Westboro protesters outnumbered 500 to 6 today at Drake

[47of74]

Source: The Des Moines Register.

A family of six carrying signs that read “God hates fags” faced more than 500 counter-protesters singing “All You Need Is Love” on the Drake University campus this morning.

The confrontation was peaceful, lasted 35 minutes, and no arrests were made.

The family of Fred Phelps, founder of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, was in Des Moines to picket the university for hosting a symposium on same-sex marriage.

Waving signs that read, “Fags are beasts” and “God hates Jews,” the Phelps family assembled on the south side of University Avenue at 7:40 a.m., while the counter-protesters — for the most part — stayed on the north side with signs that read, “Drake rejects hate,” and “My God loves everyone.”

Read more: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100410/NEWS/100410002/Westboro-protesters-outnumbered-500-to-6-today-at-Drake

[MadMaddie]

1. Good!!

[Divine Discontent]

132. "oh mercy, here come the fags" - damn straight here we come! Love Michael Moore for the SODOMOBILE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhekTRrvGrI

I cracked UP when I saw the sarcasm Michael injected into Phelps activities!

what a bunch of flipping agents of satan these twisted souls are.

[arcadian]

2. More press for WBC

I counter protested them too, but I'm now thinking they are getting exactly what they want for minimal amount of work.

[ret5hd]

3. What they want is money. As long as nobody assaults them (etc)...

they ain't gettin' what they want.

[arcadian]

10. More exposure = more money.

Think about it, there are certainly people in this country who believe in their message %100. When they get exposure they are reaching out to these people and these people in turn send them money. It's how a cult operates. in a country of 310+ million people, certainly they could probably find several thousand people who agree with the WBC message.

[SargeUNN]

13. I understand your view but the reality is ...

These idiots are going to get the attention. Kerry decided the swift boat attacks were not worth attention and ignored them until it came to bite his campaign. Ignoring cancer like this is too often to allow it to spread unchecked. While I wish your view was embraced by all, the sad fact this moron, Beck, Palin, Bachmann, and all their types are spreading their hate and fear with precious little opposition. We must speak out and rebute their message.

[backscatter712]

70. Yep. It's like Mom's bad advice about bullies...

"Ignore them and they'll go away!"

That advice didn't work for me when I was a kid, it didn't work for John Kerry in 2004, and it won't work when dealing with hateful fucksticks like the WBC. Ignoring them doesn't work.

We have to confront them, we have to call them out.

[arcadian]

97. Yeah, but they aren't really bullies

They are just idiot bigots with a stupid message.

[rhett o rick]

124. They are bullies. Just because they are bullies doesnt mean they are tough.

All bullies are cowards. Some are aggressive and some are followers, but they are all bullies.

[defendandprotect]

73. Agree on Kerry and Phelps ...

They must all be responded to --

and creatively!

[SargeUNN]

14. I understand your view but the reality is ...

These idiots are going to get the attention. Kerry decided the swift boat attacks were not worth attention and ignored them until it came to bite his campaign. Ignoring cancer like this is too often to allow it to spread unchecked. While I wish your view was embraced by all, the sad fact this moron, Beck, Palin, Bachmann, and all their types are spreading their hate and fear with precious little opposition. We must speak out and rebute their message.

Note: I don't know why but when I made the original post it said it didn't post so I reposted and then both post showed up. Sorry about that.

[Toasterlad]

56. There Is No Comparison Between the WBC and the Kerry Swift Boating.

They are two entirely different set of circumstances.

[ret5hd]

18. They make their money off lawsuits, not donations.

[Toasterlad]

57. No Counter-Protests, No Danger of Lawsuits.

People need to ignore these assholes.

[patrick t. cakes]

142. i posted this down thread but...

no, i was there. our numbers basically shut them down. they had planed to have two other
"events" at area synagogues but instead they packed it up
and headed out of town.

anytime progressives gather its worth it.
the phelps klan were "protesting" a symposium on same sex marriage
drake was hosting. 500 people turning up to support that sends a
message to many people, not just the WBC.

[Ian David]

114. Westboro Baptist Church does not accept donations.

They make their money by suing people who violate their civil rights to be giant douchebags.

They're grifters.

[Cirque du So-What]

28. I believe you are correct

I believe this clan - many of whom went to law school - are trying to provoke an attack and then sue the municipality for failing to protect their civil rights. They're looking for the big score, which may come when they protest at the upcoming funerals of coal miners in WV.

[ingac70]

38. +1

[704wipes]

123. It sure would be too bad

if their tires got slashed before they ever got to one of these sites.
You know that kind of vandalism is just happening everywhere these days.
Never know where or when that stuff happens...

[LiberalFighter]

93. They need to be assaulted in such a way that they can't file a lawsuit.

[arcadian]

99. Iraq would have been the place to do that

When they protested over there.

[lunatica]

4. Why would you think shedding light on them helps their cause?

Giving attention to the dark side of humanity doesn't make it stronger. It actually illuminates it and shows it for what it is. Standing up to hate has never promoted hate or made it stronger.

[ingac70]

6. Publicity is what they want. n/t

[lunatica]

9. So their message of hate should never be confronted or questioned?

Yeah, that'll teach them..

[ingac70]

39. Nothing will teach them....

they are constantly looking for someone to sue for violating their civil rights. It is how they make their "living".

[laughingliberal]

49. Counter protests are not a violation of their civil rights and they wind up having to share the

attention. They showed up in a little town a few miles south of Carson City a few years back to protest a soldier's funeral. When they got off the bus there was a group of 80 bikers which included a large group of Viet Nam vets and some of the Christian biker groups from the area standing in front of the site of the funeral. They got off the bus, looked at the group standing there, got back on their bus and left. As far as I know, no one got sued. I believe they may meet a similar group at the miners' funerals.

[defendandprotect]

79. Aside . . .

why would they be protesting at the miners' funerals?

[mbperrin]

87. Don't know why, but this from the OP:

Church founder Fred Phelps didn’t participate in the Des Moines demonstration. He was scheduled to lead a West Virginia demonstration related to this week’s mine collapse that killed 29 people. One of Phelps’ Web sites says God killed the miners to “avenge his holy name” and the dead miners are now “burning in hell.”


Fact that Phelps is alive proves there's no god.

[defendandprotect]

111. Thank you -- and I agree ...

"Fact that Phelps is alive proves there's no god."



:)

[proud2BlibKansan]

89. They follow the action

They go where they will get the most attention.

[defendandprotect]

107. ... but their signs are going to say something: We hate miners...and god did this!!???

I do see what you mean --

[annabanana]

72. The counter protesters aren't looking to teach *them*...

The counter protesters are for the audience that PhelpsCo always brings out.... It's for the edification of the unaware and apolitical...

[lunatica]

108. I meant that comment sarcastically

I should have added the sarcasm smilie

[defendandprotect]

78. We don't necessarily need to teach them -- we need to EXPOSE them --

for who they are -- and expose their hatreds --

[arcadian]

101. They already have plenty of exposure.

You want to do something? Start a group to petition the MSM to stop covering their shit.

[defendandprotect]

113. We're talking about different kinds of "exposure" --

You're talking about publicity -- which I don't think would benefit them in any

community.

And I'm talking about letting the public see them as they really are.

I wasn't familiar with these people and what they did for a very long time --

and I'm shocked it's been able to go on so long.

Obviously, with a lot of insider help.

[lunatica]

109. I meant that comment as sarcasm

But didn't think to add the sacrasm smilie. My bad.

[bulloney]

67. I agree with your position, lunatica.

This past week, the teabag crowd was in full force in my area (was there a full moon or something?). They would just casually open conversation with their rhetoric on Obama and socialism. I'd give it right back at them by asking them where their concern was over government control and deficit spending when Bush was in office.

The conversation would end rather abruptly after that. A lot of people must think that everybody in our area is a teabagger.

The reason so many of these teabaggers have become so outspoken and beligerent is because they've made their outrageous remarks--from which they're parroting what they hear from Faux Snooze, Limpballs, etc., with nobody challenging them and making them prove their position is accurate.

[socialist_n_TN]

83. BINGO! They DO think that if they aren't.......................

challenged that you agree with them. What's worse though is that the squishy middle THINKS THE SAME DAMN THING! And that's the reason you challenge them. Not to change THEIR minds (that won't happen), but to try and change any undecided minds.

[defendandprotect]

86. Exactly -- and what if African Americans hadn't so courageously fought back?

Or if homosexuals hadn't fought back so bravely? --

We'd all be less free right now!

[lunatica]

112. You're right. Ignoring them makes them bolder and louder

[defendandprotect]

77. Most people would see 500 protestors against their HATE as positive. . . .

wouldn't they?

[arcadian]

103. That is a false assertion.

If you want to confront hate come to Hillboro West Virginia, it's the HQ of the National Alliance. These people are media manipulators, they are hatful of course, but if almost everybody left and right think they are nut bags, the best thing to do would be ignore them and they would go away. Would you confront the woman wearing her bathrobe down at the bus station who yells at the birds in the trees? No, most people ignore that.

[defendandprotect]

115. If you read the article and what Topeka, Kansas learned, it's this ...

If there's one thing we've learned through all of this," Suzanne James concludes, "it's that you can only beat a bully by standing up to him."

You are thinking about "confronting" people --

There are a lot of ways to do things -- and there are a lot of communities --

You have to decide what you're going to do in yours --

and others have to decide for themselves what they're going to do --

[ingac70]

130. see post 88#. n/t

[demwing]

90. "What they want" isn't as important as "what we need"

Let them get publicicty, if that's what they want, so what? But to let them go on unchallenged is dangerous. Hate unchallenged spreads and festers. Soon, others with more agressive agendas will assume that hate, and we'll all be sitting around wondering why no one challenged the fuckers when they were manageable.

Their immediate, short-term publicity is a small price to pay for their lack of long-term impact on our society.

[defendandprotect]

117. Basically, that's the overall problem we have with right wing... no one's challenged them ....

in 50 years!!

No challenge to right wing violence -- hatred -- BS religion -- "family values" --

it's all garbage and our press is so controlled for so long by corporations and

Pentagon/CIA that they're pushing the same message!

:)

[ingac70]

5. If they were ignored by everyone they would go away. n/t

[lunatica]

7. They were ignored for a long time and they didn't go away

They just became bolder. In many cases silence is consent.

[laughingliberal]

51. Sort of a take on the idea that the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do

nothing or, in this case, remain silent.

[Kajsa]

63. I agree, Laughingliberal.

Silence can be misinterpreted as consent.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
-Martin Luther King Jr.

[laughingliberal]

69. I love that quote from Dr. King

Actually, I love most quotes from him.

Here's another I think applies here:

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
Martin Luther King Jr.

[Kajsa]

135. Yes!

He said it so well.

:)

[defendandprotect]

80. Agree with that -- !!

[Toasterlad]

58. They Were Ignored Because They Were Only Picketing GAY Funerals.

Which is why they switched to straight funerals, once they realized that nobody gave a shit about gay funerals. If people started ignoring them again, they would again go away, this time for good.

[arcadian]

104. Not in this case.

The way I see it they had an audience of 500 unwitting observers. I've seen these people live, in many of the protests a lot of people were coming out out of curiosity, that is not good.

[Bluenorthwest]

17. Does it cross your mind that the message needs to be

countered, not for Phelps, but for the peoples he attacks? That sending a message that is the opposite of 'we hate you' to the targets of Phelps might be worthwhile?

[Techn0Girl]

23. The "if they were just ignored meme" is always either a troll or pentultimate naiveity ...

It's difficult to believe that anyone can say that anymore with a straight face but then again considering the teabaggers it's really impossible to understand what some people believe.

The Drake counter-protesters handled it perfectly - by a massive, non-violent display showing exactly the kind of hypocrisy the Westboro hate group cum "Church" is preaching.

All you need is love.
And possibly the sensibility that burying your head in the sand from hate groups never makes them go away.
I believe Nazi Germany proved that rather well I'm afraid.

[laughingliberal]

52. I suggest there is a 3rd group who pushes the 'ignored' meme

That would be those too comfortable to be bothered to disrupt their lives to engage in counter protesting of the group. Deciding that ignoring this group is the best strategy allows them to reassure themselves they are doing the right thing by staying out of it.

[Toasterlad]

66. Or It Could Be That Some People Realize That Phelp's Brood Are Not Worth The Attention.

Honestly, the people going around talking as if Phelps were the Nazis going to take over the country! For fuck's sake, this is a group of 30 odd assholes that are almost universally despised, even by the right-wing fuckwads they most closely resemble. They are not the reason that gay people are not equal citizens in this country. They are not even a symptom of society's hate. Their group exists for one reason only: to profit from the reactions that they cause. They are trying to provoke lawsuits from either violations of their first ammendment rights, or from physical attacks. This isn't a threat that needs to be confronted. Standing up to them is not confronting hate. It is providing detestable people with what they want.

People who find it necessary to counter-protest these assholes are doing it so they can congratulate themselves on standing up to bigots. If you really want to do something important, volunteer to help your local PFLAG chapter or donate some money to Lambda Legal. If you absolutely MUST do something about Phelps showing up in your town, than go to one of the websites set up to take pledges for how long WBC protests. You don't need to be there giving them attention in order to do that.

Giving Phelps and his brood the publicity they crave helps nothing. It only validates their existence.

[laughingliberal]

68. We ran 'em out of our state and the soldier's family was able to hold his funeral in peace

That would seem to be worth something to me if I was one of the soldier's family members.

[defendandprotect]

82. They are disruptive at funerals -- a small number can do that -- and painful for families ...!!

For all of those reasons they should be responded to --!!

[Toasterlad]

121. If You Respond To Them, You Validate Them.

I get that people find their presence at funerals unacceptable (I do as well), and I believe all legal actions should be pursued to keep them as far away from the ceremony as possible. If it's not possible to keep them from out of view of the ceremony, I endorse Angel Action. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=151874493481

[laughingliberal]

122. There are at least 2 examples in this thread where they were run off and humiliated

One was in our state when they showed up to a soldier's funeral to find 80-100 bikers including Viet Nam vets and Christian biker groups there waiting to pay their respects to the fallen soldier. They barely got off the bus before they tucked tail and ran away. I doubt that validated them very much. It made them look like the hateful cowards they are.

The other (and I loved this) was the story another posted wrote of them getting off their bus to be confronted by signs saying "for every minute you spend in our town we will donate $1 to organizations supporting gay and lesbian causes." There again, they got on their bus and left.

Showing them as cowards may get them some attention but it's not the kind they want.

[Toasterlad]

125. The Second Method Is How I Wish Everyone Would Deal With Them.

Just let them see a sign that tells them that the longer they stay, the more money will be raised for gay programs. If everyone did this, the WBC would quickly become a major contributor to GLBT causes, albeit indirectly. That would be much more effective at humiliating and disarming them than any show of intimidation ever could.

[defendandprotect]

81. I would normally have found that hard to believe ...but I agree ...

last week a "Catholic" here told me he makes his donation at church and goes

home and relaxes with a Bud cause there's nothing he can do about priest sexual

abuse of children!

[Toasterlad]

60. You Don't Know What You're Talking About.

[martymar64]

143. Instead of throwing rocks at them, throw flowers!

Show the Phelps kids that are dragged around to these protests that there is another way besides hatred and strife. Plant the seed of doubt in their minds.
I read an article written by one of Phelps's estranged sons. He documented the horrendous physical and mental abuse that the father heaped upon his wife and children. If someone was skilled as a psychologist, they might be able to reach the phelps adults at the protests by confronting them about the abuse they suffered and how it has warped their lives. The cognitive dissonance they must be experiencing is probably enormous.

[No Elephants]

32. Prople tell kids the exact same thing about bullies and it's not true of bullies, just

a meme that has been repeated so often for so long that people ignore all evidence to the contrary.

Ignoring bullies often causes them to escalate.

[ingac70]

37. In this case, if you hit this bully he'll sue the shit out of you.

Negative attention is how he makes his living.

[bettyellen]

47. what total fucking BS, no one here suggests hitting the Phelps assholes.

[ingac70]

54. Not literally hitting.....

http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2001/spring/a-city-held-hostage

:eyes:

[defendandprotect]

96. What we learned is...: "you can only beat a bully by standing up to him."

"If there's one thing we've learned through all of this," Suzanne James concludes, "it's that you can only beat a bully by standing up to him."

[jmowreader]

61. I'd like to hit Fred...

Hit him right in the face with a serious ten-second tongue kiss.

I believe that would completely push him over the edge...every time the Westboro Baptist Church, the church God hears and thinks "if that asshole didn't live in a nice neighborhood I would have taken his building out with a lightning bolt LONG ago..". goes out to picket, one man needs to just walk up to ol' Fred, wrap their arms around Fred and tickle Fred's tonsils with the liberal's tongue.

And don't worry. I have it on good authority Fred's cooties aren't THAT bad.

[laughingliberal]

53. We ran 'em out of our state and no one got sued. See my post #49. nt

[defendandprotect]

misplaced --

[defendandprotect]

85. Agree... Agree . . . it only emboldens them and makes you more of a victim!!

[laughingliberal]

50. Hasn't worked so far. However see my post #49 for how we got them to 'go away'

when they showed up in Nevada and thought they were going to protest one of our soldiers' funerals. Heh!

[npk]

118. Ignoring evil doesn't cause it to go away

The more people who fight this idiot, peacefully that is, the better shot that man and his followers message will be ignored.

[movonne]

26. I think maybe the tea party has new members...they should join

forces...

[Toasterlad]

55. Exactly. They Got Exactly What They Want. Free Publicity.

If people really were serious about wanting the WBC to go away, they'd fucking ignore them.

[defendandprotect]

74. Well it would be well if someone showed how heavily they are outnumbered ... Fox, perhaps???!!!

[proud2BlibKansan]

88. Bingo! You know why they leave Kansas to protest?

Because we ignore them.

It works.

[arcadian]

95. They protested a Jewish center on the south side of Richmond.

On an industrial/fast food thoroughfare. A lot of people thought that the counter protesters were with WBC, we got flipped off just as much as they did. That happened at another Jewish center I followed them to. If we had not been out there to swell their numbers they would have been 3 nut jobs and a kid standing on a corner. Most passerbys would have probably not even read their signs or would have thought they were selling something.

[idahoblue]

8. They want publicity

If the counter protest is strong in numbers, why not surround them so they cannot be seen? Surround with your backs to them and sing your hearts out.

[Duke Newcombe]

11. After I heard them talk about the mine accident as "punishment from God"...

I came to the conclusion that, free speech or no, they richly deserve a monumental ass-beating. Every one of them.

[thelordofhell]

12. FOX news report----over 500 at Phelps organized protest

:rofl:

[Jefferson23]

15. The sickest family in America.

I feel for their children:

"The Westboro contingent included 28-year-old Sara Phelps and two of her cousins, ages 9 and 13, both of whom were wearing sweatshirts emblazoned with “JewsKilledJesus.com.”

Sara Phelps said there was nothing inappropriate about the children’s involvement in the demonstration. She said the nation’s elementary school libraries teach children to be accepting of gays and use “Heather Has Two Mommies,” a 1989 children’s book about a girl raised by a lesbian couple.

“So they teach them, from that age up, that it is OK to be gay, that God loves everybody, and that it is OK to murder unborn babies,” Phelps said. “Don’t tell me you’re not going to teach your children what you believe is right.”

Kudos to the 500 who showed up to support the family.

[SargeUNN]

16. I am sad that Fred and his family share my family name, but

I certainly didn't choose them. I also come from Mississippi like Fred does and fear there might be a family connection so much that I quit researching my family history. Sad enough to find that Ann Coulter is part of my family as it is, but to find Fred might be is more than I want to know.

[ret5hd]

19. Man, that pair of jeans is really TIGHT! And not in a good way!

[Jefferson23]

20. You have no control over that, besides, take a look at this:

No mention of the creepy sick Phelps here.

Some noteworthy people of the name Phelps:

Edward John Phelps(1822-1900), American Diplomat, and lawyer, who was the ambassador to Britain(1885-1889)
William Lyon Phelps(1865-1943),American, literary critic
Jaycie Phelps, American gymnast
Samuel Phelps,(1804-1878), English stage actor and manager
Private Wesley Phleps, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1944

http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/asp.fc/qx/phelps-family-crest.htm

[martymar64]

144. Michael Phelps: Olympic Swimmer and Bong Master

:hippie:

[Jefferson23]

146. LOL, see, there is another good one! Thanks for the response :)

[PinkFloyd]

65. Gosh that must really suck...

To find out you're related to Fred Phelps and Ann Coulter all in the same day. I could easily see the Fred / Ann connection. I'm sure you're much nicer though. At least I sure hope so.

[freebrew]

44. HMM, the Jews killed Jesus?

Funny, I always thought it was the Romans...

Some guy named Pilot???

[walldude]

137. Nah.. ever since Mel Gibson came out as an anti-semite

it's been the Jews...

[jerseyjack]

21. Westboro Baptist Church

They showed up in our N.J. town last year. We had a sign, "We will donate $1.00 to Parents and Friends of Lesbians & Gays for every minute you stay here."

They didn't stay long.

[Jefferson23]

22. LOL, brilliant.

Welcome to DU!

[rocktivity]

25. See post #24.

I hope hundreds of fans show up singing "You Give God a Bad Name" and "Cashin' In on Prayer"

:headbang:
rocktivity

[laughingliberal]

59. Ooooh, that's a great idea. See? There are ways to get rid of them without giving them favorable

press. We did it. Make 'em look like the chicken livered imbeciles they are.

[rocktivity]

24. Their next stops are allegedly WV for some miners' funerals

and a Bon Jovi concert in Tampa FL next Saturday.

:eyes:
rocktivity

[activa8tr]

27. Why Bon Jovi? Is he gay? I don't honestly know, so this is

an honest question. Thanks.

[rocktivity]

45. According to this news story

...(T)he Westboro Baptist Church announced on their website that they will picket the Bon Jovi concert in Tampa, Florida on April 17, 2010...a listing on the group’s website explains why...

“These old fools have had access to millions all over the world for nearly 3 decades, but they have not one time told any of them what God requires of them. Why is that? Westboro Baptist Church has been telling you all for almost 20 years what the standard is and that obedience to that standard is not negotiable.”
link

:shrug:
rocktivity

[vduhr]

92. They hate EVERYONE and EVERYTHING

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westboro_Baptist_Church

What's creepy is that Phelps looks a lot like the preacher in Poltergeist II.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8TrCJQAid0

They're baaack!!!

[walldude]

138. Not gay.. false idol

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[alp227]

29. NICE! Good to see there are ~100x more civilized protesters than Wacky Butthead Clowns n/t

[poverlay]

30. Well done counter-protestors. Now that's how it's done! I'm so proud of you...n/t

[Boudica the Lyoness]

31. Banned in the UK

"UK Border Agency spokesman told reporters: "The Home Secretary has excluded both Fred Phelps and his daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper from the UK. Both these individuals have engaged in unacceptable behavior by inciting hatred against a number of communities. The Government has made it clear it opposes extremism in all its forms. We will continue to stop those who want to spread extremism, hatred and violent messages in our communities from coming to our country."

[defendandprotect]

98. That's the way to do it when something is so obviously nuts --

and that's the way they also handled the "pro-lifers" who tried to create

disturbances in UK. -- OUT!

[Generic Other]

33. I wonder what kind of funeral Fred Phelps is planning to have when he dies?

I hope representatives of all the families whose funerals he and his have attended will show up waving signs to remind him how hot hell is.

I will be glad to help paint the signs.

[truedelphi]

40. I will certainly want to help you

Paint the signs.

[madamesilverspurs]

34. ...

This message was hand-lettered and tacked on a dorm bulletin board, and a young friend told me about it. So I played with it a bit, and will likely have a poster-size made for him. Please feel free to use it if you think it will help.
-

[Solly Mack]

35. k/r

[Richd506]

36. If when I die someday and they're still around

I want to purposely invite them to my funeral. Then I'll have all of my friends dress up in devil costumes just to mess with them.

[Irishonly]

41. Go Doggies

I am very proud of my alma mater.

[47of74]

42. My sister's a graduate of Drake too

And I think she's probably really proud of her school right now.

[Aristus]

43. The more I learn about Iowa, the more I really love the place.

I know it has its share of conservative, Mid-Western shit-for-brains. But the general feeling I get is that it's a pretty progressive place. I have a classmate from Iowa. When same-sex marriage became legal in Iowa, I happened to remark that it seemed uncharacteristic of both Iowa to permit it, and California to prohibit it. She said, with a huge smile: "Oh no! We're liberal in Iowa!" She made me very proud... B-)

[rurallib]

48. Iowan here. Eastern Iowa (especially Iowa City)

is very liberal.
Some of the great names in early progressivism come from the upper midwest:
Henry Wallace and Tom Harkin of Iowa
Fighting Bob La Follette (and Russ Feingold) of Wisconsin
Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota.
Throw in the Adlai Stevensons of Illinois to round it out.

[47of74]

84. I know assholes like Steve King give Iowa a bad name

But Iowa really is a progressive place, especially in the larger communities.

[elleng]

46. EXCELLENT! Nothing like a liberal education!

[laughingliberal]

62. My idea for a counter protest sign

"We know Fred Phelps will burn in Hell. The only question is when." Most effective if a big biker is holding it when he gets off his bus.

[bulloney]

64. It was peaceful because the counter-protesters were a huge majority.

Otherwise, it would have been a hate-fest.

[The Wizard]

71. If you know they'll be in the area

make a sign with a local Republican's name and march with them. Maybe someone like Michelle Bachmann would appreciate WBC support.

[CoffeeCat]

75. Why hasn't anyone sued these Phelps people?

If my child died, and these people showed up with their bag of dirty tricks, why
couldn't I sue for intentional infliction of distress and emotional damages? If they
held signs, suggesting that my child deserved to die--when my child had no connection
to their "causes"--knowing that it would cause me pain--how can they get away with this?

Couldn't one successfully argue, in civil court, that these sickening hatemongers
intentionally try to inflict harm and distress--to people who have never provoked
them or even know them.

For example, if they show up at the miner's funerals--isn't that just an opportunistic
person looking for personal gain and attention--by inflicting pain on another person?

I know these people have First Amendment right. But there are limits to the First
Amendment. You can't yell, "Fire!" in a crowded theater. You can't just walk
up to someone and start threatening them.

Showing up at a funeral, for someone that is not connected to any of their deluded
gripes---just to garner media attention--feels like intentional pain.

I'd sue them if they did this to me. In a heartbeat.

[backscatter712]

91. You've been watching the news lately, haven't you?

The family of one dead servicemember did sue, won the initial lawsuit, it got appealed, the appeals court overturned, and worst, ordered the family to pay WBC's legal fees, which were paid by Bill O'Reilly (who'd have thunk it - the WBC's so fucking vile they're uniting liberals and conservatives - that's no mean feat!) and it's gonna get appealed again and ruled upon by the Supreme Court.

Personally, I think the best way to legally attack the WBC is to assert that their signs and slogans amount to Fighting Words, as defined in case law, create some local laws prohibiting speech designed to incite violence, engineered around Fighting Words case law, and prosecute 'em!

[defendandprotect]

102. If you read the article the OP links to . . . they screaming obscenities at people on the street!

At city officials, etal --

Making sexual comments to their own children -- and screaming sexual comments

to young children on the street!

How can that be legal?

[backscatter712]

136. Fighting words...

Like I said, there is an opening for prosecution of the WBC. The First Amendment does not cover speech that is incendiary and likely to provoke a breach in the peace, and there's case law backing that up.

[defendandprotect]

76. Wonderful and hope a lot of Americans will get to see and hear this -- !!

[Marnie]

94. “God hates Who?,”

“God hates Jews,”
I believe these idiots claim to be Christians.
Somebody needs to remind them that Jesus was a Jew and he never renounced his heretage or his faith. It was later that his teachings became the organized offshoot called Christianity.

In case it matters I am Methodist.

[cbdo2007]

100. Protesting them won't work.....they should be on the SAME side of the street

as them and surround them with positive signs and louder singing/yelling than the WBC so that people don't even notice that they're there.

Protesting them draws even more attention to them which is exactly what they want. OVERPOWERING them by standing 200 strong in front of them and 200 behind them would have completely hidden them and no one would have known they were there.

[MissDeeds]

105. Excellent

The best way to thwart these creeps is to massively outnumber them. If ever there was a valid, productive reason to mobilize a flash mob, the Phelps hate crew is it.

[Imajika]

106. Why do we pay attention to these people?

There is a grand total of about 80 of them. They are raving lunatics. No one wants anything to do with these Westboro poeple. Even the rightwingers pretty much hate them. Seriously, why do they get so much attention?

[undergroundnomore]

110. You're right

they are attention whores and the more they get their fifteen minutes the more they continue to do what they are doing. Old Fred is getting up in age, wonder how they would feel if GLBT and their families and friends showed up at FRED's funeral carrying signs that says GOD LOVES Gays or God HATES FRED Phelps. Wonder how close you'd be allowed to get to his funeral.

You could almost over look the CRAZY adults but they are bringing children into their demented ways. They have young kids carrying these signs. Isn't that child abuse? Why isn't the local child enforcement people looking into that?

[BrklynLiberal]

116. Hopefully, this is an indicator of things to come...hopefully the tide is turning against hate.

[MrScorpio]

119. So God hates the Chosen People?

Riiiiiiiigggghhhht!

[Soylent Brice]

120. glad to see the counter-protestors out in force.

all you need is love, indeed.

[progressoid]

126. Hooray for the good guys!

Iowans of course. ;)

[Oldtimeralso]

127. K & R and proud to be # 100 n/t

[Shining Jack]

128. Great ! n/t

[Enthusiast]

129. Encouraging. nt

[Ysabel]

131. hahaha fucking assholes...

- numbers you mother fucking slime we out do you so far you don't even have any dirt left to wallow in...

[Ysabel]

133. er ahem please excuse my language...

[ensho]

134. well done!

nt

[RainDog]

139. Imagine should be the "official protest anthem" against this group

Imagine there's no heaven
it's easy if you try
no hell below us
above us only sky

Imagine all the people
living life in peace

You...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
and the world can live as one.

I think massive non-violent counter protestors are great for this group because they provide a visual that shows the majority of the American people are decent and will not stand for this hate without comment.

[Odin2005]

140. Ugh, WHY do we keep giving these fucks attention? it's what they want.

They need to be ignored.

[patrick t. cakes]

141. no, i was there. our numbers

basically shut them down. they had planed to have two other
"events" at area synagogues but instead they packed it up
and headed out of town.

anytime progressives gather its worth it.
the phelps klan were "protesting" a symposium on same sex marriage
drake was hosting. 500 people turning up to support that sends a
message to many people, not just the WBC.

[martymar64]

145. Good, when they leave and don't have anybody to sue, they lose money!

I think a dose of "kill them with kindness" is in order. It may not faze the adults, but maybe a seed can be planted in the mind of the Phelps kids.

At the very least, they won't have anybody to sue and they can go home just a little bit poorer.