Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church Cult

[SargeUNN]

Isn't there a limit as too how much we should be forced to tolerate with this vile man? Yeah freedom of speech is precious, but this inhumane and cruel man is getting away with it under the label of Religion. What do we do with a slime like him?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. The Phelpses are grifters, nothing more. (I've posted this comment elsewhere)

I really doubt that they even believe or particularly care about their own "God hates fags" bullshit. They've merely come up with a gimmick that's guaranteed to offend pretty much everybody, and they are using it to make money from litigation. Standing around with "God Hates Fags" signs obviously will offend the GLBT community and most liberals. But, if you are a Phelps (and they are almost all lawyers, btw), you take it even farther; be even more provocative: Demonstrate outside the funeral of a soldier or a police officer or some other person most people would consider heroic or honorable, holding signs suggesting that the person's death was deserved as God's punishment for America's toleration of gay people. Provoke the family and friends of the deceased as much as possible. Take advantage of your First Amendment right to be despicable asshole; push your free speech right to the edge. And make a bundle when your rights are "violated" when you are sued or assaulted.

Therefore, IMO, the *only* effective way of dealing with them is to ignore them completely. Their entire purpose is provocation; the worst thing that can happen to them, as far as they are concerned, is that nobody bothers with them. A peaceful counter-protest would make an appropriate statement, of course, but these dirtbags really don't care. All they want is to be hassled so they can sue. Ignore them. Pretend they aren't there. If they can't make any money from lawsuits eventually they'll dry up and blow away. Ignoring *them*, if not their message, will be the one thing that is most likely to defeat them. That's because their offensive statements are designed not to persuade others to hate and discriminate against gay people, but specifically to incite action against their "church" that they can parlay into money through the legal process. They know *exactly* where the limits of the First Amendment extend, and they provoke people into overstepping those limits by doing and saying very offensive things at events where people are most likely to react emotionally. They are unmitigated assholes, but they aren't stupid -- just deeply cynical. They *want* to be assaulted and/or sued. That's how they support themselves.

Therefore, while I absolutely agree that evil, hateful messages should not go unchallenged, I contend that the best way to deal specifically with the "members" of this fake "church" is to ignore *them.* That's the one thing they don't want.

[SargeUNN]

8. Now I heard something about a Killed Soldier's family is paying

by court order, money for legal actions against these people. I don't know the story on this family but for the courts to fine them, legally or not, is like rubbing the family's nose in the crap. I guess some of the money will go to these vile people, so we ignore them, yet they are getting away with ripping off hurting families as well. Isn't there something wrong here, or am I just wrong.

[Rage Inc.]

14. Apparently, Bill O'Reilly is footing the bill

The devil is kissing his wife!

[Shell Beau]

22. I am certainly no O'Reilly fan, but I am glad someone

stepped up to pay these ridiculous fees. This poor family has endured enough.

[lazarus]

2. someone's fighting back

in many areas, biker-types show up and counter-demonstrate, intimidating the Westboro thugs.

[MrSlayer]

3. I'm really surprised no one has waded into them with lead pipes and baseball bats.

I would so love to be a part of that action.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. They'd love that. Because then they could sue you for assault and they'd win.

Their entire purpose is to provoke people into acting against them. They support themselves through litigation, and they know exactly how to manipulate the system for their benefit. As satisfying as it might be to kick their ugly asses, the only way to deal with these shitheads is to ignore them.

[KonaKane]

11. But only after alot of pain and broken bones.

*shrug*

[MrSlayer]

12. Only if they catch you.

And I doubt they would love it. But your points are fair.

[Posteritatis]

7. The reason why is that most male members of the congregation are lawyers. (nt)

[Ian David]

9. I don't condone violence. However, the day one of the Phelps family dies...

... I will drop everything and spare no expense to protest at and disrupt their funeral.

[HillbillyBob]

10. They have protested funerals of gay folks and straight divorced folks

I saw them years ago at Pedro Zemoras funeral then I had about 15 friends die of hiv complications and had to go to 15 funerals and they were at several.
Luckily I was riding with a friend I was so tempted to drive right over those sonsabitches. My aunt had several of her long term friends funerals picketed by these low life sobs. One was a woman who had survived her husband blowing her face off with a shotgun he then turned on himself. She lived for some years after tney were yelling that she should have finished herself off so she would not be a sinner for living after her husband was dead, also some gay friends of my aunts who had passed from HIV/AIDS.
I m glad I don't live in Topeka. Maybe someone will be inspired to dump 10 tons of chicken shit on their yard. hint hint...i ll chip in 10$(severely broke here).

[Warpy]

5. I'm convinced they're being funded by more than lawsuits

I honestly think they've got a fascist sugar daddy in there who is using them to try to overturn the first amendment.

What I wonder is why the IRS hasn't taken on that joke of a church. It's pretty much limited to the Phelps family and is as obvious a tax dodge as I've ever seen.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. They aren't trying to overturn the First Amendment; they take advantage of it

and push it to its absolute limits. Without it they'd all be in jail by now.

[Warpy]

25. How many communities have tried to enact laws to restrict protests?

Quite a few after the Phelps gang have protested things like schools and funerals.

Get it?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

26. And those laws have almost always been found unconstitutional.

[backscatter712]

13. If you ask me, the Southern Poverty Law Center needs to sue WBC into oblivion.

Do to them the same as what was done to various Ku Klux Klan and Neo-Nazi organizations - sue them, seize their property, force them into bankruptcy.

Break these fuckers. Their harassment of the grieving families of American soldiers is enough justification (and yes, they cross the line into harassment.)

[demosincebirth]

18. A few of them and their extended family are law school graduates. They

know the law and will take any case all the way to the Supreme Court.

[backscatter712]

20. That's OK, the SPLC has lawyers too...

and unlike WBC's lawyers, none of SPLC's lawyers have been disbarred...

[Roon]

15. No one cared about westboro church back in 1992

when they protested aids victims funerals. It wasn't until they started protesting the US soldiers that people took notice.

[Touchdown]

21. That is very true.

I've known about him and his nasty clan since the mid-80s. He protested Randy Shilts' funeral.

[Roon]

27. I caught his act on some afternoon talk show.

Not sure which one...willing to bet they wouldn't host his clan today!

[demosincebirth]

16. The ACLU would disagree with you. n/t

[tammywammy]

17. +1

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/22/AR2006072200643.html

[demosincebirth]

19. Exactly.

[Shell Beau]

24. Freedom of speech is one thing, but they were clearly disturbing the

peace.

[Shell Beau]

23. These are NO Christians.

They are evil people. I am disgusted that they do this in the name of the most loving man. This goes completely against the teachings of Jesus. They are religious fanatics of their own sort. I hope they are being watched just as closely as any extreme Muslim in this country would be.

I wanted to add that somehow the KKK and other hate groups are allowed to speak freely. This is no different, except I think it does disturb the peace. The others do too, IMO, but a funeral?? Fucked up. It all is. Free speech is awesome, but it certainly has its downfalls. Any hate group can kiss my ass.