pegkerr: (Default)
pegkerr ([personal profile] pegkerr) wrote2007-04-20 08:41 am

Oh, for . . .the stupid trolls are back

The Westboro Baptist church (of www.godhatesfags.com fame) announced plans to picket the funerals of the Virginia Tech victims because:

"God is punishing America for her sodomite sins. The 33 massacred at Virginia Tech died for America's sins against WBC (Westboro Baptist Church). Just as U.S. soldiers dying in Iraq each day for America's sins against WBC."

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/anam_cara_/ 2007-04-20 01:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow. So the entire world revolves around them, huh? I missed that memo.

They are really scary attention whores, forget any empathy, sympathy, or basic human consideration.

[identity profile] thistlerose.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 01:51 pm (UTC)(link)
*Sigh* I try not to advocate murder, but could someone please throw a javelin through Phelps's chest already??

[identity profile] tinymich.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 01:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Wait, that's a REAL CHURCH? I thought they were an Onion-style joke!

[identity profile] lilisonna.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 02:01 pm (UTC)(link)
No. Landover Baptist is an Onion-style joke. Westboro is a cult that is sadly all too real.

[identity profile] lilisonna.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 02:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, at least they have now firmly crossed the line into cult-hood. Notice how it's not punishment for America's sins against God, but for our sins against them.

I can't even be angry with them anymore. I watched an interview series with the family, and it's just sad. The children are all brainwashed, and they live in such a tightly controlled world that they can't see anything but what is fed to them.

(Not that I think that what they're doing is in anyway anything except horrific. It's awful and it makes me want to shake them and yell "How dare you!")

[identity profile] juliansinger.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 08:40 pm (UTC)(link)
They make me very sad, yes. Anger was 10 years ago.

I'm mostly amazed, nowadays, that they /keep getting media attention/. I guess it's a reliable "and here we have the lunatic fringe" shot, but still.

[identity profile] blpurdom.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 02:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Not-so-dear Rev. Phelps:

You evidently have zero understanding of cause-and-effect. Just thought you should know, in case no one has mentioned this to you before.

No love,

Me

P.S. Also, picketing any type of funeral for any reason is incredibly mean-spirited and, well, just plain tacky.


Of course, he's threatened to picket our church many times in the past and never showed up, so this could just be another one of his empty threats. Let's hope so, to spare the families and friends of the victims of this tragedy.

[identity profile] pegkerr.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 03:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Of course, he's threatened to picket our church many times in the past and never showed up, so this could just be another one of his empty threats. Let's hope so, to spare the families and friends of the victims of this tragedy.

I wouldn't count on it. He knows that picketing these funerals will give him the ultimate in attention. If I would hazard a guess, I think he would take pains to picket Professor Liviu Librescu's funeral in particular, because 1) the Professor was Jewish and 2) many people regard him as a particularly innocent hero because he gave his life to defend others, and so picketing that particular funeral would give him maximum outrage mileage.

[identity profile] shakespearechic.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 03:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Ugh, I hate them so much.

think he would take pains to picket Professor Liviu Librescu's funeral in particular, because 1) the Professor was Jewish and 2) many people regard him as a particularly innocent hero because he gave his life to defend others, and so picketing that particular funeral would give him maximum outrage mileage.

I believe Librescu's funeral was already held in Israel...?

[identity profile] pegkerr.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 03:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, that's right, it was. A blessing (albeit an extremely small one) that his relatives didn't have to face THAT on top of everything else.
naomikritzer: (Default)

[personal profile] naomikritzer 2007-04-20 02:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Why hasn't anyone killed him yet? Seriously, how hard could it be? Maybe one of the chickenhawk warbloggers who swears he'd enlist if only the military would take him could do alternative service by shooting Phelps in the head.
loup_noir: (Default)

[personal profile] loup_noir 2007-04-20 02:12 pm (UTC)(link)
These people are just horrid. I can't help but wonder what the rest of the Baptists think of them. I hope there's a special place in hell for them.

[identity profile] eal.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 05:15 pm (UTC)(link)
To the best of my knowledge, they aren't part of either Baptist convention. They used to be, but are no longer. I believe, though I'm not certain, that it was a mutual parting of the ways.

[identity profile] pegkerr.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 05:45 pm (UTC)(link)
With much relief on the Baptists' part, I'll bet.
naomikritzer: (Default)

[personal profile] naomikritzer 2007-04-20 06:06 pm (UTC)(link)
There was an old line about Nixon's religious affiliation: Nixon claimed the Quakers, but the Quakers never claimed him.

This goes double (octuple? googleplextuple?) for Phelps and the Baptists, I think. Nixon, for all that he was a bad person who did bad things, was not actually evil incarnate in human form, as Phelps is.

[identity profile] huladavid.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 08:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, speaking as a Baptist I...

I dunno, part of me doesn't think about Phelps, or get het up about him, because a)that's what he wants & b) it doesn't do me any good to work up a head of steam when I have no positive way of using it.

To be honest, however, when I read about him yesterday I did think, "Ok, someone's gotta do something about this guy". And I think that what's gotta be done is something "judo-istic", something unexpected. Like invite his group to a funeral or something, or--when they show up next time throw a party for him. Or angel the hell outta him like the friends of Matthew Shepard did.

(Which reminds me, I once e-mailed Ann Coulter and asked her to add me to her traitors list. Haven't heard anything back from her, and we're supposed to be married in a couple of weeks.)*
_____
*a) Yes, I have been taking my medications, & b)no, hallucinations are not a side effect.

[identity profile] pazlazuli.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 02:16 pm (UTC)(link)
I thought people like that existed only "B" movies!

[identity profile] la-belledame.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 02:56 pm (UTC)(link)
I am a person who tries her best not to wish harm on anyone, but in the shower this morning, I found myself thinking how satisfying it might be to have a tornado touch down only on the WBC during services. Just sayin', in a schadenfreude sort of way.

These are also the people who were going to picket the funerals of the Amish girls killed at Nickel Mines school here in Lancaster County, and who said the girls deserved to die, and that it was punishment for Ed Rendell insulting Phelps.

[identity profile] aerden.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 11:12 pm (UTC)(link)
That was the most despicable thing I could imagine at the time. The shootings were bad enough, but then, to have these nutcases showing up at the funerals...*shakes head* I'm glad they didn't go. Thank you, Mike Gallagher.

Chantal

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/_lindsay_/ 2007-04-20 02:57 pm (UTC)(link)
the tolkien quote is right on the money.

[identity profile] nmsunbear.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 03:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Ugh. That seriously makes me sick to my stomach.

[identity profile] mattador.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 03:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Usually, when the WBC goes to picket a funeral, they find the Hell's Angels already there- for military funerals, anyway- keeping them away. With any luck, they'll roll out for this one too.

[identity profile] aerden.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 11:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Hurray for the Hell's Angels!

Chantal

[identity profile] mattador.livejournal.com 2007-04-21 05:04 am (UTC)(link)
Slight retraction: a group of bikers called the Patriot Guard, which began as a bunch of American Legion riders, and was since joined by lots of other bikers, Hell's Angels included.

[identity profile] aerden.livejournal.com 2007-04-21 07:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah! That makes a bit more sense, actually. (g) I'm just glad they're helping to protect those military funerals.

Chantal

[identity profile] nmalfoy.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 05:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Good thing Will Rogers never met Phelps.

[identity profile] rachelmanija.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 05:53 pm (UTC)(link)
I swear, if I am ever at any event where those bastards show up, I am going to deck Fred Phelps and take the consequences.

[identity profile] heavenscalyx.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 10:16 pm (UTC)(link)
They showed up to picket the Cambridge City Hall celebration of the legalization of gay marriage I attended back in 2004. There was this pathetic little knot of mean-spirited, brainwashed idiots holding their horrible signs. The Cambridge police marched out of their station a block away, immaculately dressed in riot gear, marched up onto Massachusetts Avenue, marched across in front of the Phelpsians, and did a precise face-left to face the Phelpsians, turning their backs on the teeming mobs of celebrants in front of City Hall.

It was, obviously, a memorable message. I wonder sometimes if the Phelpsians understood it.

I'm sure they were spewing their hate loudly, but I couldn't hear it over the impromptu brass band and the crowds singing, "Goin' to the Chapel." I doubt much of anyone else could either.

[identity profile] airemay.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 06:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Dear God. I'm with the commentor above. I hope Hell's Angels shows up to these as well!

[identity profile] mab-browne.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 06:15 pm (UTC)(link)
One of these days, someone will arson Westboro Baptist. Which would be entirely wrong, but alas entirely understandable...

[identity profile] aeditimi.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 06:22 pm (UTC)(link)
that's just a disgusting publicity stunt. it's a high profile funeral, so Phelps knows he'll get a lot of coverage for picketing. that man makes me cringe to be a member of the Cloth; he redefines evil.

[identity profile] mamculuna.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 07:34 pm (UTC)(link)
God has nothing to think about but one little church?
ext_29896: Lilacs in grandmother's vase on my piano (Default)

[identity profile] glinda-w.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 07:44 pm (UTC)(link)
I was just thinking: these people thrive on publicity. Take their reward away. We have still freedom of the press, which means freedom to *not* report things as well as freedom to report them.

Whenever Phelps and his group threaten to show up somewhere, the press release should be passed on to local authorities, and the local group of those veterans on motorcycles. Nothing else. No TV coverage, or radio, or newsprint, or internet.

Just a real-world extension of the "don't feed the trolls" idea...

[identity profile] alfreda89.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 08:21 pm (UTC)(link)
It's that damnable flip side of the first amendment.

Perhaps the only way to deal and not get arrested ourselves is the "oops-ie" torture. Invented just for the occasion.

A bunch of people get as close to the group as they can, smiling, etc. and then let them have it with string cheese, whipped cream, seltzer pumps, etc. Nothing dangerous (Honestly, officer, they were behaving so much NOT like Christians, I thought it was an Onion joke and just joined in the fun!)

Because all we can do is make it plain to the survivors that no one takes these people seriously. Except the riot police, who have to take everything seriously.

[identity profile] johnridley.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 09:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Why is it not possible to get these people investigated for hate speech and instigating violence? They're doing way more harm to America than any random thousand people on any watch list.

[identity profile] aerden.livejournal.com 2007-04-20 10:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Say WHAT??!!!

Miss Manners needs to open up a can of whup-ass on these people--several cans.

I am appalled that these people are so wrapped up in their own agenda that they can't allow themselves to show any respect for others. Messing with the veterans' families was bad enough; this is outrageous. And am I mistaken, or did they threaten to picket the funerals of the Amish children, too, after they were killed in that school?

Chantal

[identity profile] firedragon9.livejournal.com 2007-04-21 03:18 am (UTC)(link)
Wow. People suck.

[identity profile] amaliedageek.livejournal.com 2007-04-21 04:47 am (UTC)(link)
Perhaps a better response might be inspired by this? (http://www.autbar.com/fred_phelps_press_release.htm) A fundraiser, with the proceeds to go to a student outreach program at the university, with people pledging a certain amount for every minute the protestors are near the site?

[identity profile] bohemianspirit.livejournal.com 2007-04-21 10:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Is there ANYTHING these people can't make into an occasion for gay-bashing???

Just wondering.

Never mind The Problem of Evil. My big question for God is The Problem of Stupidity: "How could a loving, powerful Divine Being create STUPID PEOPLE???" ;-)

WBC

[identity profile] minnehaha.livejournal.com 2007-04-22 12:44 am (UTC)(link)
Wow; these people have a real inflated sense of their place in the world.

B

Re: WBC

[identity profile] pegkerr.livejournal.com 2007-04-22 02:13 am (UTC)(link)
"Wesboro Baptist Church" is essentially Fred Phelps and his immediate family. Fred Phelps is pretty clearly mentally ill. See Addicted to Hate: The Fred Phelps Story.

[identity profile] eileenlufkin.livejournal.com 2007-04-22 03:46 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't think it's a totally bad thing that the most prominent anti-gay activist in America is so obviously a hate-filled lunatic. Maybe I'm being over optimistic, but I would guess that for some conservative religious people the realization that being against gay right puts them on Fred Phelp's side, could help clarify their thoughts on the issue.

[identity profile] pegkerr.livejournal.com 2007-04-22 04:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Ha. Excellent point.