"Westboro decided to come protest in Moore Ok. This is part of what met them."

[kpete]

Just Me @ljepperly70

LOVE IT....Hey Westboro, welcome to Oklahoma! You screw with one of us, you get ALL of us!! — at FBC Moore. pic.twitter.com/t8DQJkDeYg
2:11 PM - 24 May 2013

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/25/oklahoma-bikers-guard-against-westboro_n_3333905.html

[MineralMan]

1. According to the article, the Phelps Merry Incestuous Band

never showed up. Typical. Thanks to the folks who did!

[Warpy]

26. They haven't been showing up to a lot of "events" lately

I think Old Man Phelps must be on his way out.

I doubt Shirley will be able to keep the whole farce going long, she lacks any charisma her horrible daddy might have had at some time.

[MineralMan]

28. That's true. They make those announcements, and

people turn out to block their nonsense. Then they don't show up. But here's the deal: They get tons of publicity from the announcements because everyone posts them. That brings traffic to their website, and donations to their bank account from bigots and their ilk, which is what it's all about.

It's a donation racket. That's all it is.

[Arkansas Granny]

32. You might be on to something there.

[murielm99]

71. Some of the nazi and white supremacist groups do the same thing.

They announce that they are going to demonstrate, and a thousand counter-demonstrators show up, self-righteous and pumped.

They did that in my county awhile ago. Hundreds of people came to the courthouse. All the cops and sheriff's deputies had to work overtime. The press was there.

A couple of old farts wearing swastika jewelry walked around, accompanied by their toothless hag old ladies.

People should stay home and ignore these idiots, whether they are Phelps, storm front or teabag.

[loyalsister]

49. You're absolutely right

Before that.. when they did show up they were making money off of 1st Amendment based lawsuits. They had an in house lawyer so that their lawyer recovery fees went back into the Westboro fund.

[jonthebru]

54. And the lawsuits.

Don't forget the law suits. They become lawyers to make money off their own lawsuits.

Amazingly perverted.

[marble falls]

66. How do they make money off their lawsuits?

[GoCubsGo]

33. Let me guess...

They extorted some radio air time in exchange for not protesting? They've been doing that with a lot of military funerals. They pulled that shit a couple of summers ago, when a local was killed in Afghanistan. The local Rush Limbaugh wannabe let them sucker him into it.

[Cirque du So-What]

2. For these grifters, there's no profit motive

to getting their asses kicked by bikers, many of whom may not be worth suing anyway. I believe the Phelps klan - a gaggle of lawyers among their number - hopes to score big by suing a municipality for 'violating their rights,' and if there's any possibility that they'll get pummeled for nothing, they won't show. Here's hoping that irate citizens will continue to serve as a deterrent to their nefarious plans.

[MNBrewer]

3. Suing would be contingent on survival

of the Phelps Klan, that is.

[Cirque du So-What]

6. I'm still willing to bet

that some of them are willing to get their heads busted by LEO in order to sue hell out of some city or other municipality. You're correct, however, in that not one of them is willing to become a 'martyr' to their cause - and that cause, I'm certain is Mammon.

[MNBrewer]

7. It will be interesting to see what happens to that cult once Fred kicks the bucket.

[Cirque du So-What]

8. My personal guess

is that they'll continue on their merry way, hoping for a big payoff.

[MNBrewer]

15. I dunno... Seems he's the glue that keeps the Kult together

I predict either schism or that people will escape 1 or 2 at a time until there's just a small core left. Whats-her-name may be able to keep the group going, but I doubt it.

[mercuryblues]

18. My bets are on

infighting to be the heir to the throne. The wimmenz need not apply.

[MNBrewer]

21. That's a problem for them, as Shirley(?) is the public face of that group at the moment.

[mercuryblues]

29. Yup

Shirley would seem like the next in line and she will try. She is a woman and that would not be tolerated in the phelp's cult. It could very well result in the Family splitting, with some running for a saner life.

I can't wait to see the

Thank God for dead Phelp's protests at his funeral. Not a darned thing they can do about it either. They were the one's who took funeral protesting to the SC.

[Ilsa]

46. Maybe we should gather at the cemetery and sing O Happy Day with

amended lyrics that indicate it's a happy day when Fred started his dirt nap.

[nolabear]

14. Dumbest hobby EVER.

[Cirque du So-What]

19. It would appear to be nothing more substantial than a hobby

as their travel expenses must be horrendous, they do not accept donations from outside their 'congregation,' and there are only so many lawsuits against cities that generate income. Would you believe these hateful bastages enjoy tax-exempt status?

[SwankyXomb]

37. Most of them

have cushy government jobs as well.

[uppityperson]

34. Huh, I wonder if DTG is a Phelps?

speaking of dumb hobbies, meaning Death Threat Guy that has posted here and all over the internets for years, that stupid "die painfully" thing.

[nolabear]

40. Oh swell. Cyber picketing. But no payoff there.

A little like Monty Python. "How do you know I'm not arguing on my own time?"

[gordianot]

65. A common tactic used against the Westboro Baptist is to state the obvious especially in small towns.

A small town with a priority of a funeral for say a funeral of a soldier does not have the resources to protect the Westboro Baptist church. Just about any municipality where 99% of the public turn out is hostile to your survival it is not wise to show up.

This is exactly what happened when they approached the small town where I live when a local was killed in Afghanistan. The powers that be in City Council were told express the truth given the priority of conducting the funeral and that they do not have the resources to protect Westboro Baptist Church protesters.

The central message the Westboro Baptist Church advocates is a conman right wing theme very close to say Pat Robertson and many Christian Teabaggers. I love it when the Westboro Baptist Church sucks all the oxygen out of the room and shows the Christian Taliban for what they truly represent.

[DinahMoeHum]

4. Patriot Guard Riders, ho!

Bless 'em.

[bobclark86]

5. Ahh... intimidation of someone expressing their First Amendment rights...

God bless America!

(BTW, I 3/4-jokingly post as a troll... but the 1/4 point still stands: They have a right to protest. When groups like Westboro get shut down, and have courts agree they should be shut down, that sets a precedent, that will be upheld by a future court, no matter the makeup. That is one more precedent to hold against OWS protesters, or anti-war protesters, or G-20 or WTO protesters... It's not a "slippery slope," but how constitutional law works. That's why I think Larry Flint, the man who brought us the "beaver shot" and the Jerry Falwell Campari ad, is probably the greatest defender of the First Amendment of the later 20th Century.)

The best part is, they didn't even show up! Now THAT is terrorism for you -- just like Al Qaeda making it so I can't wear my shoes and getting me digitally undressed so I can get on an airplane, now we can't have a funeral these days. It keeps them in the news even when they don't do anything... THAT is public relations, and in PR, there is no such thing as bad publicity.

[NutmegYankee]

10. Freedom to protest (speech) does not give you the right to disrupt a funeral.

Funerals are solemn and emotional occasions, and should never be interrupted just so someone can make a political statement. There is no valid reason or need to heap pain on a family in grief at their location for the funeral. You can say whatever you want someplace else.

[leftyohiolib]

16. " You can say whatever you want someplace else. " reminds me of w's free speech zones

[NutmegYankee]

23. That you chose to compare not interupting a funeral to a "free speech zone" is just sad.

Sad and pathetic.

[Junkdrawer]

35. ^^^ THIS ^^^

[Logical]

25. Then where is the laws preventing it? n-t

[Swede Atlanta]

38. While I find the activities of the Westboro Baptist Church deplorable.....

We have a constitutional right to free speech, subject to certain constraints.

We may find their protesting at the funerals of a slain young gay man (Matthew Shepard), our soldiers who have given everything in defense of our country, victims of natural disasters, etc. despicable, they have that right.

The response of bikers and others over the years has been to drown out their hateful, nasty rhetoric but they remain a hellish voice.

An amendment to our Constitution would be required to void their constitutional protections.

As a nation we can rise above them and through our words and deeds demonstrate their voices of hatred and self-loathing are ineffective.

[bobclark86]

43. There are lots of them...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westboro_Baptist_Church#Laws_limiting_funeral_protests

And they're just like "free speech zones" at the WTO meetings.

And my feelings?

As long as nobody's advocating for violence against someone (they're saying "You're going to Hell!", not "I'm going to send you to Hell with my .45!&quot , then "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

Oh, I think WBC are a bunch of publicity hound dipshits, but they have a right to free speech, just like everyone on this board.

[Logical]

51. I agree they do. And I know people are breaking the law to stop them. I do not agree with it. I...

think they love the attention. And thrive on it. Just ignore them would work best. No news coverage, etc.

[cyberswede]

11. I don't see the courts shutting down Westboro protests.

I see other Americans expressing their rights to counter-protest the Westboro protest.

And if the Westboro folks don't show up, that's a good thing - the families at the funerals are spared having to see them.

Why do you say we can't have a funeral these days? Have funerals been canceled due to the "threat" of Westboro protests?

[MNBrewer]

17. What I find interesting, and sad

is that hardly anyone noticed Westboro until they started protesting military funerals.

[Zorra]

20. Hey, Westboro had every right to show up. It seems they lacked the faith in

their god to protect them from harm if they engaged in the actions that they apparently believe are their god's will for them.

[bobclark86]

42. Did they actually say they were showing up?

Most of the time, it's just a rumor started by a local wondering, then somebody hears the hypothetical and thinks it's really happening.

Besides, these are the kind of guys who make a living out of such things. If it were me, I'd love to get my ass kicked for the dough. Sue the family, the local cops, the bikers... Pain is temporary. A new trust fund is forever .

[jeff47]

22. No, free speech is being met with more free speech.

WBC has a right to protest.
These other people have a right to protest WBC.

[mercuryblues]

31. Snyder vs Phelps

The supreme court ruled in Phelps' favor allowing them to continue picketing funerals. So as far as I can see, no court has ruled to shut them down.

[uppityperson]

36. Do you mean the Phelps or the counter protesters? Who is getting intimidated or have courts shutting

them down?

[bobclark86]

41. A lot of small town laws have been passed

banning their activities.

BTW, 100 burly biker vets in leather with chains and stuff against a couple scrawny folks from Kansas? Yeah, I don't think the bikers are the ones being intimidated. I've heard a lot of rhetoric out of the Patriot Guard Riders and the like in my area that have included threats of violence, even though no WBC person has ever showed up.

[gollygee]

52. They have a right to protest, and other people have a right to protest them

The first amendment doesn't give you the right to protest with no consequences. No one arrested them. Their rights were not in question.

[Scootaloo]

55. I didn't know bikers were a legislative body!

The right to free speech includes a right to tell another motherfucker to shut his face-cave, you know

[Lady Freedom Returns]

58. So the Patriot Guard can not use their First Amendment Rights?

They are out their protesting the WBC. They are also there showing their support for the victims.

And when it comes to terrorism, you must never been a victim of the WBC. That is a terrorist team that is beyond belief. They could give the Taliban lessons on emotional terrorism.

When they are in an area, they are not just holding up signs, they have "missionaries" out in the areas of the victims. They are telling them that God did this because they are evil and that it is all their fault. And ponding it into them that if they repent and follow their ways that God will save them. If not God will kill them next time.

So I say allow the Patriot Guard to protest them. Let them show support for those that have been hurt. They are doing less damage to people than what the WBC is doing behind the scenes right now.

[Gore1FL]

68. The state isn't involved in the counter protest.

Where is the 1st Amendment violation?

[WinstonSmith4740]

72. Still can't figure out

why these idiots from WBC aren't shuffled off to "free speech zones" like protesters were during Junior's reign.

[madokie]

9. One of my friends is there

as it is his mission since coming home from Iraq is to block these asshole where ever they go.

[ismnotwasm]

12. That's really cool

Tell your friend thank you. If he likes Kevin Smith movies, he should try to watch the Q&A Smith did about his movie "Red State" and his interaction with the Phelps family, it's hilarious.

[malaise]

24. Tell him I say Bravo!!!

[Buns_of_Fire]

39. Good for him!

(Of course, we know what my approval plus $1 will buy you, but still... )

[bobclark86]

44. Good for him!

We lost a couple of local kids in Iraq and Afghanistan. At one funeral I attended (I knew his dad through work), I saw a lot of bikers show up with American flags. Now, nobody from WBC showed up (thankfully it was just a rumor, even though I did want to print off a couple of signs). Turns out it was a rumor. But the family appreciated it, just as a show of support from former vets.

I know some guys who do it from the perspective of defense, but most I know do it as a show of support for their fallen comrade, even from another generation. THAT is what this should be about.

[madokie]

45. That is what it is with my friend

A show of support for his fallen Comrades.

[bobclark86]

47. I wish more people cared about such things.

My sister used to work as a funeral director. Finding honor guards for military services was damn near impossible, even through the local Legion and VFW.

It's so bad that one local kid couldn't even get a bugler. They had some dude stand there with a speaker stuck in the bell of a trumpet. Most of the older guys get a boom box with a CD of Taps, anymore (and yes, they do skip... cringe-worthy on par with a blown National Anthem at the local minor league game).

I'm seriously thinking of buying a nice suit and a trumpet to re-learn Taps to play at funerals. I never served (graduated in '04, and I sure as hell wasn't going to a sandbox to help Haliburton), but some of my biggest life role models did, and it would be fitting as a tribute to them, I think.

[Ruby the Liberal]

48. I applaud him for this.

I hate this bunch with the heat of 1,000 suns.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

59. Sounds like a man after my own heart!

[Liberal_in_LA]

13. whoa

[hrmjustin]

27. Westboro Baptist is Evil!

[sigmasix]

30. westboro baptist= teabagger homophobia

While I understand and support those working to protest westboro's inhuman displays of homophobia, I can't help but wonder why teabaggers in congress are allowed to get away with Westboro-type homophobic hatred that leads to legislation that hurts more LGBT individuals than any westboro protest has ever done. Why aren't these freedom loving bikers lined up in protest of the homophobic teabagger laws that deny civil rights and happiness to LGBT Americans?
Hypocrisy, thy name is America's right wing.

[backscatter712]

50. The Westboro Baptists are a bunch of cowards.

Every time they're afraid they'll get some pushback against their protests, they don't show.

They're as chickenshit as chickenshit gets!

[hrmjustin]

53. I hate to think that Westboro Baptist is considered mainstream Christianity.

[Initech]

56. We can't get rid of those assholes but this is awesome that these riders showed up!

[Lady Freedom Returns]

57. I just hope some people were out to run them out of where survivors are camped.

I remember that their "missionaries" came out and was passing out fliers that pointed out why the tornado was all our fault and how we had better repent or God was going to kill us the next time.

We were still in shock and those WBC monsters just made it worse.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

60. I feel like my lifetime is racing,

but hope to live long enough to see a complete withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan. This hateful group is already marginalized enough, and no more military funerals will mean no more picketing. Besides which, too many people have died.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

61. Sadly this group was around long before the wars.

It just gave them something else to use to spread their "gospel" of Hate. This kind will be around long after the wars.

[Up2Late]

62. Good for them! Westbouro is just a giant Tax Dodge anyway...

...they only say they are a church, but it's just basically one stupid family who just call themselves a church to avoid paying taxes.

[rl6214]

63. Good for them

We did something similar in El Paso when they came to protest a military funeral. They could never get close enough to even see the procession.

[KrazyinKS]

64. the Patriot Guard

Is that the Patriot Guard? I've seen them here in Wichita. They go to funerals of Iraq and Afghanistan soldiers killed in action to keep away the Westboro nut jobs. They keep them across the street and away from the grieving families and friends. They look like a bunch of old bikers, can't help but like the guys.

[dembotoz]

67. i live in a very red area and what concerns me is while this sort of stuff is cool against westboro

what happens when so right wing biker like group decides to protest prevent the local dem picnic

alarmist???

perhaps but I have marched with fellow dems in local 4th of july parades and our reception was......

well the catcalls are kind of fun but my son has been spat on.......

I did not see that happen --had I, I would still be is prison

what is the line between hero and vigilante?

[VPStoltz]

69. The second I saw the lead-in here I thought the same thing...

If Westboro was on a rampage against PrezO, I have a feeling it would be a.o.k. with this crowd.

[amb123]

70. The Westboro Baptist Church Anthem

(to the tune of the Addams Family)

Our sister is our mother!
Our brother is our father!
We like to fu*k each other!
The Fred Phelps Family!

Doo-doo-doo-doo (snap, snap)
Doo-doo-doo-doo (snap, snap)
Doo-doo-doo-doo, Doo-doo-doo-doo, Doo-doo-doo-doo (snap, snap)