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Yes, I thought I would make a thread about this. What nonviolent, fully legal things can we do to Westborrow that will make them disappear? I don't think Ignoring them is going to work, they seem to be getting more news coverage these days, so what are we, the people of the United States of America (and also, the people beyond our borders) going to do?

Unite, say I.

These people make me sick to my stomach with how they can just get away with what they are doing. So, what are the ways we can combat it?

Personally, I think we might be able to do a "Walk for the Damned". You know, spread the word that on April 25th (or some day) everyone "takes up a cross to walk for the souls of the sinners at Westborrow". I bet we could get many a people to get in on it, even those who (like myself) are not catholic/baptist/generally don't beleive in crosses. I think we need to fight Holy Fire with Holy Fire, so to speak. They can't picket all of us, and we would be fully within our rights to do so, due to freedom of speach.

The requirements are simple: Grab a cross of some sort, rosary, actual cross, whatever the heck pleases you, and walk a block/mile/foot/whatever, so as to sacrifice for their sins. Now, I'm not familiar with Baptists, but they beleive in Jesus as the Messiah, yes?

What does Dakka think? Any other ideas, or should we spread the word? But we need to take these people down.

You need to get outside.

Emperors Faithful wrote:You need to get outside.

I'll melt.

Nothing to do but ignore them.

The news shows them because by doing so they get the response that they're after.

To be honest I had to Google Westborrow.
Now I wished I had not.

godhatesfags and godhatesmedia apparently.

Maybe during the baptism hold the haters down for a couple of minutes or more?

Only joking Chibidoesnothatebigots
just really saddened that so called Christians are so full of hate and bile.

n0t_u wrote:Nothing to do but ignore them.

The news shows them because by doing so they get the response that they're after.

I don't know.... Gamescon was pretty successful fighting Fire with Fire. Or at least, one of the Cons were.....

Chibi Bodge-Battle wrote:To be honest I had to Google Westborrow.
Now I wished I had not.

godhatesfags and godhatesmedia apparently.

Maybe during the baptism hold the haters down for a couple of minutes or more?

Only joking Chibidoesnothatebigots
just really saddened that so called Christians are so full of hate and bile.

Aye, it sickens me, too. Like an overaged borrito, these people make my insides hurt.

The difference is that it can be taken as religious discrimination and create more attention for them. A protest against them would see them in the spotlight for a week or two, and they would perhaps sue a few people. I think it was mentioned before that they have a couple of lawyers in the ranks, no doubt they would be waiting for some fuel to spread their message further and faster.

I agree though these people are appalling to the point of near comedic relief.

n0t_u wrote:Nothing to do but ignore them.

The news shows them because by doing so they get the response that they're after.

+1, co sign, etc.

Yes, ignoring them is the best option. Unless they get violent.

Amaya wrote:

n0t_u wrote:Nothing to do but ignore them.

The news shows them because by doing so they get the response that they're after.

+1, co sign, etc.

Yes, ignoring them is the best option. Unless they get violent.

also Agree with the ignoring them vote. they protested outside my daughters high school
a couple of years ago. the school let everyone go home 2 hrs before the permited time
frame was to start. no one around to hear the hate.

i also like the picket of bikers between them and funerals. when they start getting loud,
the bikers just rev their hogs louder.

n0t_u wrote:The difference is that it can be taken as religious discrimination and create more attention for them. A protest against them would see them in the spotlight for a week or two, and they would perhaps sue a few people. I think it was mentioned before that they have a couple of lawyers in the ranks, no doubt they would be waiting for some fuel to spread their message further and faster.

I agree though these people are appalling to the point of near comedic relief.

Could it really be taken as religious discrimination if it is the (near) same religion doing it?

Understand that they're trying to cause you to hate them, and trying to get someone to lash out violently at them so they can sue them by citing their protected right of freedom of speech. This may not be the case with every member of the Westborough Baptist Church, but most of the people running the show are actually accredited lawyers.

The best thing to do is realize this, and ignore them.

Chrysaor686 wrote:Understand that they're trying to cause you to hate them, and trying to get someone to lash out violently at them so they can sue them by citing their protected right of freedom of speech. This may not be the case with every member of the Westborough Baptist Church, but most of the people running the show are actually accredited lawyers.

The best thing to do is realize this, and ignore them.

I do realize this, but what is violent about a peaceful protest?

He means that they want to piss you off so badly that you take a swing at them.

malfred wrote:He means that they want to piss you off so badly that you take a swing at them.

I know, but couldnt' we do the same to them? If these people care even a tiny amount about their religion, having a bunch of people walking around repenting for their sins is going to piss them off really, really badly.

But that, unfortunately, is exactly what they're waiting and hoping for. All it would do is fan the flame and make them more self righteous because they're being "oppressed".

I'm all for removing filth like that from the species, but at best all that can be done is to ignore them until they go away. The real way it could be solved would be to try to get some law made and passed to limit the distance a protest can be from a funeral. Not actually going against the free speech they hide behind.
While they cannot be stopped really, their annoyance can be mitigated however slightly. The real problem is the gakstorm that would likely follow any attempt to do so.

Slarg232 wrote:

malfred wrote:He means that they want to piss you off so badly that you take a swing at them.

I know, but couldnt' we do the same to them? If these people care even a tiny amount about their religion, having a bunch of people walking around repenting for their sins is going to piss them off really, really badly.

They'd look at such a conflict as an opportunity, not a setback.

The point is to ignore them completely (protesting them is still feeding into their nonsense). I seriously doubt that any member of the WBC whole-heartedly believes anything they say, and the fact that people react to it so readily is probably extremely entertaining to them.

There are definitely better ways you can use your right to assemble peacefully. Don't waste your time with them at all, or you'll only serve to keep their true intentions alive.

Like others have said, I think the best response is to get laws in place that prevent them from getting too close to any funerals, and otherwise ignore them. We're a big, tough society, we can handle a few fringe nutters with really hateful ideas.

They're basically a cult built on an unsustainable level of hostility towards everything that isn't them, so sooner or later the whole thing'll collapse. Hopefully sooner.

Always remember Rule #2: Don't drink and post

Slarg232 wrote:Laws don't work, no one really pays attention to most of ttehm anywya. Hell, you can't even get the cops up here to look at fething bloody antlers in your front yard. or the traffic cones set up around your driveway. or even the god damn broken fence with a direct trail leading STRAIGHT TO THE fething CULPRITS HOUSE.

Petty burglary really isn't the same thing as the media circus that is the Westboro Baptists.

sebster wrote:

Slarg232 wrote:Laws don't work, no one really pays attention to most of ttehm anywya. Hell, you can't even get the cops up here to look at fething bloody antlers in your front yard. or the traffic cones set up around your driveway. or even the god damn broken fence with a direct trail leading STRAIGHT TO THE fething CULPRITS HOUSE.

Petty burglary really isn't the same thing as the media circus that is the Westboro Baptists.

But if the damn small things don't matter, does anything?

Slarg232 wrote:But if the damn small things don't matter, does anything?

Philosophically or practically?

I'm not too sure about the former, but I do know that with the latter... well where there's media coverage there'll be police enforcing the law, so for the purposes of stopping Westboro at funerals, it's very likely that any drafted law will be enforced.

Ignore them in the main.

However, seeing as they exist primarily for litigation, I would have a go at suing them back and drag a whole bunch of expensive and tedious suits through the courts to drain their resources.

You could always shoot them at range with an unregisterd hunting rifle. Pick a good vantage point then let one of the older ones have it threw the neck, not to kill, just to maim. While they are panicing you pack up your stuff and quietly leave the place grinning like a cat that has a cream flovoured a$$
You don't need to kill them, you just need to make them ...aware of their mortaly...off course, this is just a hyperthetical situation

FOR THE RECORD: ADVOCATING OR SUPPORTING VIOLENCE AGAINST ANY REAL PERSON IS FORBIDDEN ON DAKKA.

Slarg232 wrote:Yes, I thought I would make a thread about this. What nonviolent, fully legal things can we do to Westborrow that will make them disappear? I don't think Ignoring them is going to work, they seem to be getting more news coverage these days, so what are we, the people of the United States of America (and also, the people beyond our borders) going to do?

Unite, say I.

These people make me sick to my stomach with how they can just get away with what they are doing. So, what are the ways we can combat it?

Personally, I think we might be able to do a "Walk for the Damned". You know, spread the word that on April 25th (or some day) everyone "takes up a cross to walk for the souls of the sinners at Westborrow". I bet we could get many a people to get in on it, even those who (like myself) are not catholic/baptist/generally don't beleive in crosses. I think we need to fight Holy Fire with Holy Fire, so to speak. They can't picket all of us, and we would be fully within our rights to do so, due to freedom of speach.

The requirements are simple: Grab a cross of some sort, rosary, actual cross, whatever the heck pleases you, and walk a block/mile/foot/whatever, so as to sacrifice for their sins. Now, I'm not familiar with Baptists, but they beleive in Jesus as the Messiah, yes?

What does Dakka think? Any other ideas, or should we spread the word? But we need to take these people down.

They need a gay pride parade circling wherever this supposed church is.

We should pool our resources and hire some people to... take care of them... ¬.¬

One workable solution is to create laws that forbid protests within a certain radius of a funeral. Four states have already passed such laws.
This can be problematical with regards to funeral procession routes, and protests unrelated to or not proven to be related to funerals.

This allows the Westboro scum to exercise their First Amendment right while protecting against the worst of their activities.

I would look on the bright side here, the Westboro lot are a tolerance test on the whole of US society, and your nation has visibly come out winners on this. We hear of no attempts to kill the Phelp's or firebomb their 'church'. They are allowed to protest virulent crap without being attacked and the countermeasures like the Freedom riders work well.

Phelps has inadvertently done more to raise the issues of societal tolerance than just about any other protest group by being a walking object lesson in bigotry and a negative rallying symbol for many otherwise opposed groups.

Its as simple as this.


Shoot a few "doctored" emails to extremist groups like Al Qaeda, showing how much they HATE Islam and think they are all heathens. Then one more "doctored" photo of them making fun of Muhammad


Then we wait. Those Westboro nuts wont see it coming

Neither will whoever sends the picture mocking Muhammad.

Can we declare them terrorists and have them all systematically shipped to prison for terrorism?