Newtown: Firefighters Form Human Wall To Block Westboro Baptist Church

[madfloridian]

Newtown: Firefighters Form Human Wall To Block Westboro Baptist Church

Firefighters from Newtown, Connecticut, and elsewhere, have formed a human shield to block the promised picket by the Westboro Baptist Church, who call themselves “God Hates Fags.” The WBC promised to picket the funerals of the 20 children and six adults who were killed in Friday’s Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.

The Westboro Baptist Church announced they would be present in Newtown specifically to attend today’s funeral of Newtown’s beloved hero, Sandy Hook Principal Dawn Hochsprung.

That is beautiful.

[TheBlackAdder]

1. When WBC goes to another state with minor children... Where's that state's CPS?

Surely some of the antics WBC does is considered a child welfare matter in many of the blue states.

Where is Child Protective Services to take the children into custody?

===

If a person goes on vacation and beats their kid, or exposes them to endangerment, the state they are in can seize the children. It's not up to the home state to make that ruling. Why doesn't CPS seize the children and make the WBC folks spend a week in that state vying for custody again?

[calimary]

12. Welcome to DU, TheBlackAdder!

Glad you're here! That's one of my husband's all-time favorite comedy series.

I think we should fight these assholes ANY WAY WE CAN. ANY WAY WE CAN THINK OF. Even the frivolous, nuisance stuff. ANY way we can. Keep 'em busy. Maybe if they exhaust all their money and contributions defending lawsuits, they won't have as much money for gas to travel so they can blight the mourning of others. And they do this in the name of God!?!?!?!?!?!?!

[JimDandy]

33. The WBC leader was a civil rights attorney

and would love CPS to try that. He'd have an excellent chance of winning. That's their GOAL to provoke people into becoming so mad about the picketing that they commit an action that might infringe on one of their 'church' member's civil rights. Apparently, a huge portion of their income is from winning cases against just such people.

[TheBlackAdder]

66. Yep. He trolls for lawsuits, but I'm sure a couple of Forensic Psychologists would uncover abuse.

It wouldn't take much to interview those children, especially those who are under 10 years of age, to find gross abuse. There were parents who lost custody for naming their child Adolph Hitler. I'm sure those kids see some serious dysfunction and when the parents would be interviewed, it would all come home to roost.

[Maraya1969]

95. Here are their addresses. Collected by Anonymous. It is at the link.

(From a previous post)

All the addresses and some emails of the Westboro clan are at this link. The phones
have been disconnected as far as I checked. But if anyone wants to try their emails or lives nearby.......(I think they probably have deleted their email accounts if they have watched that video from Anonymous. It scared me!)

http://pastebin.com/ARASaC1h

[Lady Freedom Returns]

45. Sadly I do know why this has not happened.

It was tried. However, most of the Phelps span are lawyers. They always have papers to keep it from happing. It has something to do with their rights to teach their children their religion. They get papers every time they plan this stuff to cover all they could run into. These guys are pros at this. I have had 1 to many run-ins with these guys, as well as many I have associated with.
WBC comes packing in a manner of specking. If the Firefighters have tick them off enough their should be papers being placed for the restriction of their 1 amendment right. This never holds up in court, but they do it to be nasty. The more drama the better for these agents of Satan.

[atreides1]

108. My question is

Where do they get the money to support their trips and paying for law school? They have no visible means of support...which could mean that they are getting funded by someone or some group!

If there were a way to expose the WBC paymasters...it might bring about the complete downfall of this group...maybe ANONYMOUS can work on that next.

[csziggy]

119. They get their money by goading people into attacking them

Either verbally or physically. Then one of the WBC clan lawyers sues - and they win far too often. From the Southern Poverty Law Center report on WBC:

Topeka: A City Bulled into Submission by the Westboro Baptist Church
Intelligence Report, Spring 2001, Issue Number: 101
<SNIP>
And then there are the lawsuits. Phelps himself is a disbarred attorney who was long known for massive litigation; at one point, he personally had almost 200 lawsuits pending in federal court. Although his congregation includes only about 22 adults, at least 14 of those have law degrees.

The church has its own law firm, Phelps Chartered, which is staffed by church members and which has repeatedly filed suit against its perceived enemies (see Halting Abusive Lawyers).

In addition to suing the chief of police and various Kansas judges and politicians, it has sued one district attorney three times for "malicious prosecution." Even private citizens who filed criminal complaints against the picketers found themselves embroiled in lawsuits — or, perhaps by coincidence, with roofing nails littering their driveways.

"We should stand up and be counted against this hatred, but I can recognize a moral dilemma to being courageous," concedes Randy Austin, former head of the Concerned Citizens of Topeka, a group established to counter WBC.

Page 2 of the article: http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2001/spring/a-city-held-hostage?page=0,1

[A HERETIC I AM]

2. Why don't the airlines just start refusing to fly those assholes?

Don't they reserve the right to refuse service to anyone? Just keep the Phelps clan in Kansas.


When will we have had enough of these assholes?

Just fucking tar and feather them and run them out of town on a rail, just like in the old days.

[RKP5637]

3. They should be considered terrorists trying to incite violence, as well as child cruelty. n/t

[Bucky]

25. I hate their ideas = "terrorism"

Sorry, but the bad guys get a First Amendment too.

[Kelvin Mace]

27. Agreed!

Folks we need to get creative in dealing with these people. I would show up with a major boom box and ear plugs and play "Amazing Grace" VERY LOUD.

[mwooldri]

102. There is nothing 1st Amendment about a travel ban.

IMO should be on a no-fly list. If the Westboro gang are banned for entry to the UK (and likely the whole of the EU,) then being considered a terrorist organization should be a valid next step. That doesn't infringe their 1st amendment rights. It does cause a funding problem for them and they will need to drive to travel. Unsure about what people who support then in a minor way (selling goods and services) should face.

[Bucky]

115. If it's an attempt to restrict someone's right to say what they want where they want, then actually

Yes, your travel ban, while wonderfully intended, is still at its heart designed to restrict speech that you (and every decent person) finds offensive. The First Amendment isn't there to protect pleasant speech.

[Brother Buzz]

4. I believe they travel in van caravans

Often, their vans are targets of vandalism

[Historic NY]

67. Defective tires.

[Brother Buzz]

68. Partly defective

They're only flat on the bottom.

[dsc]

6. because many of their congregation are lawyers

who sue anything that moves.

[A HERETIC I AM]

7. So let them sue

Sooner or later some judge is going to jail them for filing frivolous lawsuits.


Fuck those motherfuckers. Fuck em sideways.

[dsc]

22. easy for you to say

you aren't the one being sued. These people bury you in paper. I can fully understand why people steer clear of them.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

54. That is their favorite weapon.

These guys are minstrels with the law. They play the law like the Devil plays the fiddle.

[Posteritatis]

24. Very unlikely. They're as competent with that as they are with their bigotry.

The lawsuits are the "church"'s primary source of income.

[ywcachieve]

42. Are you sure they are not on welfare?

[shaayecanaan]

43. Definitely not

Five of the Phelps children work as lawyers in the family firm, Phelps Chartered. A number of other members work in public sector jobs, namely in corrections.

[rivegauche]

30. That is genius! I wish they would. nt

[Lady Freedom Returns]

46. Legal issues.

Most of the Phelps spawn are Lawyers. They are known to cause trouble when they get blocked. Did you know one can get sued for not selling a car to a religious org. because you don't believe in there practices. I had no idea either. Till the Phelps clan did it.
Can you imagen the hey they could make if they were denied plain tickets due to that?

[raccoon]

109. That is a custom that really needs to be resurrected. nt

[jsmirman]

5. I once chained two vans together

as part of a prank on a rival group.

Oh, what I would do to their vans...

[Fumesucker]

8. Anchovies in the ventilation intake are quite nasty

Or so I'm told, anyway.

[jsmirman]

18. I think it would be much more straightforward and I'd have to get away with it

or I might have a few problems.

[Fumesucker]

19. Someone told me once they used a balloon full of anchovies and juice

About ten or fifteen cans worth, and it kind of fell on a windshield right above the air intake.

They may have mentioned that aging them in a warm place enhances the bouquet and adds piquancy.

God would probably have to be pretty mad with one of His followers to allow that to happen to their van.

[jsmirman]

85. Dear Lord

[bobja]

51. Liquid Ass shoud do the trick

http://www.liquidass.com/

[MADem]

77. Just thread bacon under the seats, in the metal webbing, there.

It'll take a while to start to stink-- a nice, gradual process!

GENERIC DISCLAIMER: Of course I'm not actually advocating such a thing...this is just a discussion of possibilities!

[kooljerk666]

100. Skunk oil is for sale in most Sporting good store.........

i heard u use a syringe to get thru rubber window moldings......................

u can also make skunk/oil water balloons.

Or just fill up a super soaker.

[Chorophyll]

9. I look forward to the day when this will no longer be necessary.

But in the meantime, for the firefighters!

And fuck those Westboro terrorists back to the reeking pit from whence they came.

[a geek named Bob]

10. a few things...

+50 for your comments...

But I wouldn't fuck any of the WBC with a stolen dick.

[Chorophyll]

11. Well, I did mean it metaphorically.

Very, VERY metaphorically.

[a geek named Bob]

13. Oh thank the Gods!

I was going ot have to buy my wife some brownies!


Stuff like the idea of the WBC and sex really destroys the mood...

[Chorophyll]

16. I know. Sorry. :/

[a geek named Bob]

17. Not a problem...

It's just that I would have passed on the price of the brownies to you...

[Chorophyll]

69. :)

[backscatter712]

14. Did the WBC even show up this time?

Or did they chicken out like they did in Aurora?

[lapislzi]

15. #fuckyeah n/t

[colorado_ufo]

20. This gives me hope

for the human race.

Love you, firefighters!

[X_Digger]

21. Good speech against bad speech. Fuck yeah!

That's the way it's done.

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. I would have joined them

Westboro has a right to pull the crap they pull. The rest of us have a right to confront them.

[Bucky]

26. Good for them!

Send 'em all back under that rock.

[CarmanK]

28. Now thats what I call "beyond call of duty". You guys/gals are all heroes in my book.

[zappaman]

29. Best picture I've seen all day!

[Catch2.2]

31. Great link...

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/times-we-beat-the-westboro-baptist-church

[madfloridian]

35. Thanks for that link. Love those pictures.

[JPZenger]

75. Recommended link above - about counter-protests against Westboro

My favorite sign - Jesus had 2 Dads.

[madfloridian]

90. Oh, that is great! Wonderful picture.

[Faygo Kid]

50. +1

[BlancheSplanchnik]

96. totally great!

[LongTomH]

111. This sign is great!

......and this one:

[ellisonz]

113. The last one

[ragemage]

32. Did the bikers show up also?

The bikers were going to show up to assist in keeping the WBC from harassing the funerals. I would love for one of those WBC assholes to try something they would get the shit kicked out of them...and I bet the cops would look the other way.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

49. I know that they are getting stretched thin right now.

That is probably why the Phelps planed it ASAP. They did not think of the firefighters picking up the slack.

[Mc Mike]

98. Patriot Guard Riders are great. nt.

[mamayo]

34. too bad

that Anonymous' posting of their names and addresses didn't seem to work

[efhmc]

99. I was scared that would source back to me.

[tclambert]

36. God hates bigotry.

[Renew Deal]

37. Did WBC show up?

A lot of times they say they will, but they don't.

[sheshe2]

38. Thank you for the post

With dignity and grace the firefighters were there to protect the innocent.

The {church}...and I use the term loosely...disgusts me!

[madfloridian]

92. "with dignity and grace" the firefighters.

That's how to show up idiots like Westboro.

[Initech]

39. One day the WBC will picket the wrong funeral....

[bobhuntsman]

79. by whatever means necessary. . .

these sub-humans must be stopped.

burn their houses and leave them penniless. . .

[TheOther95Percent]

40. Over lunch with a colleague today.

Dobson and Huckabee's comments on the reasons for the massacre at Newton have gotten quite a lot of media play here. My co-worker knows that I am not religious in the least and she also knows I'm quite liberal. She asked me what the difference was between Huckabee, Dobson and the Westboro Baptist Church and I replied, "The willingness to travel great distances to attend the funerals of people they never knew."

[duhneece]

53. I like your response

And I like the way Huckabkee, Dobson & Westboro Baptist Church are linked together there.

[TheOther95Percent]

72. Thank you.

I guess the real difference is in the degree to which all three of them will go in pursuit of their "beliefs" about an angry god causing these horrors. They are still ideological triplets.

[AntiFascist]

64. I hope this WBC counter-protest gets media play....

anyone exposed to their methods is usually turned against them.

[TheOther95Percent]

73. One can hope.

[LongTomH]

110. All of them make me wish I still believed in Hell!!!!!

These days I'm a gentle Universalist, to the extent that you can put any label on my beliefs; but, sometimes I'd like to believe that there are white-hot glowing metal tags in some circle of Hell marked: "Reserved for Mike Huckabee," "Reserved for James Dobson," "Reserved for the members of the Westboro Baptist Church."

[TheOther95Percent]

116. Having to live with the way their minds think is a kind of hell.

If you're feelings about a higher power or deity are more in line with Bronze Age thinking, it must be hell to live in the modern age. Btw, I am a UU Atheist.

[logosoco]

41. "They" were at our local high school

after a funeral for a fallen solider from here (a couple of years ago).
The turn out of people to counter protest was VERY beautiful and amazing.(we had signs that said "all you need is love&quot .

I wonder if these "people" are noticing how they are actually bringing people together against their hate and ugliness?

[Brother Buzz]

48. The same thing happened at a California high school

Menlo Park/Palo Alto/ area. My Swiss cheese brain can't remember the details, but the students were fantastic

Ah! Gunn High School in Palo Alto (my niece attended the school years ago)

[me b zola]

63. Thank you for posting that...

made my day

[WinstonSmith4740]

83. Thanks so much for posting that!

To hear these wonderful kids sing the same "protest" and folk songs that I was singing at their age brought tears to my eyes.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

56. No, they don't notice.

It is all about them. They are not really in it for any religious reason, when comes down to it. Oh, they try to say it, but it is not. It is tier own pride that they do it. They get a kick out of it. They are not there for God. They feed off of it. They will find anyway to get their fix.

[YoungDemCA]

44. Can the federal government shut down the WBC?

It's explicitly a hate group.

There's gotta be some way to put these clowns out of our misery.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

52. AS long as they can show that they are a religious Org. the FEd. Gov. can not.

Believe me, me and others have tried get the government into it. But we get the same answer.

[Utopian Leftist]

47. How in the hellz do these

assmonkeys find the money to gallivant around the country spreading their hatred?

[bonniebgood]

55. They travel on the Taxpapers dime. called non-profit, tax free money to

go around politically speaking/ spreading their hatred. They are blatantly sticking their finger in the taxpayers face and dare the government to do anything about it.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

57. Well, how they make a living helps.

They love the law. Dept of Corrections and they family law firm, as another person here has posted about besides me, gives them plenty of income. Add that to being non prophet group, they are not bad off.

They have done their homework and they know how to play the game, and play it well.

[pinboy3niner]

59. "non prophet group"

You can say that again!

[Lady Freedom Returns]

61. Note to self: Make sure that you hit the right word in the spell check!

[Tab]

65. Actually, it was the perfect terminology.

Wouldn't change a thing.

[msanthrope]

71. No--that was inadvertently perfect. nt

[kwolf68]

80. Non Prophet group...

may be the best play on words I've ever seen. Nicely done.

[louis c]

58. UNION THUGS................

[grandpamike1]

60. As someone said

Why doesn't a second amendment group take care of a first amendment group.

[blackspade]

62. +1000

[pegasis]

70. I think this may be erroneous.

I had heard the six year old boy who was buried today wanted to be a fire fighter, had many relatives who are fire fighters, and they had done this as tribute to his dream.

[Brother Buzz]

76. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.

[RyanThomas]

74. Always nice to see that intolerant hateful "Church" stymied

Westboro Fascist Church... horrible to say of course, but sometimes I wish that there would be a "Fire control accident" on say a destroyer that would just happen to hit them with a cruise missile. Not nice to hate people, but still, when their only activity is to picket the funeral of the children and adults who died so bravely, to dishonor the dead, and to attack the military that courageously defends the nation only to be picketed by bigoted losers with "God hates fags" signs.... one gets a tad angry at such groups.

Soon such hateful ignorant people will be a thing of the past. That day will be a glorious triumph for humanity and liberty.

[backscatter712]

78. One thing I'd suggest if the WBC actually showed up...

Firehoses!

[shireen]

94. lawn sprinklers would be more subtle

Never know when the timer goes off to water the lawn.

[shenmue]

81. Yay

The WBC sucks.

[ailsagirl]

82. They're sick VULTURES

Apparently, they picket funerals to get publicity-- for what, exactly, I don't know. Hatred? I googled them very briefly because I didn't want to throw up and, man, they're unbelievably super-duper wackos.


I guess we all knew that, but to associate them in ANY WAY with the Newtown massacre funerals is an abomination.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

87. Oh, that is not the only thing they have done!

Topeka or Wichita, KS, a small restaurant was picketed due to hiring a lesbian woman. They had to dismiss her because they could not do any business with that going on. It was terrible. It was either dismiss her or go out of business. That was not right, but they got away with it. The owner tried to sue, but guess who won. It was a mess all the way around.
This was in their early days. One of the first times I heard of this group.

[ailsagirl]

93. That's despicable

Along with their crude homemade signs with gems like:

God hates America

Thank God for 9/11!

Hurray! Another
dead soldier!

Geez--who or what spawned those freaks?

SATAN?? (remember the Church Lady on SNL?)

[Mariana]

120. People who agree with them send them money.

The more publicity they get, the more checks come their way. And as someone else pointed out, they make money suing various people and entities for damages. They're very careful to obey the law during their little outings, but their abhorrent messages tend to provoke people into violating their rights. All in all, their behavior is quite rational.

[WinstonSmith4740]

84. Can someone please explain...

just why these assholes can't be confined to "free speech zones"? Do they still exist? I remember back in the nightmare of the Bush years, all it took was wearing a "Peace Now" T-shirt to get relegated to one of those.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

88. Oh, people have tried that.

As I have stated in another post above, they play the Law like the Devil plays the Fiddle!

[Honeycombe8]

86. Why are they picketing those funerals? nt

[Lady Freedom Returns]

89. Because the Bike Guys took their glory away with their efforts to shut them up.

So, why not go here? They love to tell people that they are celebrating God's wrath on the USA. In their sick mind, God did this because we all love gay people. We hate and stone gay people God will love us all again.

They need to listen to a line from a song from the production "Wicked" called "Defying Gravity". See Bold letters.

I'm through accepting limits
'Cause someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try I'll never know
Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love I guess I've lost
Well if that's love
It comes at much too high a cost

I'd sooner buy defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye, I'm defying gravity
And you can't pull me down!

[Shae]

91. I think WBCs actions carry free speech too far. . .

and a family's right to bury their dead in peace and with dignity should take precedence to it.

[Is That All There Is]

97. Just When

You think that their despicable behavior could not get any worse than protesting at Military Funerals, we are proven wrong. Funny how this church reads only one little section of their holy book and forgets the part about protecting innocent people and children.
As we all know those evil 6 yr olds and their Pro Gay Rights agenda were just going to far with it.

[Autumn Colors]

101. This had nothing to do with countering WBC

Yet another thing the media gets wrong.

In this particular case, this has zero to do with any WBC threat. Daniel Barden's family requested that firefighters attend in formal uniform because of FDNY members in the Barden family and the fact that Daniel loved firefighters and wanted to become one.

[BrainGlutton23]

103. Say, why doesn't Westboro ever picket Hell's Angels' funerals?

Now, those are some wretched sinners right there! Brawling, crime, drug abuse, fornication, foul blasphemy encoded right in the organization's NAME . . . Step up, Fred, and set 'em straight! You know the Lord wants you to!

[Ganja Ninja]

104. God I hate the WBC!

I know this is probably against the rules here but why is it that it's always innocent kids dying and never people like them?

Sorry I just had to vent.

[Plaid Adder]

105. How did I know Phelps would be at those funerals.

There are many people in this country more dangerous than Fred Phelps. But I submit that there is no living being on US soil who is a bigger, nastier, purer asshole than he.

The Plaid Adder

[Yavin4]

106. The Title of the Article Needs to be Changed

It should read:

Newtown: Firefighters Form Human Wall To Block The Human Filth Commonly Known As The Westboro Baptist Church


There, better.

[jeepnstein]

107. I'd proudly stand on that picket line.

[hodger]

112. Absolute swine they are

but reading this thread was LOL for real. It was great laughter when I thought this day would just contain aches and pains from old age. A pleasure to see this banter on DU...to much haggling back-and-forth for me most of the time. Thanks folks, jerry

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

114. Turn the fire hose on them....

Nice to see that these "union thugs" are able to show compassion toward members of their community.

[kevinbgoode1]

117. One wonders why we haven't gathered thousands of Americans. . .

and started surrounding the Westboro Baptist compound 24 hours a day with signs condemning them. I wonder how they would handle their own kind of public taunting turned back on them.

I will say they've been doing this to gay Americans for decades - and the smartest thing gays have done is raise funds off of their hatred. It has proven quite an effective method of using their hatred to produce charitable contributions to gay/AIDS organizations.

[SummerSnow]

118. Will they be able to use water hoses?