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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWestboro Baptist Backs Down!!! Tacoma, Washington stands up to hate!!! THANKS!!!!!
Last week two little boys were brutally gruesomely murdered by their father...midweek the hate spewers from Westboro Baptist Church had said that they would come and picket and protest at the boys' funeral.
The Phelps family has said Josh Powell blew up his house and killed the boys because Washington State voted for same sex marriage.
In a matter of 24 hours, over 2,600 folks had via social media committed to come and shield the family from these bigots. Folks all stripes D's, R's, religious, athiest, apolitical, LGBT, bikers, vets, Occupy Movement had all sounded a call for decency and dignity!!! Westboro Baptist and the Phelps family sent out a press release this afternoon saying that they have decided not to come to Tacoma after all.
What an amazing and joyful result to come out of such a tragedy. My heart is filled with the fact tha this town has stood up to these folks and went on record to say NO!!! No to hate, no to bigoty and no to making a travesty out of a solemn event.
THANKS TACOMA YOU'VE COME A LONG WAYS IN 20 YEARS!!!
RKP5637
(67,112 posts)stevedeshazer
(21,653 posts)mindwalker_i
(4,407 posts)They don't give a flying fuck about gays, gay marriage, or any of that stuff. All they care about is pissing people off enough to get them to lose it, hit the Westboro people, so Phelps can sue. It's all about money. Nothing more.
It's actually a distillation of what the elected Republican's do. Boehner, Cantor, et all don't care about gay marriage, abortion, families, or any of that shit. What they care about is getting other people worked up enough to vote for said Republicans and possibly to go around yelling about liberals (the other people, not that the Republican "leaders" care what liberals believe).
Ms. Toad
(34,087 posts)They have changed their tactics in recent years, but in the late 80s when I became one of the officers of a national LGTB group I received personal a personal hate mail welcome to the position by Fred Phelps. At that time, he made it a habit to collect any LGBT publications he could and send hate mail to anyone whose name and address was published in it.
MADem
(135,425 posts)If you can dig that up, it's worth watching.
jsmirman
(4,507 posts)but I don't think suing is WBC's game.
Isn't it all about chasing hateful publicity to have other hateful people pour money into what is essentially an outrageous 501(c)(3) father-daughter tax dodge that they snake their way into by putting the name "Church" on their spectacular brand of assholism?
I thought that was their thing.
WhoIsNumberNone
(7,875 posts)There have been a couple of defections from the Phelps clan, and they have told the stories. The Phelps's do make some of their money through filing lawsuits. I don't have the details, but I think they're pretty litigious. (One of the defectors claims that they ALL study law- it's the only profession allowed in the Phelps clan) Again, I don't have the details, but I read somewhere that some of their money comes from exploiting government grant programs and such. The also have the kids out selling stuff after school.
I doubt if they get very much money from donations, as just about everybody in the world seems to hate them- even hardcore fundies and neo-Nazis.
nolabear
(41,991 posts)Mopar151
(9,997 posts)They typically threaten the local cops with lawsuit (Several of the Phelps' are lawyers) to gain their protection. I'm strong in defense of the 1st ammendment, but these spewers have perverted free speech for their own hateful ends.
I'd go for a pay-per- view to see Old Fred and his nasty daughter Margie beaten with the pick handle Fred used on his own boys.
trusty elf
(7,401 posts)[IMG][/IMG]
ck4829
(35,091 posts)davidpdx
(22,000 posts)Too bad it can't happen more often.
AlbertCat
(17,505 posts)....the Josh Powell incidents ... AND the Westboro Baptists prove conclusively that:
Heterosexuals should not be allowed to raise children
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)I have risen children, and have never taught any of them to be hateful.
WhoIsNumberNone
(7,875 posts)Last edited Sat Feb 11, 2012, 10:23 PM - Edit history (1)
We all hate Westboro Baptist
Initech
(100,102 posts)Not that they don't sink to new lows on a daily basis or anything...