Westboro baptist church gets owned.

[Satan]

well, at least you didn't blame me, like many of the religious types do.

[Satan]

Children are very important to God and Jesus was stressing that point...

The deciples were perplexed by many of Jesus' actions...

deciples????

[ELVIS]

Oops...

Disciples, even...

[Shaun Ponsonby]

This was released this week:




Brothers and sisters, have you heard the news?
The storm has lifted and there's nothing to lose,
So swap your confirmation for your dancing shoes,
Because there never was no God.
Step out of the darkness and onto the streets,
Forget about the fast, let's have a carnival feast,
Raise up your lowered head to hear the liberation beat,
Because there never was no God.

There is no God,
So clap your hands together,
There is no God,
No heaven and no hell.
There is no God,
We're all in this together,
There is no God,
So ring that victory bell.

No cowering in the dark before these overbearing priests,
Not waiting until we die until we restitute the meek,
No blaming all our failings on imaginary beasts,
Because there never was no God.
No fighting over land your distant fathers told you of,
Not spilling blood for those who have never spread a drop of blood,
No finger pointing justified by fairies up above,
Because there never was no God.

There is no God,
So clap your hands together,
There is no God,
No heaven and no hell.
There is no God,
We're all in this together,
There is no God,
So ring that victory bell.

And I know you're scared of dieing man and I am too,
But just pretending it's not happening isn't gonna see us through,
So just accept that there's an end game and we haven't got much time,
And then in the here and now we can try and do things right.
Forget about the crazy things that people have believed,
And think of wondrous things that normal people have achieved,
'Cos I've known beauty in the stillness of cathedrals in the day,
I sang Glory Hallelujah! Won't you wash my sins away?
But now I'm singing my refrain and this is what I say,
I say there never was no God.

There is no God,
So clap your hands together,
There is no God,
No heaven and no hell.
There is no God,
We're all in this together,
There is no God,
So ring that victory bell.

There is no God,
So clap your hands together,
There is no God,
No heaven and no hell.
There is no God,
We're all in this together,
There is no God,
So ring that victory bell.

[Romeo Delight]

Obviously it is pretty low to demonstrate at a funeral. I can't argue with the methods used in this case.

Having said that, this story does little to dispell the rep the Southern states have in terms of the rule of law or lack therof.

There was no harm here really, but tell me how a visit to the Southern States is much different than a Central American country or Mexico, given the mob mentality and nepotism that exists there.

It is a slippery slope, taking away freedoms, even if it is a temporary one as in the "questioning" of these "suspects" for a time.

[chefcraig]

There was no harm here really, but tell me how a visit to the Southern States is much different than a Central American country...

That's easy. In Central America, the people can read, write and speak English.

[Hardrock69]

Westboro assholes are here in Gnashville today:

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110613/NEWS01/110613024/1969/NEWS

Anti-Westboro Protestors:

More than two hours before funeral services for fallen Nashville Marine Kevin Balduf are set to begin, more than 1,500 people waving American flags are lining on Franklin Pike.

The showing of mostly bikers and soldiers is in response to the anti-soldier, anti-American message of Kansas's Westboro Baptist Church.

Members of the controversial church announced that they would protest Balduf's funeral.

Members of the church are reportedly also in town protesting a Nashville Jewish and Muslim center. No other information on those protests was immediately available.

The group's visit to Nashville comes on the heels of a Supreme Court decision, allowing the church to continue its protests under the First Amendment.

After the Supreme Court's decision, massive counter protests, some of which having resulted in violence, have sprung up nationwide.

Greg Volsko, business manager at Family of God at Woodmont Hills, where the funeral will be at held 2 p.m. said Balduf's family has requested no media interviews today.

"The same protest that is afforded to this church by the First Amendment gives (Westboro) the right to their protest," Volsko said. "And it's the same amendment that Kevin died defending.

"But I give (Westboro) no credence. They deserve no credence."

A rural ambulance service is shuttling the patriotic counterprotesters from the state fairgrounds to the Franklin Pike church.

Metro police is set up along Thompson Lane and Franklin Pike.

Volsko said a city ordinance prohibits Westboro protesters from getting within 500 feet of the church.

Westboro protesters are not scheduled to arrive at the church until 2:15 p.m.
Balduf's grandmother is among the throngs of flag-wielding counterprotesters, thanking them for their showing.




UPDATED: 1:12 p.m.

David Henry, 51, took the day off from farming and drove the three hours to Nashville from Crane Hill, Alabama to stand in protest of the Westboro Baptist Church.

His son, Nathan Henry, is a sergeant in the Alabama National Guard and is stationed in Afghanistan.
When David Henry read about Westboro's planned protest of Nashville Marine Kevin Balduf's funeral, he told his son he was headed to Nashville for the day.

He is one of more than 2,000 outside of Woodmont Hills Family of God church on Franklin Pike.

Westboro members are not here, but are reportedly protesting at a Nashville Islamic center and a Jewish center.

They are scheduled to be here at 2:15 p.m.

"This could easily be my son's funeral," David Henry said. "I know (Westboro) has the right to protest, but people have died for that right. They have paid the ultimate price. I believe they deserve to be respected for that. Coming here today was a nondecision."

Henry remembered when Westboro protested the funerals of the children who died in an Alabama school bus accident.


UPDATED: 1:35 p.m.

Three Westboro Baptist Church protesters started their day at the Gordon Jewish Community Center in in Bellevue and at the Islamic Center of Nashville on 12th Avenue South. At both locations, they were shouted down by counter-protesters.

Police took a report at the Islamic Center after someone slashed the tires on Westboro members' SUV. It was unclear who might have done it.

The Westboro members drove off in a taxi, possibly toward Marine Kevin Balduf's funeral, which is the main target of their efforts.

One counter-protester held a signs saying, "I like my beer cold, my TV loud and my homosexuals flaming."

Lashane Murray held one that said, "Ya'll go away now, ya hear?" She asked some others in the crowd to get more respectful signs for the Marine's funeral.

"It's not about our agenda. It's about thanking him," she said.

UPDATED: 2:06 p.m.

The four members of Westboro Baptist Church were just escorted by Metro police officers to a car, and apparently have left the area.

The greatly-outnumbered Kansas radical church members protested with signs for about 10 minutes.

UPDATED: 2:21 p.m.

The Jewish Federation of Nashville put out this statement about the Westboro Baptist protesters, who earlier today marched in front of the Gordon Jewish Community Center:

We are privileged to live in a country that allows free speech for all of us, and, in the case of Westboro Baptist Church, no matter how vile, venomous and bigoted it may be. We are confident that the Westboro views are in no way representative of the views of the American people who abhor such bigotry against soldiers, Jews, gays, and anyone who is not a Westboro follower. As the prophet Micah said: “And what does G-d require of you? To do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your G-d.” – Micah 6:8.

[PETE'S BROTHER]

fuck 'em all up, hr!!!

[Hardrock69]

If I would have known they were going to be here, and if I had not been at work, I woulda gone there to shout at them what goddamnable fucks they are.

But after watching the evening news, it seems that over 1,000 people showed up and a) did just that, and b) prevented them from getting anywhere near the church where the funeral was held.

Poor soldier...it's not over yet. He is to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery in D.C. on Wednesday. Bet a dollar those fucking assholes show up there as well.

[Unchainme]

wait...what the fuck...the KKK even hates them?

[FORD]

Not surprised. The Klan thought they had an exclusive on hating people for extremely dumb fucking reasons. The Phelps cult makes them look almost rational by comparison (I don't think I ever heard the Klan claim that God sent a hurricane or allowed a war because of black people)

[jhale667]

Not surprised. The Klan thought they had an exclusive on hating people for extremely dumb fucking reasons. The Phelps cult makes them look almost rational by comparison (I don't think I ever heard the Klan claim that God sent a hurricane or allowed a war because of black people)

Yup, the Klanbots are angry because they thought they had the faith-based hate market cornered...

[hambon4lif]

It must've been at a funeral of a white dude, otherwise I seriously doubt they would give a shit.

[VanHalener]

I'm amazed these people haven't mysteriously disappeared with nobody knowing anything about what happened or caring.

Give it time. These worthless people will pay for their deeds sooner or later. I think it's inevitable that the leader and/or a follower or two will end up eating a round from a handgun at a service. Trust me, they are going to piss off the wrong guy one day and POW, I get to watch them pay for their bullshit on tv.

[FORD]

Whoever does that will have to kill all of them. Because the secret to Phelps' operations is that he and several members of his family/cult are lawyers. Old Fred actually used to be a civil rights attorney, before he went batshit crazy. So any attempt to restrict their speeches or give them a well deserved beating is always met with a lawsuit. And I don't have a scorecard in front of me, but apparently they win enough of these lawsuits to stay in this line of "work", and be professional haters.