To all of us who mourn for and with the families of those who died during the events in Tucson on Saturday, we wish only for victims to be put to rest in peace now. For the love of all that is right and good in this world, we can still give them that much of dignity at least.
The Westboro Baptist Church apparently disagrees. They have announced that they plan to picket the funerals of the victims of this crime, particularly the funeral for 9-year-old Christina Green. Fred W. Phelps, the leader of this group, is reported as posting in a video on the church’s Website that he “thanks God for the “marvelous work in Tucson,” which he says is part of God’s vengeance on America. He says his church prays for “more shooters.. more dead.”
In response to this, Town Hall has posted that efforts are being made to erect a human barricade, protecting the family during the funeral services.
“Mark Finelli, an Iraq War Veteran and 9/11 survivor has called veterans and citizens from all over the country to come to Tucson and block as a human shield the members of Westboro from getting anywhere near the family and friends of Green during funeral services Thursday.”
“Veteran Jonathan Grim is also helping to organize Tucson residents in conjunction with the local Smart Girl Politics chapter to support friends and families of victims.”
Westboro Church has often threatened to boycott funerals only to back out on its plans at the last minute, but barricade organizers aren’t taking any chances. This is NOT a countering protest. It is simply to be an effort on the part of citizens to let families honor those they have lost in peace.
This group may claim to be a church, but there is NOTHING in this protest that is right or honorable.
They will only be feeding the flames of resentment, anger and bitterness that divide us.
Moe Lane
Dan Spencer
Dan McLaughlin
Jeff Emanuel
Why can't it be a counter protest?
michael_j_lambert (Diary) Monday, January 10th at 6:35PM EDT (link)What better way to refute the misguided fools of the Westboro Church than to organize a funeral procession that makes the pomp of kings look bleak? I understand that funerals are bad places to wave placards, but not all protests need devolve into chanting slogans and waving signs, do they?
Michael, it could be
lineholder (Diary) Monday, January 10th at 6:54PM EDT (link)And the counter protest you describe would be very effective.
I think the decision has been made to keep it simple out of respect for the families who are in mourning.
If it were me and I had lost someone under these circumstances, I would rather it not become a political three-ring circus any more than it already has. So I can both understand and respect why the families are responding to it in this way.
There is nothing Christian (or Baptist) in WBC
oblio Monday, January 10th at 6:46PM EDT (link)If I were anywhere near the venue I would be there to help barricade against these anti-Christs masquerading as Christians. Being an ex-Baptist, I am offended at their usurping of the denominational title and the exhibition of behavior that is more suited to the church of Satan than a church of Christianity.
Oblio, I know
lineholder (Diary) Monday, January 10th at 6:59PM EDT (link)I had a hard time keeping my own emotions in check to post this brief diary of the events. My own emotions were such that I would have loved to blast them for their own failure to present behavior that is a true Christian testimony to other people.
There is nothing, absolutely nothing, about the approach that is being taken by Westboro Church that can be remotely pleasing to God.
Instead of protesting funerals
TNJim (Diary) Monday, January 10th at 7:13PM EDT (link)including that of a 9 year old they should be praising God for the miracle that is unfolding in the recovery of Rep. Giffords. That is the real Christian thing to do.
Sorry lineholder. Posted my RedHot column tweet up before I saw this. I too linked to the Townhall piece, plus one other.
Good, TNJim
lineholder (Diary) Monday, January 10th at 7:19PM EDT (link)I’m not one who gets offended by that.
And it is genuinely a miracle that Rep. Giffords is with us. God has been gracious in her behalf.
Hopefully this will be the nail in the coffin
Scope (Diary) Monday, January 10th at 7:25PM EDT (link)of Westboro Baptist Church. Their case is still in front of the Supreme Court. Even Somuchmanure and Kagan can find fault with this outrage, if they do show up. They are as sick as this killer. They are despicable. And they say the Republicans practice hate speech.
ps- Who funds the Westboro group?
Scope (Diary) Monday, January 10th at 7:26PM EDT (link)n/t
Well .. Westboro's leadership are all lawyers...
acat (Diary) Monday, January 10th at 7:31PM EDT (link)Wonder who they spend their weekdays working for? Also, the “church” itself is rather small .. so it’s unlikely they’re running off member contributions alone.
Following (and cutting off) the money is a Good Idea.
A. Cat
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Caveat Suffragator
Westboro is probably 90% family.
mbecker908 (Diary) Monday, January 10th at 7:43PM EDT (link)And acat is right, they are mostly lawyers and they are funded from settlements of lawsuits.
mbecker, any way to defuse this?
lineholder (Diary) Monday, January 10th at 7:51PM EDT (link)At best, they’re a discreditable bunch on the fringe of society. No rational person who understands what Christianity is about gives them a second thought.
But they are being attached to our side of the spectrum politically and letting some folks have the opportunity to paint with a broad brush.
Fred Phelps is a Dem with close ties to Al Gore. nt
pilgrim (Diary) Monday, January 10th at 7:56PM EDT (link)Much as I love 'em, the Patriot Guard Riders are a stop-gap...
acat (Diary) Monday, January 10th at 7:56PM EDT (link)A very good stop-gap – drowning out the Westboro idiots at the families’ time of grief – but a stop-gap in that they aren’t burning out, root and branch, this bunch.
To answer your question, lineholder, what finally got the newsies to quit claiming David Duke was a good example of a southern Republican?
Mew
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Caveat Suffragator
Acat, I'm glad
lineholder (Diary) Monday, January 10th at 8:09PM EDT (link)With that kind of presence, hopefully things will stay within reason.
Line
redneck_hippie (Diary) Monday, January 10th at 7:57PM EDT (link)They were prevented from parking or getting anywhere near to Elizabeth Edwards’ funeral by a whole bunch of concerned citizens who arrived early and multitudinously. Hope for the best.
RH, I almost pulled a threadjack earlier
lineholder (Diary) Monday, January 10th at 8:01PM EDT (link)to let you know.
Couldn’t help but think about “This Little Light of Mine”.
I am hoping for the best.
As long as the media give them a megaphone, they'll use it.
Greg Garrison (Diary) Monday, January 10th at 8:25PM EDT (link)They’re a big dysfunctional family and should be a non-story. But the media love a circus. Same deal as that fool who threatened to burn the Koran a few months ago. They’re nothing like 99% of Christians today and historically, but they create a great controversy (where most Americans are in agreement against the group in question).
Perhaps much larger counter-demonstrations could do some good, but a movement to inundate the media with complaints from left, right, and center might have more of an impact. No cameras, no story.
http://www.thejoyofreason.com
“The art of compromise, which is central to a successful democracy, is not something that people learn overnight.” – Donald Rumsfeld
The media won't give 'em a megaphone.
mbecker908 (Diary) Monday, January 10th at 10:03PM EDT (link)And I’m guessing between the PGR and the Tucson Tea Party they won’t get within a mile of a service.
Scope
klondike Tuesday, January 11th at 9:20PM EDT (link)They finance themselves by filing civil rights lawsuits against people who threaten them. They intentionally provoke, hoping for a reaction so they can sue. The last I read about them, 11 family members are “civil rights attorneys.”
They are clearly heretics if one is judge by their 'theology'
oblio Monday, January 10th at 8:21PM EDT (link)Plus they are clueless, they describe Eastern Orthodox as indistinguishable from Roman Catholics – lol (if it weren’t so revealing)
I couldn’t bring myself to read any more of their delusional anti-Christian porn.
Just delusional enough to be dangerous.
lineholder (Diary) Monday, January 10th at 8:34PM EDT (link)That’s part of the problem with this group of individuals.
Ah....the common enemy....
traversecityconservative (Diary) Monday, January 10th at 8:34PM EDT (link)of the right and left…The Westboro Baptist Church. President Obama can’t bring the country together but this church sure can.
Don't call them a church...
Addison (Diary) Monday, January 10th at 8:40PM EDT (link)…and don’t let them get away with calling themselves Baptist, either. Have you ever seen a church like that? Or met a Baptist like them? Nope. It’s just a lawsuit generating scam. It’s terrible that by virtue of their self-given name they get referred to respectfully as a Baptist Church.
it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses
They are neither Baptist nor Christian
oblio Monday, January 10th at 9:29PM EDT (link)They can use the term church but the term (in lower case) does not presuppose orthodoxy (or Orthodoxy for that matter).
Further evidence that this Westboro group
runner12 (Diary) Monday, January 10th at 11:38PM EDT (link)is absolutely influenced by pure evil and not by God at all. Only a group of monsters would do something like this or cheer this evil person’s terrible actions. Sick, really sick. Those poor families, my heart breaks for them.
Mine, too.
lineholder (Diary) Tuesday, January 11th at 12:07AM EDT (link)When I first came across this report, I was first repulsed and then overwhelmed by a wave of anger at anyone who would justify these kinds of actions.
But a moment of reflection caused me to realize that in light of all that has happened, these families NEED a chance to put their own to rest in some semblance of peace.
I hope this human barricade will give them that chance.
Word on the street ...
klondike Tuesday, January 11th at 9:35PM EDT (link)is that the PGR is setting aside its policy of only supporting veterans and may respond to protect the families. I have not been able to confirm it, though.
As LUR knows, PGR responds only by invitation, so I’m guessing that if they are mobilizing, they were invited. I’m not in that district, so I would not receive an e-mail about it.
AZ passed an emergency bill to ban protestors within 300 feet of a funeral or burial.
http://www.fox40.com/news/headlines/ktxl-az-lawmakers-pass-emergency-la-01112011,0,5510792.story
WBC is quoted as saying it doesn’t matter because they plan to be 1,000 feet away at an intersection. Hopefully, those helping these families can lead them on a route that does not expose them to this family with such ugly hearts. No grieving family should be exposed to a group such as WSB cheering the death of their loved one.
I have faith in Arizonans to find out the exact location of the so-called reverend and his family members and shield the grieving families from them.