Makes you F***ing sick?

It makes me FUCKING SICK.  I am past horrified.

Fred just wants to be on the news again.  I hope he doesn't get any air time. 

Can't anyone slap a restraining order on this bastard?  When does free speech cross the line into something else?

*SPEECHLESS*  

You know, if he keeps this stupidity up, it's only a matter of time before some pissed off family member kills him and his entire clan in a similar blood bath.

You'd think it would qualify as harrassment. If they want to preach their garbage to their inbred flock from some pressboard pulpit, that's their right. But to specifically target mourners is not simply exercise of free speech.

One day some greiving family member or lifelong aquintance of the deceased at a funeral picketed by the Phelps will snap and go on a killing rampage and waste every last member of that hateful little death cult. Good riddance too. Maybe the police will give him/her a medal.

{EDIT}: Ah, I see Vastet thought the same 

Actually, a brief look at the bible would show that the christian god would in fact do something like this. That's about the only thing these idiots have right. They are shining examples of just how stupid christianity is, by adhering to it better than 95%+ of those who call themselves christian.

In the OT, God kills 42 children by using two bears. If God has no moral objections killing 42 children, what moral objections could it have not to kill around 30 people by using a crazy gunman?

They are a bunch of assholes and douchfaces. Pretty much a cult.

EDIT....I FORGOT TO QUOTE THE ORIGNAL POST... THE FOLLOWING IS AIMED AT THE POSTER WHO'D SUGGEST REACTING TO HATE WITH VIOLENCE. 

You must be a fan of the OT's "eye for an eye" garbage.

You think your attitude is a one way street? There are tons of Christians and Muslims who'd love for us atheists to be arrested but cant because the Constitution affords us the right to say the things we do.

I support your condamnation of Phelps, but in no way will ever advocate violence, even against sickos like him.

I dont wish violence on them. I understand the hate toward them but wishing their suffering the way they wish suffering on others wont ease emotions or end bigotry.

If you want to do something positive I'd suggest donating to future scholarships which will inevitably be set up in the victims names. If you want to show your presence also in a counter protest to them, that would also be postitive. But dont combat their hate by wishing violence on them yourself.

I live in Kansas, about a half hour away from Topeka where phelps as his gang of worthless assholes "worship". He's been a local eyesore since I was in highschool back in the 80's. most people around here have reached the point where we just roll our eyes and ignore him when he pops up, because in case you're unfamiliar with the background story on the scumbag it goes something like this:

phelps and his nutty offspring don't ever go anywhere without video cameras and they love nothing more than confrontation. they happily drag to court anyone and everyone possible for any ridiculous reason they can muster. phelps thrives on the attention. in the last few years local radio and tv stations have learned to stop covering phelps rallies and events. unfortunately the rest of the US is now catering to phelps' massive ego.

here in Kansas we all realize that phelps is a sick, worthless piece of shit, but the more attention he gets the stronger he becomes. his rallies used to just be him and a dozen crazies. now it's five times that size. we all totally support legislation to keep him away from funerals, etc. but it's critical that he stop receiving news coverage. i can't emphasize that enough. 

I signed up for this forum after trolling for many months to post this message.

These people make me sick to my stomach. Not as an atheist, but as a human being. The Westboro Baptist church is a plague upon this nation itself, and should have legal action taken against them for promoting hate crimes.

The funeral of a victim of a terrible massacre like this one is no place for this sort of propagana, however it is protected under the constitution of the United States of America. Something needs to be done about such hate. However, without losing some of our own freedom of expression, this seems very difficult.

My thoughts are with the victims' families and their fellow students. Being a college student here in Indiana, it is easy for me to relate to part of what they're going through. I hope that their faith (if they are theists) or strong support networks (if they aren't) can help them through this time of grief. It is horrific that some people would resort to such violence and harm innocent people.

For the people out there that are more versed in the field of law and legal proceedings, is there anything that can be done? The WBC is stepping over the line here, and I'm sure that athiests and theists alike can agree on this.

EDIT: I think I misused the word "trolling", what I mean to say is that I read the board a lot, first time posting. Just reading and not contributing is considered trolling as well, no? Ah well fuck it. that's what I mean even if I'm using the wrong term.

I believe the term "lurking" is what you're looking for. Trolling is saying inciteful stuff just to get a rise out of people, hit-and-run posting, and such. At any rate, Welcome to the board.

Phelps makes me so SO angry. I want to wish violence on him, but really? I just wish he'd stop. The sad part is that even after he's old and kicks the bucket he has a whole tribe to carry the torch of hatred. When I'm an old woman, I really hope his family has quit this stupid horrendous callous crap.

Yeah, I agree with some of you that violence is not the answer.  Although I would like nothing more than to have these people eradicated from the Earth... I would never want to incite actual harm onto them.  Freedom of speech is freedom of speech after all... but I still think there should be laws that prohibit them from protesting at funerals and such.

the appropriate reaction to this church is utter indifference. phelps isn't worth your energy or anger; it's exactly what he's feeding off of. the worst thing that could ever happen to him is that his ludicrous claims were drowned in anonymity.

Not only did he murder 42 children in a particularly grizzley way (sorry about the pun, but I couldn't help myself), but according to 2KI 2:23-24 he did it at the behest of Elisha, who had been mocked by the children for his baldness. Such a petty thing. Little children behaving like little children, and Elisha is so evil he curses the children in the name of God. Then God goes along with him and has 42 "little children" torn to pieces. This is a particularly good passage to quote to a Christian who tells you that "God is love."

This family/group is so fucked up! 

I didn't know anyone had ever escaped from this freak family.  Good for them!  I wouldn't be surprised if they're suffering some mental or emotional issues after that, though.

Susan, I think you're right.  The Phelps gang has agreed to not protest certain funerals in exchange for publicity.

How close do these people get to the mourners? If they're actually going to the funerals, disrupting them, how is this legal? I can understand protesting an organization, an event, or even the funeral of a controversial figure; but these people are just victims of random violence. I don't understand how this is considered an exercise of free speech rather than libel or harrassment. There's just no decency in this. It's really terrible.

What evidence do you have that he has commited a crime? Saying you hate someone or even a group of people IS NOT illegal.

Some Christians would claim the things said here are promoting hate. Do you want a majority of Christians passing "hate speech" bans. Who do you think the majority would go after first?

Dont shoot yourself in the foot trying to do the right thing. 

Laws allready in place allowing for the arrest for the advocation of physical violence toward others, be threat against a girlfriend or wife or business rival or group of people. The law is the same.

EXAMPLE: "Go kill joe average" Illegal

EXAMPLE: "I hate the absurd claims Christians make" Legal

You cannot honestly look me in the face and tell me that there would not be Christians who would want to ban us from making the second statement if given the chance. 

 I dont however like any law that would suggest that I am not intitled to express my emotions, even emotions others preceive as negitive. I dont want goverment being my thought police. 

 If we value our right to criticise and blaspheme religion, and we do, we must allow others to express their views, even when those views are disgusting, such as those of Phelps. But we cant go around using goverment to force others to like us or never to say mean or offensive things.

Your anger is justified, but I dissagree with your suggestion that goverment censorship as a solution. 

You're right, that there are those who would censor anyone bashing Christianity, or any religion.  I've read such opinions.

 I also agree with you about government censorship.  Freedom of speech is meant to protect offensive speech.  If no one were offended, we would need protection for it.  

 Phelps and his gang are idiots, and I find their actions, opinions, and beliefs vile, but I do believe they have the right to express them.  They are usually required to be a certain distance from the funerals, so they're not right where the funeral attendees are.

They aren't ever allowed on the property of the place where the funeral is occurring. They stand outside, on street corners, whoring for attention. In some jurisdictions, laws have been passed keeping them further away then that. It's the news media that brings them into our living rooms.

I think you mean slander, not libel. And they don't usually make any comments about the deceased that can easily be prooven or disprooven, which means that it's protected. They are just expressing political and religious ideas most of the time, and I am happy to live in a country that allows such freedom. Sure, it's vile, offensive, and rude, but that isn't enough to invoke the law.

I think these people get way more attention then they deserve. It's a marginal group of about 70 people who are mostly related, and with whom almost no one agrees. As a group, they would get tired of the protests if everyone else didn't give their message free advertising each time they did it. It costs them a lot of money.

They never physically attack anyone. Are you saying that they should be responsible for other people attacking them illegally while they are exercising their legal 1st amendment rights? That doesn't seem fair or justified.

It would definitely be censorship to stop them for having these protests.

That groups is called the police, and they are allowed to intervene the moment someone breaks the law.

I'm not even American, but I would gladly go to any place that these faghats were protesting and do anything I could to drowned them out.

You can say, think, believe anything that you want, but to promote hate and taunt the families and victims of such a tragedy with this kind of protest; well, sometimes it makes it hard for me to be a humanist. 

 I'm glad there are groups like the ones you mentioned. And that video really got to me.

My life's dream is to spit in Fred Phelps' face. I wouldn't do it at a protest, I'd go to his church and make sure there were no witnesses when it happened.