Will You Stand Against the Westboro Church?

[Jax]

Coming to protest at a serviceman's funeral:

Fundamentalist Westboro Baptist Church to picket Port St. Lucie soldier's funeral » TCPalm.com
Fundamentalist Westboro Baptist Church to picket Port St. Lucie soldier's funeral

By Jeff Ostrowski Palm Beach Post
Posted July 10, 2011 at 4:34 p.m.

An anti-gay religious group said Saturday it plans to picket the memorial service of a Port St. Lucie man who died while serving in Afghanistan.

Members of the fundamentalist Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, have protested at military funerals around the country, including several in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast. Picketers, who believe God is punishing the military for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality, carry signs with deliberately offensive messages such as "God Hates Fags" and "Thank God for IEDs."

U.S. Army Spc. Jordan Christopher Schumann, 24, was killed in Afghanistan on Tuesday when his Humvee ran over a mine. Schumann's parents live in suburban Port St. Lucie.

While funeral arrangements for Schumann aren't final, Pastor Fred Phelps of Westboro Baptist Church said a half-dozen members of his organization plan to travel from Kansas to picket.

"We are particularly focused on Florida just now because the legislature in that state is presently considering passing an unconstitutional law against WBC's lawful and constitutional preaching activities, in amazing defiance of the Supreme Court of the United States," Phelps wrote in an email to the Palm Beach Post.

"We anticipate filing suit if such a law is passed, as we have successfully done in other parts of the country. When a state, through its elected officials, lifts its middle finger against God's pronouncements and judgments, WBC gives such a state special attention."

Phelps' pickets have outraged the families of fallen soldiers, but the U.S. Supreme Court in March ruled Phelps has the right to protest outside funerals.

In response to that ruling, which appears to threaten a Florida law making it illegal to disturb military funerals, state Rep. Pat Rooney, R-West Palm Beach, has proposed a bill that would create a 500-foot buffer around military funerals.

The Schumanns' pastor, the Rev. Dale K. Ingersoll of Westside Baptist Church in Fort Pierce, said Saturday that he hadn't heard of Westboro Baptist Church's plans to picket, and he said he didn't expect to take any steps to keep Phelps and his followers from the service.

"Apart from my disdain for the group, there's nothing I can do," Ingersoll said. "To me, they're a black eye on churches."

Schumann's father, Clay Schumann, declined to comment on Phelps' plan to picket.

 

[popje]

Sorry to say, but America's becoming a really scary place. I didn't think it was possible to have such a lack of education in a developed country.

 

[DennisS]

Unfortunately stand is about all you can do. These loons love to provoke people, video them reacting and then sue the people for infringing on their civil rights.

They are the lowest of the low, standing there watching them while a family buries their son would only P*ss me off and accomplish nothing. I won't be going.

 

[Dr Wu]

Sorry to say, but America's becoming a really scary place. I didn't think it was possible to have such a lack of education in a developed country.

Most of the members of the WBC are fairly well educated.

Many of the members are Attorneys. The founder is a disbarred lawyer.

The truth is the "Church" is not really anti anything. They stage these events in order to piss people off and push them into some form of retaliation.

They then sue the attacker for as much money as they can get. It's an endless cycle.

There is nothing to "stand up against".

Just ignore them.

 

[Jax]

This is NOT a lack of education. This family-owned and operated church as several lawyers.

They go, protest, get attacked, or denied a permit to protest, then they sue for tens of thousands of dollars. That's how they can afford to keep doing this.

Some have struck back, but you must be sure it is done legally:

Charley Barnes and Motorcycle Buddies Go Behind Enemy Lines at Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka Kansas | K99

http://www.foxnews.com/us/​20...ers-​picketing-soldiers-funeral​/

 

[ReefGuy]

Sorry to say, but America's becoming a really scary place. I didn't think it was possible to have such a lack of education in a developed country.

Actually, these people are highly educated. Many of them are lawyers. They're fanatics. And idiots. And bullys. (IMO)

In a way, we should be thankful for them. Because of their deplorable actions and attitudes, they tend to bring out what's best in America. Wherever these morons go, they are met by a diverse factor of decent people who often share nothing more in common with each other than being decent people.

 

[Jax]

You CAN stand against them. Supporters of the military set up an arm-in-arm (or hand-in-hand) ring around the funeral. If a Westboro touches someone, they are arrested for assault.

The Westboros chant nasty things and try to enrage a supporter so s/he will attack. Nasty bunch, they.

 

[Jax]

The ubiquitous, all-pervading, universal, ever-present, pervasive, double post.

 

[FWADIVER]

WBC are real life trolls, same rules as applies on the internet, dont feed the trolls.

 

[Orlando Eric]

Easy to say don't feed the trolls. This family obviously has to bury their dead and should not have to be confronted with a bunch of wacko's. The hand in hand ring around the funeral with giant waving flags blocking them from the sight of the family is the right thing to do.
Personally I'd love to do much much more but giving them thousands of dollars would be the end result and I will not stand for that.