Westboro Baptist Church to picket vigil for victims of CT shooting

[007]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/1...n_2312186.html

The Westboro Baptist Church, the controversial group known for protesting outside funerals of slain U.S. service members, announced that it will picket a vigil for the victims of Friday's Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the second-deadliest school shooting in American history.

Shirley Phelps-Roper, a spokesperson for the group and, like most members of the organization, a relative of the group's founder, Fred Phelps, announced on Twitter on Saturday the group's plan "to sing praise to God for the glory of his work in executing his judgment."

It is unclear when the group plans to protest, although a tweet from Margie Phelps implied that it would be during a vigil that will be attended by President Barack Obama on Sunday evening.

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church say that America is being punished for its acceptance of gays and lesbians. In recent days, Phelps family members have sent tweets about the Connecticut shooting that have said "God sent the shooter."

Not surprisingly, the group's announcement was met with resistance online. A Change.org petition asking for Connecticut officials to prevent the group from protesting has been launched, and users of the social news and link sharing site Reddit have been discussing ways to stage a counter-protest.

A Facebook event that calls for "counter-activity" to "keep any hatred from touching" the grieving families has over 10,000 attendees, but because of a bomb threat in Newtown on Sunday, the event has been cancelled.

Anonymous, the loosely affiliated group of Internet "hacktivists," said that it had hacked the group's website and released personal information about the group's members, according to The Inquisitr.

The Southern Poverty Law Center calls the Westboro Baptist Church "arguably the most obnoxious and rabid hate group in America," while the Anti-Defamation League calls it "a small virulently homophobic, anti-Semitic hate group."

In 2011, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church, saying that the right to picket funerals was protected under the First Amendment. President Obama earlier this year, however, signed legislation that said that protests must be held 300 feet from military funerals.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story indicated that WBC members would picket Sandy Hook Elementary School. The vigil is at Newtown High School. Additionally, an earlier version of this story called the shooting "the second-largest mass killing in American history." It is the second-deadliest school shooting.

[Imon Yourside]

Originally Posted by Sorter

Heh, not that guy...he's a scumbag too.

[Sorter]

Agreed but you could pay him and the job would get done.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by KILLER_CLOWN

I would rather someone just took care of them physically, I wouldn't shed a tear. We don't need to label them as I think we've already done that, it would be nice if the courts would reject hearing their cases. I agree that picketing anything related to death is not only senseless but also against the plain teachings of Jesus.

Hey, if someone wants to deal with them physically, that's fine with me. I'm not going to shed a tear as well. But with that being said, we don't need to resort into violence when it comes to it. There's too many of that stuff going on, and I'm tired of it already.

What I like to do is, (if I had any kind of governmental powers), reclassify them as a "hate" group and make some back door deals with the courts to reject their motions. I'm tired of having to hear about this trash of an organization.

And while they didn't commit any terrorist activities in terms of killing or crimes, can you classify an organization if they are terrorizing a certain targeted groups, mostily psychological terrorism? I mean, there's plenty of things to be labeled as is. Financial terrorism. Warfare terrorism, etc. etc.

[kcfanXIII]

i'm not a church goer anymore, but i was raised catholic, and most of my family still goes to church. i am tolerant of believers as long as they respect me when i say i've had my fill of their preaching. i know what jesus taught, and as long as i try to be christ like, i don't think i need to go to church. now, knowing what i know about jesus, and knowing what i know about phelps and his crazy ass followers, i believe WBC is not a church. i like the hate group tag. I hope anonymous sticks it in their corn hole. BTW, anybody else notice they've (the media) started using the term hacktivists when talking about anonymous now, rather than hackers? just something i noticed this time around.

[blaise]

Someone hacked a twitter account they use

@DearShirley is the account.

[ChiefsCountry]

Apparently they are blaming Carrie Underwood for the attacks. Heard that on the radio this morning.

[soopamanluva]

They know who to picket...... they people they choose to picket dont do anything.

I remember they wanted to picket Bernie Mac's funeral......on the south side of Chicago.......with all those emotional black folks..... they thought twice and didnt do it.

Start threatening to whip some ass, theyll stop...

[jspchief]

Originally Posted by Coach

Hey, if someone wants to deal with them physically, that's fine with me. I'm not going to shed a tear as well. But with that being said, we don't need to resort into violence when it comes to it. There's too many of that stuff going on, and I'm tired of it already.

This is exactly why they will continue to get away with what they do. There is too much sadness surrounding the events that they pollute, and the good hearted people that would be willing to do bad things to end WBC, choose not to out of respect for the victims.

[Dayze]

if someone were to shoot one of them dead, would they picket their funeral?

[WhiteWhale]

This is what bugs me about society.

Someone walks into an elementary school and shoots 20 children, but nobody has walked up to their protest displays or their church during service and shot the WBC dicks.

I just wish someone would board it up with them inside and set it on fire.

[hometeam]

I hope this time somebody really just beats the living shit out of these people. Some people just need there asses kicked. Hard. And this is just the type of scumbag.

[WhiteWhale]

Originally Posted by J Diddy

Did morality exist prior to humans?

What is true moral law?

Morality is a side effect of human empathy.

Nothing more. It's how we operate as a pack. It's a pretty basic animal instinct. Nothing really supernatural about it.

"I don't want to be killed, so you probably don't want to be killed either. We shall make a rule that we will not kill each other."

[WhiteWhale]

Originally Posted by Coach

No, they're a hate group, that's what it is. They need to be dealt with, and accourdingly.

The American Bar Association defines hate speech as "speech that offends, threatens, or insults groups, based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or other traits."

Do you think the Westboro Baptist Church is exercising its right to free speech, or does this classify as hate speech?

I don't think so.

Therefore, I have no problem with labeling them as a terrorist group and shipping their asses first class to Gitmo.

They don't advocate violence against certain groups.... they just slander them and celebrate violence against them. One could certainly say that celebrating is a form of promotion....

Either way, I've always supported 'mob justice' for WBC.

[Molitoth]

from @kyanonymous on Vimeo.

[loochy]

OH MY GOD GO AWAY

AND STOP CALLING YOURSELVES BAPTISTS AND CHRISTIANS