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Yes the supreme court made the correct decision. But what people need to do is form their own group and start protesting against Fred Phelps. Fight fire with fire.
Its a great day for free speech and free religion. Though just about everyone can admit the Westboro message is disgusting, banning it would only open the door to ban other unpopular political or religious movements. Its a slippery slope that would be very dangerous for the survival of the First Amendment and freedom in America. I applaud the Supreme Court's decision.
P.S. If you want to stop the Westboro Church...COMPLETELY and TOTALLY IGNORE them. What they want is attention. If their message is falling on deaf ears, they will go away. Its that simple.
I agree ......ignoring them will help, but when they protest at funerals...I think the current approach will eventually deter them and they will go away.....you cannot completely ignore them during a funeral....without some help from The Angels, Patriot Guard and similar groups....who I applaud!
What she's getting at is as Hitler rose to power no one seemed to stand up. Not the Churches, not the traditions of justice they had practiced for centuries. People ignored the law and let it all happen.
The same thing can be said for Equal Gay rights...IF anything some churches stir up the hatred and trouble with their rhetoric....so I fail to see your point....remember the Spanish Inquisitation....the Salem Witch Trials and the persecution and imprisonment of Gallileo.......all done by the Church in the name of religion.
Here's Mr. Snyder's comment following the outrageous SCOTUS decision. He pretty much says what I did a few pages back. What do the eight justices care? It's not like they'll ever have scum like Phelps [i]descerating their families' memorial services....
The decision shocked Snyder. "It's easy for eight Justices to sit up there and take away your privacy rights when they'll never have to worry about that," he says. "No one will get three, five or 1,000 feet away from the funeral of anybody in their family. So it has no effect on them. It has no effect on the politicians, no effect on the celebrities. It has an effect on us, the everyday people. And now Westboro can pretty much do and say and act however they want. And there's not a damn thing anybody can do."
Ignoring them is totally absurd: you have to saliently disagree with the Fred Phelps group if you want to make movement here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PITTSTON2SARASOTA
I agree ......ignoring them will help, but when they protest at funerals...I think the current approach will eventually deter them and they will go away.....you cannot completely ignore them during a funeral....without some help from The Angels, Patriot Guard and similar groups....who I applaud!
Yes the supreme court made the correct decision. But what people need to do is form their own group and start protesting against Fred Phelps. Fight fire with fire.
This is what has been going on since the beginning and this is what they want. The only way to deter them is to completely ignore them or completely block their audience's view i.e. the Patriot Guard. The counter protests do nothing but give them the attention and the spotlight they want.
How do you know it's public attention that drives their behaviors? Unfortunately, the gays do not have a NAACP or LULAC type group to go out on road trips and protest against the Fred Phelps group. The gays are just way too silent IMHO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bchris02
This is what has been going on since the beginning and this is what they want. The only way to deter them is to completely ignore them or completely block their audience's view i.e. the Patriot Guard. The counter protests do nothing but give them the attention and the spotlight they want.
What they don't have the right to do is, the close proximity to disturb the dead.
no closer than 800 yards, to the actual grave site, would be a fair distance.
How do you know it's public attention that drives their behaviors? Unfortunately, the gays do not have a NAACP or LULAC type group to go out on road trips and protest against the Fred Phelps group. The gays are just way too silent IMHO.
What do you propose? At nearly every Westboro event there is a large counter-protest group waving rainbow flags shouting messages back across the street at them.
Fred Phelps is not a threat to gay rights. If anything his group is the one thing that can unite liberals and conservatives in favor of tolerance. The real threat to gay rights are politicians like Mike Huckabee and Jim Forrester and their evangelical base, the people who actually have the power to legally oppress homosexuals.
Each city can organize its own group to counter-protest whenever Westboro decides to arrive on the scene. No rainbow flags or shouting are necessary. Picket signs and peaceful people dressed in business casual are sufficient enough.
How does Mike Huckabee and Forrester have the power to oppress gays?
Quote:
Originally Posted by bchris02
What do you propose? At nearly every Westboro event there is a large counter-protest group waving rainbow flags shouting messages back across the street at them.
Fred Phelps is not a threat to gay rights. If anything his group is the one thing that can unite liberals and conservatives in favor of tolerance. The real threat to gay rights are politicians like Mike Huckabee and Jim Forrester and their evangelical base, the people who actually have the power to legally oppress homosexuals.
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