BarkLessWagMore Posted February 22, 2009 Posted February 22, 2009 Any updates? On the news here they showed the memorial services, but no mention of the protesters. Here is an update from the news today. http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/586891.html 3 of the lunatic fringe against approx 100 counterprotesters who kept it peaceful, which is the best way to go. Confrontations only give them the publicity they so pathetically crave. I am very proud of the way our area has handled all facets of this terrible tragedy, including dealing with scum like this.
Steely Dan Posted February 22, 2009 Posted February 22, 2009 This is obvious to all decent people. When I posted last night, I did so from my Instinct phone, which only allows 200 characters and I couldn't post everything that I wanted to say: Four of the Phelps children are estranged from the rest of the family, primarily because of the abuse that they took from the patriarch. That leaves nine nitwits. All of whom have been abused physically. Fred Phelps is now in his late 70s and apparently suffers from dementia. That's why Shirley is the spokesperson. I think they honestly believe that they are the "Chosen", that everyone else is apostate and will be punished by a vengeful creator. I believe in a God of mercy. I cannot put this any more succintly: The Westboro Baptist Church god (note the little "g") is not the God I serve. I would love to see someone punch Fred Phelps right in the jaw, so he would have to take in liquids for a while, but as several have stated here, that is exactly the type of attention they crave. Some people thrive on what they see as "persecution". That ain't persecution. Go ask a Christian woman from Somalia who has been raped (because of her faith) and has had to flee for her life what persecution is. And BTW, I use the exact same argument for Christians who claim they have been persecuted in the United States for their faith. Everyone knows that the Phelps family is nuts, but nobody seems to know how to deal with these people. And I use the term "people" loosely. Best answer for everybody, including the media, ignore them. And you can bet that's why they chose her funeral. It will cause the most outrage, and that's what these attention whores thrive upon. Ignore them is the best answer IMO. Here is an update from the news today. http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/586891.html 3 of the lunatic fringe against approx 100 counterprotesters who kept it peaceful, which is the best way to go. Confrontations only give them the publicity they so pathetically crave. I am very proud of the way our area has handled all facets of this terrible tragedy, including dealing with scum like this. Dozens of counterdemonstrators swarmed three members of a Kansas-based hate group when they tried to protest near a Main Street church where a memorial service for a Continental Flight 3407 crash victim was being held this afternoon. The protesters, from Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., left the area near St. Joseph University Catholic Church, near the University at Buffalo's South Campus, at about 1:50 p.m., only a few minutes after they arrived. Counterdemonstrators, carrying plain white flags and banners, surrounded the three Westboro picketers as Buffalo police looked on. Patrick McGrath, a freshman at Buffalo State College, attended the counterdemonstration and said, sarcastically, he hoped the Westboro members got their word out in the few minutes they walked along Main Street. "As a community, we sure did," McGrath said.
BuffaloBill Posted February 23, 2009 Posted February 23, 2009 Best answer for everybody, including the media, ignore them. Ignore them is the best answer IMO. Dozens of counterdemonstrators swarmed three members of a Kansas-based hate group when they tried to protest near a Main Street church where a memorial service for a Continental Flight 3407 crash victim was being held this afternoon. The protesters, from Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., left the area near St. Joseph University Catholic Church, near the University at Buffalo's South Campus, at about 1:50 p.m., only a few minutes after they arrived. Counterdemonstrators, carrying plain white flags and banners, surrounded the three Westboro picketers as Buffalo police looked on. Patrick McGrath, a freshman at Buffalo State College, attended the counterdemonstration and said, sarcastically, he hoped the Westboro members got their word out in the few minutes they walked along Main Street. "As a community, we sure did," McGrath said. Glad to see people did the right thing.
Stussy109 Posted February 23, 2009 Posted February 23, 2009 Go dump Buffalo wing sauce on them... aim for the eyes. then start chanting "LETS GO BUFFALO!"
buckeyemike Posted February 23, 2009 Posted February 23, 2009 Not very Christian of you, Mike. :lol: As far as what occurred at the memorial service, I praise the good people of WNY for showing restraint. This is the only place I've heard about the WBC people at the funeral; either I'm not watching the news very much anymore or the media showed some restraint.
bbb Posted February 23, 2009 Posted February 23, 2009 A friend of mine went to a funeral of a guy who got killed in Iraq, and these idiots were there (first I ever heard of them)....Apparently, there is also a biker-type group of Nam vets who travel to the funerals to keep these losers in check. They were asking the cops to just take a break for ten minutes and the cops said they'd love to, but they can't.
Buftex Posted February 23, 2009 Posted February 23, 2009 There is something fundementally wrong with you if you are willing to protest at the funeral of fallen service people and a memorial to innocent people killed in a tragedy. I do not care if you are against the war ... it is your right in America to say so but to smack the family of a fallen service person in the face by doing something like this at a moment that is already horrible enough for them is nothing short of cruel and sick. Find another F'in way to protest if you must. They are just attention grabbing idiots. May they experience some of their own medicine some day. I agree with your overall point... but don't mistake these nutjobs as war protesters. They are protesting gay/lesbian tolerance in the United States, and see this tolerance as the root of many of the tragedies that occur in the US. They could care less about the war. They are simply opportunists using an event like that, to draw attention to their cause. There is a fascinating/freightening documentary about this Church, that ran on Showtime about 2 years ago. This is basically a an extended family/cult that seems to have lots of skeltons in its' own incestious closet. There is something about that old notion that "he who protests too much has something to hide". ps- sorry, didn't read this whole thread, so forgive me if your point was already "corrected" by someone....
Steely Dan Posted February 23, 2009 Posted February 23, 2009 I agree with your overall point... but don't mistake these nutjobs as war protesters. They are protesting gay/lesbian tolerance in the United States, and see this tolerance as the root of many of the tragedies that occur in the US. They could care less about the war. They are simply opportunists using an event like that, to draw attention to their cause. There is a fascinating/freightening documentary about this Church, that ran on Showtime about 2 years ago. This is basically a an extended family/cult that seems to have lots of skeltons in its' own incestious closet. There is something about that old notion that "he who protests too much has something to hide". ps- sorry, didn't read this whole thread, so forgive me if your point was already "corrected" by someone.... The differences between them and the Southern Baptists are very slight. The Southern Baptists agree in principle with them but have the good taste to keep away from funerals to make their point. Here is a transcript from Pat Robertson and the late Jerry Falwell after 9/11. This is from a site that wants to take the rumors and set the story straight; THE TRANSCRIPT Here are their comments in context: Pat Robertson began the interview asking Falwell what his response has been to the terrorist attacks. Falwell said there had been a massive prayer gathering of members of his congregation along with students from Liberty University. He told the TV audience that they had humbled themselves before God, prayed for President Bush and his advisers and for the victims of the attacks. Falwell then likened the attacks to Pearl Harbor and that at that time, Hitler wanted to destroy the Jews and conquer the world. Now, "Islamic fundamentalists, radical terrorists, Middle-Eastern monsters" want to destroy Israel and conquer the world. The two men then talked about religious revival and whether the events of September 11 might spark spiritual renewal in America. Then Falwell said, "What we saw on Tuesday, as terrible as it is, could be miniscule if, in fact, God continues to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve." Robertson replied, "Well, Jerry, that's my feeling. I think we've just seen the antechamber to terror, we haven't begun to see what they can do to the major population." Falwell said, "The ACLU has got to take a lot of blame for this. And I know I'll hear from them for this, but throwing God...successfully with the help of the federal court system...throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools, the abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked and when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad...I really believe that the pagans and the abortionists and the feminists and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way, all of them who try to secularize America...I point the thing in their face and say you helped this happen." Robertson said, "I totally concur, and the problem is we've adopted that agenda at the highest levels of our government, and so we're responsible as a free society for what the top people do, and the top people, of course, is the court system." Falwell added, "Pat, did you notice yesterday that the ACLU and all the Christ-haters, the People for the American Way, NOW, etc., were totally disregarded by the Democrats and the Republicans in both houses of Congress, as they went out on the steps and and called out to God in prayer and sang 'God bless America' and said, let the ACLU be hanged. In other words, when the nation is on its knees, the only normal and natural and spiritual thing to do is what we ought to be doing all the time, calling on God." They are all very scary and IMO, nutjobs that need close monitoring due to their radical beliefs. The Southern Baptists have not tried violence to make their points, instead they use the political system to get people of similar beliefs elected to the Presidency and The House of Representatives. Finally people have become clued in to their agenda and realize that the Republican party has been hijacked by these people and turned it into a party of primarily a far right social agenda and not a conservative spending agenda anymore. When Karl Rove saw to it that gay marriage initiatives were put on several state ballots he brought these people out in droves to vote for Bush. Now I think the economy is the biggest reason people voted in more Democrats but I also think a lot of people are waking up to the fact that the Republican party has been pulled to the far right by these nutjobs. Since the vast majority of Americans are moderates it has only served, in the long run, to work against them. JMO BTW, with Robertson blaming people for the wrath of god in tragedies I wonder what God was trying to say when Robertson got prostate cancer?
The Senator Posted February 23, 2009 Posted February 23, 2009 From this morning's Buffalo Snooze... Counterdemonstrators overshadow Kansas fringe group
Steely Dan Posted February 23, 2009 Posted February 23, 2009 From this morning's Buffalo Snooze... Counterdemonstrators overshadow Kansas fringe group Thanks for that. When asked about his reaction to the Westboro group’s signs, Rocco Polino said: “I don’t think I have a reaction. They hold them [the signs] to force you into a reaction. Why dignify it?" “Hatred in the name of Jesus is a despicable thing,” said the Rev. Randy Milleville, the church’s pastor. 'Nuff said.
BuffaloBill Posted February 23, 2009 Posted February 23, 2009 I agree with your overall point... but don't mistake these nutjobs as war protesters. They are protesting gay/lesbian tolerance in the United States, and see this tolerance as the root of many of the tragedies that occur in the US. They could care less about the war. They are simply opportunists using an event like that, to draw attention to their cause. There is a fascinating/freightening documentary about this Church, that ran on Showtime about 2 years ago. This is basically a an extended family/cult that seems to have lots of skeltons in its' own incestious closet. There is something about that old notion that "he who protests too much has something to hide". ps- sorry, didn't read this whole thread, so forgive me if your point was already "corrected" by someone.... Thanks BufTex ... yeah I've learned plenty anbout these a'holes since I posted the original comment. Does not take away from the fact that I still think that anyone who can protest (for whatever reason) at a funeral, at the expense of a grieving family, is wacked in the head. It is despicable to do so.
Recommended Posts