Seriesly. And the hell of it is, it's only a side trip on the Westboro Whackjobs' trip up to SF for the Prop H8 trial!
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_14295198United against outsiders who targeted the school because of its recent suicides, the Bay Area counter-protesters fought Westboro Church's brimstone with their own fire, by singing songs, waving American flags and holding banners proclaiming love and tolerance.
Joined by students from Menlo Park, Fremont and other nearby schools, Gunn responded to the Bible-thumpers with their own messages: "Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself," "1 Corinthians: "There is nothing love cannot face," and "Gay? Fine With Me."
The traveling members of Westboro Baptist Church stood on Arastradero Road to flay the most unlikely victims: school children already traumatized by the five recent suicides of Gunn-associated students.
"You'll be in front of the train next! God laughs at your calamity!" shouted Margie Phelps, wearing an American flag as a skirt.Ewwwwwww. :puke:
Fortunately, our lcoal columnist Patty Fisher is around to tear him a new one:
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_14290053With the Proposition 8 trial under way, San Francisco was a fitting destination for Westboro's winter tour. On the way to the federal courthouse, why not make a stop at Gunn High School in Palo Alto? The Phelpses love to harass those who are grieving, including the families of murder victims and fallen soldiers. A visit to Gunn, where students are grappling with yet another railroad suicide last week, fits Westboro's utterly tasteless agenda.
When word spread that today they plan to set up their "America is Doomed" and "God hates Jews" signs at the Gunn campus and Stanford University's Taube Hillel House, the official reaction was to deny them the confrontation they sought. Gunn's principal delayed classes so students wouldn't even have to see the pickets. Stanford urged the campus to ignore them....
So why am I devoting my column space to these unholy religious wackos? Not because I want to feed their craving for publicity. But I just can't sit quietly and pretend these folks aren't in my town, or that their hate-filled message doesn't offend me. If I don't engage the Phelpses, what do I say to the people who make offensive remarks about gays or Jews at parties? Do I call them out — or just ignore them and wait for them to leave? Hatred, homophobia and racism are everywhere. They're not as blatant in our Bay Area bubble as they are in other parts of the country, but they are here and are no less corrosive because they are quiet. If we don't confront them — publicly and privately — how will our young people know how we feel? How can we teach them, by example, what is right?
In its news release, Westboro states that Gunn students committed suicide because "their parents taught them lies belched forth from the bowels of hell, such as 'God loves everybody' and 'it's okay to be gay.' Those children have no instruction concerning how to serve their God "... what else can be expected?" The message is clear. We must teach our children not to hate. If we don't? What else CAN be expected?Marry me, Patty! :loveya:
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