Skip to main content

33 replies

Arizonans Rally to Prevent Westboro Church Disruption of Shooting Victims' Funerals

b50mb50mOld Faithful
quote:
Arizonans Rally to Prevent Westboro Church Disruption of Shooting Victims' Funerals

By Judson Berger

Published January 11, 2011

Arizona residents are locking arms to stop the Westboro Baptist Church from disrupting the funerals for victims of Saturday's shooting in Tucson, with bikers and others organizing a massive counter-protest and state lawmakers fast-tracking a bill to hamstring the group.

The Kansas-based Westboro church is notorious for showing up at the funerals of dead soldiers and other high-profile gatherings wielding anti-gay signs.

But when the church announced it would picket the funeral Thursday for the 9-year-old girl fatally shot over the weekend at a Tucson grocery store by a gunman who allegedly killed five others and injured 14 others attending a town-hall session by Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Tucson- and Phoenix-area residents started organizing immediately.


I'm glad and before the left screams it's free speech, when it is abusive and hateful, it's not free. You want to silence politicians, I want this group of loony nuts to be quiet during a funeral.
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

O No!O No!Old Faithful
B, I don't think ANYONE here supports their right to spew their hatred at a funeral.

What I don't understand is why they are targeting this little girl. I have read the stories too, and I just don't get it. Did any of the stories you read say WHY they want to do this? She was never involved, nor was her family as far as I know, in anything even slightly "controversial".
Capt James TCapt James TPost Master
They use every possible method they can think of to spew their hate. What gets to most attention? Soldiers funerals (gay or straight). Now they know that this little girls funeral will be a media circus, so they want in on it. I hope Arizonians comes out in such numbers that the church group look like a few ants at a picnic.

That is if AZ doesnt get this law passed in time.

I think it is sadly ironic that this girl was born on Sept 11th 2001. Maybe it is to serve as a reminder of how we all felt that day, and how we pulled together as a nation then......

Captain
JenniferJenniferOld Faithful
quote:
Originally posted by bamacarl:
If there ever was a church that needed burning to the ground, its the westboro baptist church.
The restraint the families have amazes me. It's not bad enough they're burying a loved one, they have to be subjected to this evil too. Call it free speech, call it whatever, but it is pure bitter evil.
Capt James TCapt James TPost Master
quote:
Originally posted by Jennifer:
quote:
Originally posted by bamacarl:
If there ever was a church that needed burning to the ground, its the westboro baptist church.
The restraint the families have amazes me. It's not bad enough they're burying a loved one, they have to be subjected to this evil too. Call it free speech, call it whatever, but it is pure bitter evil.


I think the only thing that could keep me from losing my cool is the fact that that's what these people want. They want to be able to use something like an attack on them to further push themselves into the media spotlight......
C CaduceusEverybody Knows My Name
I take these guys with a grain of salt. It's just a bunch of lawyers that have found a way to make money in a horrible way. They abuse (I think) the freedom of speech; however, that doesn't give me or anyone else the right to take that away from them.

I certainly don't support removing freedom of speech from anyone. If you took it away from the WBC what precedent would that set for anything else that someone didn't agree with. Would we ban Fox or MSNBC because someone didn't agree with what they are saying?

Freedom of speech can be a bane and a boon, but doesn't give someone the right to silence anyone regardless of what they say or how terrible it is.

Does that give up the right to disagree, to criticize? No, not at all. In the end the only thing governing freedom of speech is one's own morals and conscience. Of which the WBC is obviously bankrupt.
B beternUOld Faithful
NBC News with Brian Williams did an intelligent and responsible job of reporting this issue. They reported that there was a plan to demonstrate at the funeral and that the State of Arizona had enacted emergency legislation to prevent it, but they were careful NOT to name either the despicable Fred Phelps or the abominable Westboro Baptist Church. I believe all media should adopt a policy of not mentioning that group or its leader by name. They covet publicity, and the less they receive, the better.
O No!O No!Old Faithful
There are limits to free speech. Just as you can't yell, "FIRE!" in a movie theater, you shouldn't be allowed to yell "***!" at a funeral. Call it disturbing the peace. I really do think there are laws already in place that could be used to deal with these people. And I think the reason they haven't been used is fear that the ACLU would get involved and bring even more publicity to these clowns.
B beternUOld Faithful
quote:
Originally posted by JuanHunt:
Restricting speech sets a dangerous precedent. If a funeral is off limits, why not control the speech broadcast on the public airwaves?

IF mere speech can be so offensive, then the purveyors of talk radio should be watching out for their speech to also come under government control.


The "public airwaves" do not invade the venue in which the memorial activities and funeral of a beloved child are being carried out by grieving parents and sympathizing friends. The Westboro Baptist Cult does just that. The "public airways" do not show up at military funerals with heinous handmade signs declaring the alleged hatred of God for homosexuals or for dead soldiers. The Westboro Baptist Cult does just that.

I can shut down the public airways by turning a dial. I can not so easily persuade the Westboro morons to leave off offending the grief-stricken and brokenhearted.

Can you not see a difference between the "public airwaves" and the egregious excesses of Fred Phelps and his disgusting tribe of throwback scum?

There really is a difference, Juan, and a very big one.
ferrelljferrelljOld Faithful
quote:
Originally posted by O No!:
B, I don't think ANYONE here supports their right to spew their hatred at a funeral.

What I don't understand is why they are targeting this little girl. I have read the stories too, and I just don't get it. Did any of the stories you read say WHY they want to do this? She was never involved, nor was her family as far as I know, in anything even slightly "controversial".


This cult is sick. There will be violence one day with them involved. I'll have a hard time feeling sorry for them.
ferrelljferrelljOld Faithful
quote:
Originally posted by JuanHunt:
Restricting speech sets a dangerous precedent. If a funeral is off limits, why not control the speech broadcast on the public airwaves?

IF mere speech can be so offensive, then the purveyors of talk radio should be watching out for their speech to also come under government control.


So you're ok with them picketing the 9 year old girls funeral? Apparently they heard the TEA party as well as other groups were going to stop them. They decided not to visit Arizona. They're not as dumb as we thought.
O No!O No!Old Faithful
Ferrill, there are probably a LOT of things we would agree on if we could just talk like normal people instead of coming to this forum with a preconcieved idea of what each other believes. (I'm talking about everyone who posts here.) There will always be Jennifers who hate anyone who ever had a liberal thought, and JimiHendrix' who hate anyone who ever had a conservative thought, but if the rest of us would just calm down, take a deep breath, and realize that we are ALL Americans, we are all allowed to have our own ideas, maybe if we talk civilly we can do something TOGETHER to make America better and stronger.
ferrelljferrelljOld Faithful
quote:
Originally posted by O No!:
Ferrill, there are probably a LOT of things we would agree on if we could just talk like normal people instead of coming to this forum with a preconcieved idea of what each other believes. (I'm talking about everyone who posts here.) There will always be Jennifers who hate anyone who ever had a liberal thought, and JimiHendrix' who hate anyone who ever had a conservative thought, but if the rest of us would just calm down, take a deep breath, and realize that we are ALL Americans, we are all allowed to have our own ideas, maybe if we talk civilly we can do something TOGETHER to make America better and stronger.


Are you trying to butter up to the forum award giver? You are correct. The media pushes a lot of the hate. Their ratings would go down if everything was calm and peaceful.
beady-eyed ladybeady-eyed ladyEverybody Knows My Name
From what I've read, the new Arizona law is not restricting their right to free speech; they can say what they want to, carry their hate-full signs if they want to. The law simply keeps them "300 feet away from a funeral from an hour before it starts until an hour after it ends". I don't see that as unreasonable.

These 'people' retains their right to free speech, and the family retains their right to bury their loved ones in the manner we would all like to bury our own.
O No!O No!Old Faithful
quote:
The media pushes a lot of the hate. Their ratings would go down if everything was calm and peaceful.



That is so true. It all comes down to the dollar. The more sensationalized, the more viewers. The more viewers, the more sponsor dollars.

It is ALSO true that while a lot of people complained about the hate speech in the last election cycle, it has been proven that the negative ads work better than positive ones. Only goes to show how hypocritical human beings are in general.

What's the solution? I don't know, except maybe to move to a cave in the middle of nowhere and become a hermit...

Add Reply

Post
affilated websites:
Times Daily | Decatur Daily | Courier Journal | The Hartselle Enquirer | Moulton Advertiser | The Redstone Rocket | The Madison Record | The Franklin County Times | Reach256 | TNValleyStuff.com TNValleyHomefinder.com | TNValleyWheels.com

Terms of Service | Private Policy | California Privacy Policy/Private Policy

Untitled Document

Membership Required

We're sorry. You must be signed in to continue. Sign In or Register
×
Are you sure you want to remove from your Block List?
×
Loading...
×
When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Finally, you'll never receive email notifications about content they create or likes they designate for your content.
Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following .
×
Advanced Search
Advanced Search
Link copied to your clipboard.
×