Westboro Baptist Church Protests

[kani-lehua]

"many mixed feelings at farrington high school as westboro baptist church demontrators tried to make their opinions clear to the public. 5/18/08"

http://www.kitv.com/video_legacy/16324478/index.html

apparently they are NOT feeling the aloha.

[kstephen]

Re: westboro baptist church protests

yes, they are from Kansas (as i am) but we Kansans have been putting up with the Phelps, their "church" and their protests for a long while. they have protested at the college where i work and the college where my husband works. even in our small town, they had to take security measures at a funeral for a local boy that died in Iraq because they protest at soldiers' funerals too. i don't know anyone who can stand them.

BBC did a documentary and a reporter lived with them and did his report.
its on youtube.

if this is your first encounter with them,
I'm sorry you had to experience it.
life is good until the Phelps come along and protest in your neighborhood.
they are lunatics.
kerri

[LikaNui]

Re: westboro baptist church IDIOTS

Yes, they're lunatics.
The news has reported that their "church" consists of only three families. Three. That's not a church -- it's a cult.
And they drag their children into their protests too.
Idiots. Just... frickin' IDIOTS, all of 'em.

[MyopicJoe]

Re: westboro baptist church protests

LMFAO xD

I can imagine their strategic planning the year prior:

A: Dangit, it's too cold to protest up here.
B: Yeah, spreading hate is too uncomfortable.
A: We should protest in Hawaii. It's a lot warmer.
B: Oh boy! I want to learn to surf. Think we can use it as a tax write-off?
A: Oh yeah, no problem. As long as we get one protest on the news and keep all our receipts.
C: Excuse me. With the current price of oil, airplane tickets to Hawaii will be expensive.
A: Bah! God shall provide. Someone will throw a bottle at us or something. I figure we can squeeze out 5 law suits in two weeks.
B: Yeah, and if we need some cash, Frankie will front us if we fax him the filings.
A: Exactly. Motion to vacation in Hawaii next year. All in favor, say "Aye".


Louis Theroux has done a bunch of documentaries for the BBC. The guy's awesome. He lived with the Westboro folks for three weeks to do his piece. I don't think I could endure being around them that much. Needless to say it'll be disturbing to some:

Part 1/6
Part 2/6
Part 3/6
Part 4/6
Part 5/6
Part 6/6

[MyopicJoe]

Re: westboro baptist church protests

BBC did a documentary and a reporter lived with them and did his report.
its on youtube.

*cheer at Kerri*

Sorry to hear you had to live with them

[Peshkwe]

Re: westboro baptist church protests

Those are some sick puppies.

What I am surprised at though is that no one has tried to do that group a serious mischief.

[MyopicJoe]

Re: westboro baptist church protests

What I am surprised at though is that no one has tried to do that group a serious mischief.

I'm sure people have, but their matriarch is a lawyer. I hear they fund their "church" through law suits.

But they themselves got sued for protesting at a funeral (from Wikipedia):

On March 10, 2006 WBC picketed the funeral of Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder.[54][55][56] On June 5, 2006 the Snyder family sued[57] Fred Phelps, WBC, and unnamed others for defamation, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. On 31 October 2007, WBC, Fred Phelps and his two daughters, Shirley Phelps-Roper and Rebecca Phelps-Davis, were found liable for invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. A federal jury awarded Mr. Snyder $2.9 million in compensatory damages, then later added a decision to award $6 million in punitive damages for invasion of privacy and an additional $2 million for causing emotional distress (A total of $10,900,000). The organization said it wouldn't change its message because of the verdict.[58][59][60]

...

On February 4, 2008 U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett upheld the ruling but reduced the punitive damages from $8 million to $2.1 million. The total judgment now stands at $5 million. An appeal by WBC is still pending.[67] Liens have been ordered on church buildings and Phelps' law office in an attempt to ensure that the damages are paid.

[helen]

Re: westboro baptist church protests

I can imagine their strategic planning the year prior:

A: Dangit, it's too cold to protest up here.
B: Yeah, spreading hate is too uncomfortable.
A: We should protest in Hawaii. It's a lot warmer.
B: Oh boy! I want to learn to surf. Think we can use it as a tax write-off?

This might make sense if they were coming to Hawaii in December, January or February, not in May.

[MyopicJoe]

Re: westboro baptist church protests

This might make sense if they were coming to Hawaii in December, January or February, not in May.

lunatics?

[pzarquon]

Re: Westboro Baptist Church Protests

I think it's ridiculous this group gets half the airtime and media attention it does. A smattering of people from three families in Kansas show up and we point cameras at them? In many communities, they're simply ignored, and that's the most effective response for a group that thrives on provocation.

KHNL did a couple of segments on them, and even aired a whole hand-wringing self-referential piece where they talked about themselves and the debate over covering them at all. Which, of course, was doubly ridiculous.

[Peshkwe]

Re: Westboro Baptist Church Protests

Are they here to act up randomly or is there a specific target in their sights?

I've heard they've kinda slunk off in a few places where it was made clear to them that police protection wasn't going to be waiting on them hand and foot. To go ahead and protest but if there was trouble to call it in and the police would be there ...eventually.

[Adri]

Re: westboro baptist church protests

I'm sure people have, but their matriarch is a lawyer.

Not just the matriarch. A lot of their members are lawyers (or graduated from law school at least, not necessarily the same thing). There is a movement of trying to make "right thinking" lawyers to help these groups attain their goals by manipulating/using the legal system. (Such as Falwell's Liberty's Law School, The Ave Maria School of Law and Robertson's Regent University Law School). However, I believe all the law schools I mention here are more mainstream than the positions taken by by the lawyers/members of the Westboro Baptist Church.

http://www.lawschool.com/falwells.htm

[kani-lehua]

Re: westboro baptist church protests

"Other regular anti-homosexual slogans of Westboro include "Homosexuality = Death," "Fags Die, God Laughs," "Matthew Shepard Rots in Hell," "AIDS: Kills Fags Dead" and "Ellen DeGeneres is a Lesbian Slut." (The latter was carried at an "Equality Rocks" rock concert and fundraiser, at the event DeGeneres commented that she wasn't offended so much by the slogan as the fact that they had drawn pockmarks all over her face on the poster.)" as quoted from wikipedia.

you go ellen!


#11 Today, 01:42 PM
Peshkwe
Kumu Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 777

Re: Westboro Baptist Church Protests

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Are they here to act up randomly or is there a specific target in their sights?


it was mentioned, the other targets, but i can only remember one and that's the arizona memorial.

[timkona]

Re: Westboro Baptist Church Protests

Better to have cameras pointed at your face than rifle barrels. But in Hawaii, everybody knows that cops tend to turn a blind eye toward vigilantism if the street justice is somewhat justified. I'd say these folks are treading a dangerously thin line.

Try Waianae. Or Milolii. Dead lawyers win very few cases.

[AlohaKine]

Re: Westboro Baptist Church Protests

This whole thing started about 15 years ago when Westboro did its' first picket of Gage park a few blocks from their homes in Topeka. They claimed gay activity was going on in the park. When they picketed it and they got negative reactions. Ever since then they have gotten more and more extreme and offensive. At first it was just Gays, now it's the whole World against them and "God Hates the World" is one of their slogans.

Some serious mental problems going on with this church.