Westboro Cult to protest Sandy Hook victims funerals....

If you don't know who the Westboro Baptist Church is just do a simple search and you will find that they are the idiots who go protest the funerals of soldiers and hold up hateful signs like "God hates F*gs" and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers". They are not actual Baptists or Christians in any real sense. They are an extremist cult and they like to believe that they are the only people on earth who are going to heaven while the rest of us go to hell.

I learned more about these people recently just surfing the web. After the Sandy Hook tragedy I briefly thought to myself that surely the Westboro people will leave this alone. I mean they have done some ridiculous crap in the past but come on, surely they wouldn't picket the funerals of all of these children. Well unfortunately I was wrong. These sick people think that the shooter was sent by God to kill those children/adults. So they are going to take their hateful signs and find a place to go try to get attention.

Freedom of speech is important in the USA but seriously we need to have some common sense. Just because we have freedom to say what we want doesn't mean we should have the right to go near to someones funeral and hold up a sign that is an attempt to anger the families of the deceased. We need better laws. Some states have made laws to keep the Westboro people a certain distance from a funeral but I just don't think that its enough.

If anyone is interested there are some petitions online against Westboro that I will try to find and link to this thread.

Also its somewhat interesting that the hacker ground Anonymous heard about Westboro's intent to picket at Sandy hook and have posted a message of their intent to take Westboro down online.

links incoming.....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/16/westboro-baptist-church-picket-connecticut-school-shooting_n_2312186.html

(News article announcing Westboro's anouncement)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHLQTB00j3E

(Anonymous message)

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/legally-recognize-westboro-baptist-church-hate-group/DYf3pH2d

(Petition to Legally recognize the Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group)

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2056613,00.html

(Snyder vs. Westboro case)

(post lightly edited by Charan for clarity.)

Totally agree!

We have a different sort of society in Australia. The people concerned wouldn't get to the funeral (Accidents DO happen and there'd be an amazing lack of witnesses). But then, we're pretty old fashioned about this sort of thing in the bush.

Bring on the petitions!

I couldn't help but find it funny when I first heard that the KKK distanced themselves from Westboro because they are too hateful....

LOL

I'm Australian and I signed that petition the moment I saw it, and encouraged all of my friends to do the same. The Westboro Baptist Church is completely toxic.

Enough said.

So you did you sign it before this thread or after? Just curious.

I didn't know about it until I saw your post. May I have a link to the petition please?

It's a touchy scenario, no doubt about it. Personally, hearing what this group does makes me sick to my stomach. I served in the military, I know friends and elderly family who have served and/or died serving my country, the US, and I don't care if two people of the same sex choose to find love with another. The idea that some group protests in such a rude fashion is just repulsive to me.

With that said though, I have this to say even though it might be a bit cliché, and some may not like it....

"I may not like what you have to say, but I will defend your right to say it".

A similar quote that is along the same lines...

"It is the soldier, who salutes the flag,
Who serves under the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag."

Powerful stuff, indeed. The point is, even though we don't always like what others do, we must also respect their right to do it as long as it is within the letter of the law.

Now with that said, I'm off to sign the petition.

I can't sign the White House petition because I'm not an American, but I've signed the one at

https://www.change.org/petitions/prevent-the-westboro-baptist-church-from-protesting-sandy-hook-funerals#

Sorry but no. As evil and disgusting as the Westboro creeps are, I refuse to sign something to further this tragedy by limiting their freedom of speech in any way. Remember the patriot act everyone went insane over? This is the same concept. Taking a tragedy and using it to limit any freedom we have just deepens the tragedy. Honestly in my opinion the aforementioned Australian solution is preferable to this.