Westboro Baptist hategroup

[[GU]elmur_fud]

I realize there is a thread about the Sandy Hook shooting but that thread seems to focus on civil rights vs mental illness. This is not about that... sorta...

WBC announced they would picket the funerals and Anonymous responded by hacking their church website and releasing member names and contact info.

http://www.examiner.com/article/anonymous-targets-westboro-baptist-church-1

According to that article Anonymous has also start a petition to have the WBC legally recognized as a hate group.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/pe...gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl

Though WBC is a deplorable bunch of hypocritical bigots IMO I am not sure they qualify as a hate group as I thought that that required violence by the hate group. Does just being inconceivably HUGE douche-bags towards any1 that they think is associated with homosexuality make them a hate group?

 

[Al]

Hate = hate

They're a hate group.

 

[Capt.Toilet]

This is exactly what they want to happen. Do people seriously not listen?

You show these douches attention and they win. You go ape on them and they sue you and they win. That is how they make their money. Ignore the dumb fucks and pretty soon they fade into memory.

 

[ambershee]

Having them officially recognised as a hate group would make it possible to take legal action against their picketing. I can only see that as a good thing.

 

[Firefly]

Anyone know any biker or trucker groups who would help out?

 

[[GU]elmur_fud]

Are they in fact violating others civil rights, they have the right to hate and even express that but are they violating others rights in how they are expressing it. It seems to me they are but other then maybe labeling their actions harassment I can't put my finger on it.

 

[ambershee]

they have the right to hate and even express that

They don't have the right to incite hatred; they have the right to express an opinion. There's a key difference.

I may have the right to tell a gay man I don't think highly of homosexuality - but that doesn't mean I have the right to stand outside his funeral with placards and hurl abuse.

 

[Al]

It's hard to ignore them when they're protesting at a loved ones funeral.

Fuck them.

 

[Selerox]

They're worth the effort the shut down.

This is exactly what they want to happen. Do people seriously not listen?

You show these douches attention and they win. You go ape on them and they sue you and they win. That is how they make their money. Ignore the dumb fucks and pretty soon they fade into memory.

True, but...

Having them officially recognised as a hate group would make it possible to take legal action against their picketing. I can only see that as a good thing.

 

[Zxanphorian]

Hate = hate

They're a hate group.

Exactly. Hate is hate. Same as the rape shit that went on in the election. Rape is rape.

There aren't different types of hate that should be treated differently.

 

[Big-Al]

good thread... funnily enough, even the KKK want nothing to do with them.

 

[[GU]elmur_fud]

They don't have the right to incite hatred; they have the right to express an opinion. There's a key difference.

I may have the right to tell a gay man I don't think highly of homosexuality - but that doesn't mean I have the right to stand outside his funeral with placards and hurl abuse.

Unless you don't mean what this:

They don't have the right to incite hatred

literally means. Yes actually they do. Hatred is an emotion and/or belief. They do have the right to convert others to their way of thinking. American civil rights law can be summed up as: Your right to swing your fist ends were my nose begins. So how have they crossed that proverbial line in a legally quantifiable sense. I think they have, but legally I am at a loss as to how this could be prosecuted.

It's hard to ignore them when they're protesting at a loved ones funeral.

Fuck them.

This is what has me puzzled other then labeling them the asshole collective and suing them for harassment what would legally making them a hate group do? They are not destroying property. They are not physically harming anybody. Given societies current propensity to sue at the drop of a hat I would guess they would be financially ruined within a year. Causing them to formally disband but it is doubtful IMO that that would make them stop. So that alone seems inadequate and a harassment suit a mere joke when compared to the actions of the WBC.

Exactly. Hate is hate. Same as the rape shit that went on in the election. Rape is rape.

There aren't different types of hate that should be treated differently.

The law doesn't react to hate it reacts to peoples actions. How could it when hate is such a loose term.

good thread... funnily enough, even the KKK want nothing to do with them.

They got pwned legally for the Michael Donald lynching and had to turn over all there assets including the building and property of their headquarters to the boys mother. So basically what in my opinion is the ultimate irony, a southern black woman owns their ass. They want nothing to do with publicly condemnable acts.

The KKK, Neo-Nazi's and other hate groups can be easily grouped by there persecution of a group or groups of people same as the WBC but said persecution on the part of existing hate groups falls under the heading of hate crimes. Ultimately can what they are doing be called a crime? It seems it should be. A new precedent may need to be set here though. Unless what they are falls under a heading I am missing.

 

[Big-Al]

Officially, as much as they seem to hate "everyone" they do not happen to be anti "black"... at least.

 

[Jacks:Revenge]

Does just being inconceivably HUGE douche-bags towards any1 that they think is associated with homosexuality make them a hate group?

ok I'll take the bait.

obviously the WBC is not a hate-group as hate-groups are currently defined.
their members have never (as an organized group) committed violent crimes against any homosexuals. at this rate, they're more or less like the modern KKK or American Nazi Party.

they rally. they parade. they march... when people let them. sometimes it's hard to get the demonstration permit but they usually get it since they aren't violating any laws.
and then they just stand there saying hateful, ignorant things. that's all they do is speak. they don't really act.

until they act, they can't be labeled as a hate-group.
however, that said, I don't see why we can't legislate public behavior around funeral processions and/or funeral services to eradicate WBC presence where it truly doesn't belong.

I don't care if you're not physically harming anyone and simply exercising your free speech.
a funeral is never, ever the right place to do that no matter what your reasons or what the circumstances of the funeral and the deceased. it's for friends and family to have at least ONE DAY of peace and quiet and meaningful reflection and mourning.

leave them the fuck alone.
it should be illegal to demonstrate within a thousand yards of a funeral service.

 

[dr.flay]

How about a Westboro Baptist monster or skin pack, so you can crucify them in the privacy of your own home

 

[DeathBooger]

I thought Westboro was a satirical comedy group.

 

[DarkED]

I thought Westboro was a satirical comedy group.

No, that's Landover Baptist. Westboro Baptist (currently down due to righteous hackers!) are the ignorant "God Hates Fags" people that we all love to hate.

 

[gopostal]

If someone isn't violating laws then let them exercise their right to free speech. It's a fast-sliding slope once you find excuses to curb the rights of someone to say something when they are not breaking any laws.

Yeah WBC is immoral and any sane person would find them repugnant but curtailing their rights only because of this will never go anywhere good.

When I was in the Army I was stationed at Fort Gordon in Georgia. Downtown Augusta (next to the base) was a small artist gallery. For a while there was an artist featured that had an American flag spread on the floor at the entrance. In order to get inside you were forced to walk on the flag.
This lead to a huge upset on post and soldiers were quickly forming to 'rescue' the flag. Our base General had a post-wide gathering at the parade field and instructed us to impede his right of free speech in NO WAY WHATSOEVER. He reminded us that it was this man's right to demonstrate as he saw fit as long as no laws were broken and we should be ready to die to defend his right to do it.

That all stuck with me for most of my adult life and it's germane here too. Let them have their say but hammer them into the stone age if they break the first law.

 

[[GU]elmur_fud]

If someone isn't violating laws then let them exercise their right to free speech. It's a fast-sliding slope once you find excuses to curb the rights of someone to say something when they are not breaking any laws.

Yeah WBC is immoral and any sane person would find them repugnant but curtailing their rights only because of this will never go anywhere good.

When I was in the Army I was stationed at Fort Gordon in Georgia. Downtown Augusta (next to the base) was a small artist gallery. For a while there was an artist featured that had an American flag spread on the floor at the entrance. In order to get inside you were forced to walk on the flag.
This lead to a huge upset on post and soldiers were quickly forming to 'rescue' the flag. Our base General had a post-wide gathering at the parade field and instructed us to impede his right of free speech in NO WAY WHATSOEVER. He reminded us that it was this man's right to demonstrate as he saw fit as long as no laws were broken and we should be ready to die to defend his right to do it.

That all stuck with me for most of my adult life and it's germane here too. Let them have their say but hammer them into the stone age if they break the first law.

I am all for the freedom of speech but I think Jacks hit pretty close to my thoughts on this and that is that by picketing a private event such as a funeral they over stepping there bounds.

They want to protest gay marriage in Connecticut, fine, they should Picket the capital... 'course not being registered voters of that state they would get all the attention they are due there.

 

[Big-Al]

your still a douchebage

you're