ensure that we do not stifle public debate ....

Bullshit,........who says cemeteries are public spaces??

In some places, the state's Attorney General's office:

In response to an inquiry made to the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General, county leaders have been informed that cemeteries are, indeed, considered to be “places of public gathering” ....

 

[Good2Golf]

...Free expression is arguably the most critical of our rights in order to protect all the others from legislative depredation. I'm very, very concerned about anything that threatens it, and accept limitations only in circumstances of the strictest necessity.

Then I will respectfully argue against your assertion if you intend it as a social generality, vice a personal opinion.  I personally feel that due process and presumption of innocence are amongst the most critical of the vested rights and freedoms in our society, however, in a pure sense, there is no hierarchical prioritization of importance of any one right or freedom over another.

Furthermore, in a developed society, the exercising of an individual's rights, any individual, or as a group, should not come at the cost of those of another individual or group.  Balance must be sought, so why should an individual or a group have a priority to spread hateful or inciting material over another individual or group's right not to be subject to verbal harassment?

The fundamental nature of ethical issues is such that the ethos of society is based on the predominant beliefs and values of the day of that society.  It is cases where an individual's or a group's assertion is that their fundamental rights are not being upheld as they spread what is clearly to a society's ethical norms, unacceptable, that many, indeed one would believe the majority of citizens believe that it is totally reasonable that the checks and balances that the society has integrated into the establishment and codification of vested rights and freedoms (In the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, it is contained in Part I) allow for protection and respect of the masses rights as well.

Mr. Edwards, I too believe that Mr. Mills had much to contribute to the importance of liberal democracy, but I will not go as far as to believe that magically the rights for each and every person can be exercised without regard for other members of that society.

To benefit from a society's rights and freedoms DEMANDS a concomitant respect and appreciation by each member of society for the rights of OTHERS as well.  The rights and freedoms were enacted by the representatives of the members of that society, and so it is entirely consistent that the majority representation of that society ought reasonably to expect such respect from every member of the society benefitting from those rights.

:2c:

Regards
G2G

 

[Scott]

I just tried calling some of the WBC hierarchy to express my disgust, freedom of speech and all, yeah? But the goddamned phone is always engaged! Maybe the hacktivists struck some gold releasing all of those phone numbers...

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Sorry Bruce....who says that they aren't?  Certainly not the churches....they open their cemeteries to anyone who would like to visit.  The don't advertise them as private places.

(yes, I get your point...)

But that's my point,........someone owns them and if they decide that day to restrict their property then that would mute Edward's "grieving in public" theory.

I must also laugh very hard at all those folks getting so irritated over the "freedom of speech" thing,..........so I guess the first time you were told not to pass something on from an O-group you immediately quit the military or your place of employment at the time??

No??.....pretty freakin' hypocritical.

 

[Maxadia]

But that's my point,........someone owns them and if they decide that day to restrict their property then that would mute Edward's "grieving in public" theory.

That could be a pretty good tactic....unless they decided to sue discrimination due to private only on the days they want to protest.

 

[ModlrMike]

That could be a pretty good tactic....unless they decided to sue discrimination due to private only on the days they want to protest.

No, they could be designated closed to the public during the act of interment, regardless of the social status of the deceased. Such a distinction would of course have them closed to the public on most days.

 

[cupper]

:nod:

+300 Milpoints inbound.

That's the nub of it: we have rights and the liberal state is obliged to protect us when we exercise them; we also ought to have responsibilities ... but only we, as individuals, can exercise those.

I thank you sir!

 

[Maxadia]

No, they could be designated closed to the public during the act of interment, regardless of the social status of the deceased. Such a distinction would of course have them closed to the public on most days.

Thought about that too. It would effectively make funerals an invite-only event.

 

[cupper]

White House petitions hit Westboro church

http://www.politico.com/story/2012/12/westboro-church-white-house-petition-85519.html?hp=r3

More than 260,000 people have signed a petition to the White House asking for it to label the notorious Westboro Baptist Church a hate group.

The petition aimed at the church best known for picketing military funerals and other events with signs declaring “GOD HATES FAGS” is believed to be the most popular cause ever on the White House’s “We the People” petition site. Four other petitions targeting the church’s tax-exempt status have attracted nearly 200,000 additional signatures. All five petitions have passed the number required for a response from President Barack Obama’s administration.

The tiny Kansas-based church, mostly made up of members of founder Fred Phelps’s family, has picketed the funeral of military members killed in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq and funerals of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. Phelps preaches that the deaths are God’s retribution for the United States’ acceptance of homosexuality (or in some cases, failure to condemn homosexuality strongly).

“This group has been recognized as a hate group by organizations, such as The Southern Poverty Law Center, and has repeatedly displayed the actions typical of hate groups,” the petition reads. “Their actions have been directed at many groups, including homosexuals, military, Jewish people and even other Christians. They pose a threat to the welfare and treatment of others and will not improve without some form of imposed regulation.”

And the link to the petition on the White House site:

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/legally-recognize-westboro-baptist-church-hate-group/DYf3pH2d

 

[dapaterson]

Damsel, Arise: A Westboro Scion Leaves Her Church

https://medium.com/reporters-notebook/d63ecca43e35

 

[cupper]

Some might say God has a sense of humour, or Karma is a bitch. I say Rock On Dude!

House Across From Westboro Baptist Is Painted With Gay Pride Rainbow Colors

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/03/19/174737257/house-across-westboro-baptist-is-painted-with-gay-pride-rainbow?utm_source=NPR&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=20130319

Aaron Jackson took inspiration from a 9-year-old kid who stood up to Westboro Baptist Church protesters.

As Mark wrote last year, Josef Miles stood in front of protesters carrying signs that read "God Hates [Gays]" with his own sign that read "God Hates No One."

Today, Jackson is following through on a project that started about six months ago when he decided to buy a house across the street from the infamous church in Topeka, Kan.

Jackson and volunteers began painting the house in the colors of the gay pride rainbow. Once they are done, they will also add a huge rainbow flag in front of the house.

"It looks like something that should be at the U.N., not in a residential neighborhood," Jackson told The Destin Log.

Jackson, whose charity Planting Peace, has opened orphanages and bought endangered forest land in Peru, told Gawker earlier today that they have renamed the building "Equality House" and the project seeks to fight bigotry.

As we've explained before, Westboro Baptist has attracted publicity in recent years for protesting against homosexuality, abortion and other issues outside the funerals of military veterans and celebrities.

Gawker explains that Jackson's plan is:

"... to ride the coattails of Westboro's own media strategy. 'We're going to take the negative attention and try to spin it into something positive,' Hammet said. 'Instead of millions of children around the world getting this hate message, they're going to see this message of compassion and love.'"
The Kansas City Fox affiliate reports that Jackson said throughout the day, people have driven past the house "honking horns, taking pictures."

"There has been no negative response," Jackson said.

Westboro responded in its usual way. (Don't click, if you're easily offended.) https://twitter.com/WBCsigns/status/314034170408099840/photo/1

Update at 12:35 p.m. ET. The Proximity:

This video posted on Twitter gives out an idea of the proximity of the house to the Westboro Baptist building.

https://twitter.com/carolrhartsell

 

[PMedMoe]

Wasn't sure whether to post here, or in a humour thread....

Highway to Hell?

The Satanic Temple in the U.S. is launching a campaign to clean up New York's highways to "promote a message of Satanic civic pride and social responsibility."

....  :blah: ....

To drum up awareness for the campaign, the church performed a "pink mass" on Sunday over the grave of Westboro Baptist Church founder Fred Phelps Jr.'s mother.

The ritual, which involves chants and gay makeouts over the grave, aims to make deceased's spirit turn homosexual.

More at link

See?  Satanists aren't all bad.....    >

;D

 

[cupper]

Karma is a bitch.

 

[PMedMoe]

Ummm, why is this in US Military?  ???

Guess I should have noticed that before, but I just went with search results without even looking at the subforum.

 

[Haggis]

Ummm, why is this in US Military?  ???

Because the WBC makes a practise of "victimizing" the families of fallen US service members.

 

[PMedMoe]

Because the WBC makes a practise of "victimizing" the families of fallen US service members.

Fair enough.

 

[cupper]

It appears that the truth may finally be revealed to Rev. Phelps in due course.

That is going to be one interesting conversation.

Fred Phelps, Westboro Baptist Church Founder, Is 'On The Edge Of Death'

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/16/fred-phelps-dying-death-westboro-baptist_n_4974584.html

Fred Phelps, the founder of the highly controversial Westboro Baptist Church, which is known for protesting high-profile funerals with signs that read "God Hates Fags," is said to be dying at a hospice center in Kansas.

The news comes via Nate Phelps, one of Fred's estranged children, who wrote this in a Facebook post Saturday night.

I've learned that my father, Fred Phelps, Sr., pastor of the "God Hates Fags" Westboro Baptist Church, was ex-communicated from the "church" back in August of 2013. He is now on the edge of death at Midland Hospice house in Topeka, Kansas.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. Terribly ironic that his devotion to his god ends this way. Destroyed by the monster he made.

I feel sad for all the hurt he's caused so many. I feel sad for those who will lose the grandfather and father they loved. And I'm bitterly angry that my family is blocking the family members who left from seeing him, and saying their good-byes.

In an interview with Patheos, Nate confirmed the statement was true, saying he'd spoken with several other family members who, like him, had previously been "excommunicated" from the church.

Westboro Baptist Church did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Huffington Post.

 

[jollyjacktar]

Good riddance when he's gone, I say.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Evil always turns on itself in the end.