Westboro is protesting at my old high school, for no apparent reason.

[Atman]

The town in is an uproar. The small island community of Cocoa Beach, Florida is the target of the latest Westboro Baptist Church charade. Our tiny town has become the subject of WBC wrath because the International Baccalaureate program is elitist and promotes fags, or something. I think the school has an LGTB program, so it's a nice time to visit a Florida beach town and charge it to the taxpayer. It is nothing but a tax write-off vacation for the Phelps family. They'll show up for five minutes in front of the school, get the local affiliates to put them on the 6 O'Clock NOOZ, then hang out at the beach, all on the taxpayer's tab.

I'm trying to convince my old friends to ignore WBC, but many seem intent on confrontation.

[The_Commonist]

1. Well, that sucks...

I have two minor quibbles with your characterization of this event:

1- "for no apparent reason." Then you go on to give a reason.
2- "all on the taxpayer's tab." How are they "charging it to the taxpayer?" They had to have the money to spend the money. Maybe a portion of that money could and should have gone to taxes, but it's certainly not "all on the taxpayer's tab."

I point these things out because, as bad as WBC is, that kind of hyperbole does not help at all.

Now go laugh in their faces. That's the only way to deal with those losers.

[Atman]

3. Okay...

#1: You're absolutely correct. I did go on to give a reason. My point was poorly made, in that WBC's specious reason for a protest against a small-town high school which happens to be in a beachfront resort community seems to have no other valid political or religious foundation. Cocoa Beach High School is very small. It is my alma mater, and I love the school, but it just has NO clout or impact that should warrant this kind of attention. So they have an LGTB community...this warrants the attention of The Westboro Baptist Church? On a beachfront resort town? Which brings me to #2.

#2": "All on the taxpayer's tab." You do understand that as a religious organization, all of this stuff gets written off. On April 15th they say "oh, yeah...that trip to Cocoa Beach to protest the fags, that was a church expense!" And you and I pay for it.

[The_Commonist]

4. Getting written off does not mean that you and I pay for their entire trip.

It means that the portion of the money they spent that might have gone to taxes does not go to taxes. The Treasury Department will not write them a check for their expenses on April 16th. That is how you seem to be characterizing this, and it's hyperbole.

Now quit arguing with me, because we're on the same side, and get over there and laugh in their smug little faces!

[Atman]

6. I get it. Thank you for the lesson.

[madokie]

5. how does that make us pay for it

I don't follow your train of thought. Maybe they don't pay taxes but they're not going to anyway.
explain yourself a little better if you would

[Atman]

7. It is POLITICS. It is business. It is not a religious expense.

Correct, they wouldn't be paying for it anyway. They write it all off on their taxes. In a small beachfront resort town that has absolutely no national standing, no reason to be made a focus. But when the Phelps (or whomever) get home and submit the reciepts to their accountants, this trip to the beach, and the five-minute bogus protest at the high school, will be paid for/subsidized by the United States taxpayers. Either admit that you're a political organization, admit that you're a scam, or quit trying to use religion to get out of paying taxes.

[The_Commonist]

9. Starting to sound a bit like this...

[littlewolf]

2. not even sure the Phelps family is running that circus anymore. nt

[Brother Buzz]

8. Tell your friends the WBC is front loaded with attorneys, and they LOVE confrontations

Something like, ten of the twelve Fred Phelps scion are attorneys and they make their money suing. They love deep pockets because they generally settle to make it go away rather then go to trial.