Group To Protest At National Firefighters Memorial Service

[AFS1970 504]

While ignoring them might well be the best option we have available, they can not be ignored for one main reason; the liberal media loves to publicize the lunatic fringe which they will portray as the mainstream of conservative politics. This is why this group has been able to gain so much notoriety. They started protesting military funerals simply because they know that the news is always there, and if the family, the military or any veterans groups counter protest it just serves to bring more attention on them. The idea of protesting Firefighter funerals seems like a new spin on this tactic but it is the same old game for them.

As for them being national, they have certainly shown up at a large amount of events, but I have to wonder just how nationwide they really are. They may have 1 or 2 members in a given state but are probably strongest in only a handful of states, and travel to high profile events. I doubt their numbers or sphere of influence is really as high as they claim.

However they are not really all that terroristic, they are protesting and a great deal of people disagree with them, but so far they have not attempted to threaten the masses or alter the way the entire population goes about our daily life. I object to any comparison between them and Al Qaeda simply because it downplays the true evil that is islamic terrorism. Christianity does not advocate conversion by force or threat of death, so there is absolutely no correlation between islam and Christianity.

[Guest]

Yea for those who dont know this group theyve been protesting for a long time now. Unbelievable that theyve been doing this for years before Iraq and 9/11 and have gotten away with it all this time. There trash and in any other country they would be imprisioned at best, in a muslim nation this protesting would last all of about 5 mins. If the day ever comes that they need FF's at their church hopefully the rig breaks down at the house.

Edited October 2, 2007 by illinidorry

[Future Fireman 4]

Yea for those who dont know this group theyve been protesting for a long time now. Unbelievable that theyve been doing this for years before Iraq and 9/11 and have gotten away with it all this time. There trash and in any other country they would be imprisioned at best, in a muslim nation this protesting would last all of about 5 mins. If the day ever comes that they need FF's at their church hopefully the rig breaks down at the house.

Hey, what about the poor fire department that has to pay to fix it???

As for these nut jobs, where's fate when you need it?

Mike

[sr71 1]

Someone should tell Curtis Sliwa, after his speach at the tunnel to towers run i think he could help

[10-Buff-4 0]

This group is absolutely disgusting. I'm all in favor of the First Amendment, but this group abuses it. I concur BTW, how about a gay couple right in front of them?

And speaking of which, they have been assailed. You Tube them. They were assailed in Delaware. Part of the problem is one of their "elders" is a lawyer. Ah well.

-Joe DA BUFF

[Guest pentax02839]

so was this group there at the memorial service,this past weekend?

[ryefd192 2]

These people are completely screwed in the head. It is amazing how many people can be completely ignorant of what these nuts are doing. I have been a member of a group on facebook against these people for a while and I encourage any other people in this forum who are on any sort of social networking site to create or join groups against these people and hopefully we can find a way to do something about this problem without violating anyone's rights.....

P.S. I would also like to know what happened this past weekend, if they showed or not.

[Guest partyrock]

Excellent News!!

http://www.reuters.com/article/middleeastC...s/idUSN31359950

By Jon Hurdle

BALTIMORE, Oct 31 (Reuters) - A jury on Wednesday ordered an anti-gay Kansas church to pay $10.9 million in damages to relatives of a U.S. Marine who died in Iraq after church members cheered his death at his funeral.

Church members said Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder's death was God's punishment of America for tolerating homosexuality, and they attended his 2006 funeral in Maryland with signs saying "You're going to hell" and "God hates you."

The federal jury determined the Westboro Baptist Church, based in Topeka, and three of its principals invaded the privacy of the dead man's family and inflicted emotional distress.

Albert Snyder, the Marine's father, testified that his son was not gay, but the church targeted the military as a symbol of America's tolerance of gays. Matthew Snyder died in combat in Iraq in March 2006.

The jury awarded Snyder's family $2.9 million in compensatory damages plus $8 million in punitive damages in the first civil suit against the church, which has demonstrated at some 300 military funerals the past two years.

The lawsuit said church Web sites vilified U.S. soldiers, accusing them of being indoctrinated by "fag propaganda."

"I hope it's enough to deter them from doing this to other families. It was not about the money. It was about getting them to stop," said Snyder, of York, Pennsylvania.

The church, which is unaffiliated with any major denomination, is headed by Rev. Fred Phelps, who has led a campaign against homosexuality for years. Most of the estimated 70 members of the church belong to his extended family.

"It will take the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals a few minutes to reverse this silly thing," Phelps said.

His daughter and co-defendant, Shirley Phelps-Roper, vowed to continue protesting military funerals and called the court's decision a blow against free speech.

Outside court on Wednesday, Phelps and his children waved placards with slogans such as "Pray for more dead kids" and "God hates fag enablers," while passing drivers and pedestrians shouted abuse at them.

Defense attorney Jonathan Katz urged jurors not to award punitive damages because the $2.9 million in compensatory damages was already three times the defendants' net worth.

"It's enough already to bankrupt them and financially destroy them," Katz said.

Craig Trebilcock, an attorney for Snyder, said jurors should award sufficient punitive damages to deter Westboro from repeating its actions.

[Capejake72 8]

there have been several veterans motorcycle clubs that show up opposite these wackos and counter protest them, and also serve as an honor guard and protect the families..

the thing about this church is its all one family, around 70 people, many of them are lawyers, and they make money by suing anyone who affronts them in anyway, so hopefully this countersuit will inspire more, and, will break them.