Westboro church to picket Steve Jobs' funeral - using apple technology to tweet about it

[Liberal_in_LA]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/10/westboro-baptist-church-plans-to-picket-steve-jobs-funeral.html

Westboro Baptist Church plans to picket Steve Jobs' funeral

Westboro Baptist Church — the small Kansas congregation that has gained notoriety for protesting at the funerals of U.S. soldiers — has a new target: Steve Jobs.

Upon hearing the news of Jobs' death late Wednesday, several church members turned to social media to announce that they would protest at Jobs' funeral as well. (The Washington Post notes that many of these Tweets employed Apple technology and devices to get the word out.)

"Westboro will picket his funeral. He had a huge platform; gave God no glory & taught sin," tweeted Margie Phelps, daughter of the founder of the church, Fred Phelps. She later added: "No peace for man who served self, not God,” she wrote with the hashtag, #hellgreetedhim. “Westboro must picket."

Perhaps you're wondering how they can get away with picketing at funerals. It's because the U.S. Supreme Court said they could. And that's a fact that Phelps knows well. She's an attorney, and successfully argued the church's position in front of the court. The justices ruled earlier this year that Westboro's protests are protected by the 1st Amendment.

[TK421]

1. He may have been an asshole in life, but to be picketed by Westboro Baptist?

Ughhh!!! Steve.....Oh, Steve, you might just be laughing at this one!!!

[xmas74]

6. I think he'd be pleased

to see such a display. Shows he did something right in his life.

[TK421]

14. hmm, you may be right! Did you ever see the movie "Pirates of Silicone Valley"?

it was a made-for-TV movie put out I believe in 1999?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0168122/

now, if this adaptation is true-to-form, and all accounts are true ( which, going by some things I have read ) then this Steve Jobs was an asshole of the highest fucking order. Now, I won't fault someone who gets a big head over seemingly sudden success in this business deal he started with Gates, who was, in my opinion the person who spearheaded this endeavor, but I won't give him full credit for everything that Apple has become. Steve Jobs started from shit and worked his way up because he was a salesman, much the same for Gates, but he was a better marketer and didn't even have marketing experience to back him up for it..both of these guys seemed to wing it for a couple of years until the chips fell into place.

[xmas74]

15. I know I'd be happy if they protested my funeral.

For him, it would be proof positive that he truly made an impression-so much so that people picket him after his death. Picketing a person while they are alive? That's far too common. Picketing a person upon death? Most people have far too much decency to do so, even if the person was rather awful. To have made such an impact that a group wants to picket your funeral says that you've made a mark on someone's life, even it isn't positive.

[TK421]

18. Uh huh! It irks people that that person had an impact on lives no matter what they accomplished

during their time here on this miserable planet. It could be jealousy, of course! Some people hate the fact that someone made a great something out of a great nothing. This mans passing is a sad thing, however, I'm not one to stand over his internet grave and talk about what kind of accomplishments he made on this rock in the universe...it really doesn't matter in the end.

I really don't believe in life after death, I don't.

[xmas74]

21. He was good at his job

and made bank.

WB is protesting for two reasons.

1) Publicity.
They believe that there is no such thing as bad publicity.

2) They want money.
They will sue anyone who gets in their way. Steve Jobs death has them salivating as we speak. They plan on doing everything they can to get someone to lose their cool and infringe upon their rights in any way, shape, or form. As soon as anything can be even remotely construed as infringement they will be filing lawsuits for tens of millions, if not more. They support their church,their travels, and their lifestyles through lawsuits.

[TK421]

23. good point there n/t

[rasputin1952]

2. I would consider it an honor to have the WBC picket me! It would...

prove to all of humanity that I was a decent human being...:D

[bluestateguy]

3. Freedom of speech, which they abuse

nt

[amyrose2712]

4. Fuck them and the God they ride on. nt

[Tuesday Afternoon]

5. excrement, steaming piles of it, they are.

[potone]

7. I think they have taken on more than they can chew.

Given how passionately loyal many Apple customers are, this could end badly for the church.

[customerserviceguy]

11. I doubt the Apple crowd is going to effectively do anything to them

But it will encourage them to be a little bolder with their next target, and eventually, they're all going to be in somebody's crosshairs.

And ain't nobody gonna see anything...

[Withywindle]

27. I keep saying that too...

But just in the past two years they've pissed off all of the following groups of people:


1) Soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines (their constant abuse of decency at military funerals)
2) Metalheads (they picketed Ronnie James Dio's memorial service)
3) West Virginia coal miners (they hit the 29 victims of that disaster)

They also tried to go to Norway to picket the funerals of victims of that massacre, and had the government of Norway not wisely said OH HELL NO, I have no doubt that some citizens of that eminently civilized nation could have remembered their Viking roots rather viscerally.


They've offended and shat on a LOT of people who have reputations for being unafraid to administer a well-deserved beatdown--and if they actually got one, I can't think of anyone besides Westboro who would unite more people in a general celebration of FUCK YEAH.

But they thrive on that. That sense of "persecution of the righteous." That sense of a lawsuit for assault damages just around the corner.

[Angry Dragon]

8. Hellfire, Brimstone, the Christians are on the march again

[pitohui]

9. i doubt that

while i hate and despise these creeps at the end of the day nobody at our end of the income scale ever used any apple products, those are for the rich snobs and i leave it to the rich snobs to defend steve jobs' honor, he was not interested in bringing computers to ME and i am also a human being

they deserve each other as far as i'm concerned

a little disgusted over all the slobbering over a billionaire who deliberately priced his product too high to make it for the people, fuck him

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

17. Rich snob?

I wish I were rich, but I'm not even close, never have been, never will be. Yet, oddly, I've been using Apple products for the last 20 years, along with many, many other decidely non-rich people, including a whole lot of other DUers. And, frankly, I rather resent the assumption that I am a rich snob just because I have an Apple computer. I'm not even a snob; I just like the product.

If I'm rich, I must have lost track of my millions...

[begin_within]

25. I'm not rich; I'm not a snob

and the only computers I have ever bought were made by Apple. I get a lot of mileage out of them... it's been 7 years since I bought one. But I will likely only buy that brand, as they are the best personal computers, with the best operating system, and I much prefer them. In "the old days," yes, they were very expensive, but they have come down dramatically in price. And people do buy and use used Apple computers for a fraction of their original list prices! I think your post is filled with inaccurate generalizations.

[LiberalFighter]

10. What happens if we all twitter bomb their twitter accounts?

[Arctic Dave]

12. GOD HATES PC's!!!1!1

[SmileyRose]

13. That made me laugh.

I think Steve would get the humor in it but I do feel for his family.

Oh and FUCK PHELPS.

[TK421]

16. Yeah, fuck Phelps...someone needs to get that guy laid or something

there is something wrong with that guy...he looks too much like that preacher guy from Poltergeist 2

If you need a pic, here you go!






I'm telling you, it's him! HE IS THE PREACHER FROM POLTERGEIST 2! ( which was a horrible movie, BTW, don't watch it if you haven't..what an embarrassing moment from the eighties ).

[liberal N proud]

19. There is going to be a special place in hell for this group.

[SomethingFishy]

20. I guess Websters is going to need a new entry for "Irony".

MAybe even a photo!

[SheilaT]

22. In that case, people should picket

the Westboro Baptist Church in return.

[RegieRocker]

24. That is an excellent idea!

[xmas74]

26. Just be very careful how you do anything to them.

If they can they'll sue. They do their best to find ways to sue everyone available.

[tuckessee]

28. The only people more idiotic than the Westboro publicity clowns.....

....are the idiots who take them seriously and make news out their completely insignificant musings & actions.