Althouse: Westboro Baptists bring their signs and songs to Madison...

October 8, 2011

Westboro Baptists bring their signs and songs to Madison...

... and encounter some different types of opponents, caught here on video by Meade. (Edited by me, with added text.)

46 comments:

Fred4Pres said...: Clash of the Titans (of suck); 10/8/11, 2:38 PM
Tyrone Slothrop said...: There's something universal about the need to have the goods. The less secure you are in your own value, the more outlandish your secret knowledge has to be. This is so widespread, I don't think anyone is exempt. I'm engaging in it by writing this. This has made me so cynical that I refuse to believe in conspiracies even if they may be true. To some, it is expressly the outlandishness of their beliefs that convinces them of its truth. It is confirmation of the acuteness of their vision. This is the only explanation I can come up with for nutjobs like the Westboro nutjobs.; 10/8/11, 2:54 PM
edutcher said...: Frankly, I prefer the bikers who'd like to go Fist City with the Westboro crowd.

I have to say, though, I was surprised at how they were very cool about the whole thing.

PS The V mask is really getting old.; 10/8/11, 2:58 PM
Chip S. said...: "bring their signs and songs"... nice turn of phrase.

Haven't watched the video yet. Did they chant in a singsong manner?; 10/8/11, 3:00 PM
Anonymous said...: I feel sick to my stomach after watching that. I have someone I love very much serving in Afghanistan and I think if I would be there I would've gotten arrested. What a sick sick bunch of haters. To hate gays , soldiers and anyone who disagrees with them that much is mind boggling.; 10/8/11, 3:05 PM
Sal said...: So which one was Garage? The give-the-finger guy?; 10/8/11, 3:17 PM
Irene said...: It's illegal to stand in the street? On the median? She grasps and then mumbles something about "disorder."; 10/8/11, 3:22 PM
Irene said...: oops

"... mumbled something about 'obstruction.' It's 'illegal'."; 10/8/11, 3:24 PM
Bill said...: I think the anti-WBC protestors need to find someone who's great at Photoshop and make a picture of Margie Phelps and one of her daughts having sex with each other. Think of how wrong it would be on so many levels!

Boy, would it be fantastic.; 10/8/11, 3:29 PM
caseym54 said...: I wonder what you could do in their presence that they would find as offensive?; 10/8/11, 3:30 PM
caseym54 said...: BTW, is the Fighting Words doctrine dead? If a dozen men stopped their cars and came over and beat the crap out of these folks, would a jury in Madison convict?; 10/8/11, 3:35 PM
Meade said...: If you google "Westboro Baptist Church," you'll find a lot, including incidents of violence by counter protest groups.; 10/8/11, 3:37 PM
Chip S. said...: Thanks for the video, Meadehouse. It's one thing to see stills of these people, quite another to listen to them.

As for that cop--They do seem to target the people likeliest to comply and look the other way when enforcing the law might be a little bit taxing.; 10/8/11, 3:38 PM
Jason (the commenter) said...: Has any group done as much to help the perception of gays amongst conservatives than the Westboro Baptist Church?; 10/8/11, 3:38 PM
traditionalguy said...: The wrath of God is their theme. That makes them a carbon copy of the Muslims.

Grace by the blood sacrifice of Jesus is missing from their spiel.

They are Mobys to the Christians.; 10/8/11, 3:42 PM
Meade said...: Thanks, Chip S. I have a lot of respect and sympathy for the police. They do their best to keep peace while citizens are pushing up against many lines. I try to comply without giving up any of my rights.; 10/8/11, 3:42 PM
Curious George said...: "MarkG said...
So which one was Garage? The give-the-finger guy?"

That's my guess. "I Tappa Kegga"

Heh.; 10/8/11, 3:42 PM
ndspinelli said...: Al "Just Win Baby" Davis died @ age 82. Maybe some of the Raider Nation madmen could get the Westboro folks minds right as a tribute to a former great NFL owner, turned curmudgeon in his later years; 10/8/11, 3:43 PM
Meade said...: "They are Mobys to the Christians."

Well put, trad.; 10/8/11, 3:43 PM
Palladian said...: "To hate gays , soldiers and anyone who disagrees with them that much is mind boggling."

Don't let your emotions cloud your judgment; that's exactly what the Phelps colony is trying to incite. Theirs is not a theological scheme, but a revenue-generating one. I'd be surprised if they even really believed in God. Their purpose is to make money off of litigation stemming from any incidents they cause with their calculated provocations, all of it tax-exempt since they're a "church".

Hate is not the motivation. Religious doctrine is not the motivation. Money is the motivation.; 10/8/11, 3:49 PM
Fred4Pres said...: In his pathetic self loathing, Fred Phelps helps people accept gays (by people empathizing to the targets of hate).; 10/8/11, 3:52 PM
Kirby Olson said...: The first amendment says we ought to tolerate extremes. So let's tolerate extremes.; 10/8/11, 3:52 PM
Anonymous said...: They are also Mobys to Democrats, as someone pointed out that Fred Phelps was a Democrat.He also calls himself a Baptist.; 10/8/11, 3:54 PM
Chip S. said...: @Palladian--I find that explanation oddly comforting.

Grifters I can understand. The people they're pretending to be are incomprehensible.; 10/8/11, 3:54 PM
Fred4Pres said...: Money is definitely a motivation but it is not the only motivation for the Phelps family.; 10/8/11, 3:55 PM
edutcher said...: Jason (the commenter) said...

Has any group done as much to help the perception of gays amongst conservatives than the Westboro Baptist Church?

Dan Savage?

Actually, I don't think too many Conservatives are won over to the "Gay Is Good" side by this nonsense.

Most of them just hate the Westboro crowd for desecrating the funerals of men who deserved a little respect when laid to rest.; 10/8/11, 3:57 PM
Palladian said...: "Most of them just hate the Westboro crowd for desecrating the funerals of men who deserved a little respect when laid to rest."

Unlike those dirty fags who deserve all the derision they get during their funerals, eh ed?; 10/8/11, 4:14 PM
caseym54 said...: I see that in one reported case, the counter-protesters included Klansmen. So, I guess Phelps is a unifier, not a divider.; 10/8/11, 4:36 PM
Anonymous said...: Posting about Westboro only helps them. They were old news years ago.

Without media oxygen, they would wither away. Instead, the media (old & new) consistently indulge Westboro, propagating their vile rhetoric. There's no real news left here- but sensationalism & page views rule the day.

Althouse, you're part of the problem here.; 10/8/11, 4:37 PM
edutcher said...: Palladian said...

"Most of them just hate the Westboro crowd for desecrating the funerals of men who deserved a little respect when laid to rest."

Unlike those dirty fags who deserve all the derision they get during their funerals, eh ed?

Cute.

Actually, I was just commenting on Jason's wishful thinking about how the Westboro crowd was affecting Conservatives.

I wasn't aware the Westboro crowd did homosexual funerals. And I don't believe they do.; 10/8/11, 5:17 PM
Jason (the commenter) said...: edutcher: Actually, I was just commenting on Jason's wishful thinking about how the Westboro crowd was affecting Conservatives.

No, you re-interpreted my words so you'd have reason to disagree with them. Just as Palladian did with yours.; 10/8/11, 5:22 PM
Palladian said...: ed, honey, I know you're a bit slow, but the Phelps colony made their name, so to speak, by picketing Matthew Shepard's funeral in 1998.; 10/8/11, 5:24 PM
Jason (the commenter) said...: A string of numbers: Posting about Westboro only helps them. They were old news years ago.

I can't agree that it ONLY helps them.

Covering the Westboro Baptist Church gives them the attention they want, but since they have a poisonous message, it also turns the public against their point of view.

Other than people like edutcher, of course, who claims to be completely insensitive to any of this.; 10/8/11, 5:30 PM
edutcher said...: Jason (the commenter) said...

edutcher: Actually, I was just commenting on Jason's wishful thinking about how the Westboro crowd was affecting Conservatives.

No, you re-interpreted my words so you'd have reason to disagree with them. Just as Palladian did with yours.

I commented on what he wrote. If he doesn't like it being rebutted, that's show biz.

Palladian said...

ed, honey, I know you're a bit slow, but the Phelps colony made their name, so to speak, by picketing Matthew Shepard's funeral in 1998.

No, dear, they didn't.

Most people never heard of them until they started picketing servicemen's funerals.

You guys really do live in your own little world.; 10/8/11, 5:33 PM
Peter Hoh said...: Jason: Has any group done as much to help the perception of gays amongst conservatives than the Westboro Baptist Church?

I think that HRC should give Fred Phelps a lifetime achievement award, but I don't think he's changed minds -- other than to create a negative stereotype about people who don't like gay people.

Family members who come out are probably the single biggest reason that conservatives -- and liberals -- change their mind about gays.; 10/8/11, 5:57 PM
Peter Hoh said...: Edutcher, I can't be sure, but I think that, at the time, protesting at Matthew Shepard's funeral got them the most publicity they had ever received up to that point.

For a while, it seemed that they were just picking funerals at which their would be media -- the funeral of Fred Rogers, for instance. I seem to recall them protesting (or just threatening to protest at) at the funerals for four or five college students who died in a fire in a college town in western Wisconsin.

And then they hit on the idea of protesting at military funerals. That was a big attention draw for a while. Seems less so, as time has drawn on and people have become more savvy in response to the Phelps clan.; 10/8/11, 6:05 PM
Anonymous said...: "…Covering the Westboro Baptist Church gives them the attention they want, but since they have a poisonous message, it also turns the public against their point of view…"

But the public is already against their point of view. And whatever tiny sliver is not, covering Westboro will not change anything.

When you let these provocateurs provoke you, you're playing their game, and serving their purpose.; 10/8/11, 6:12 PM
Palladian said...: "Shepard funeral put Westboro Baptist Church on national map"

Google News: Search for "Matthew Shepard Westboro Baptist" in 1998; 10/8/11, 6:34 PM
David said...: Hate the sin, love the sinner?

Not these folks.

The common thread between the Westboro gang and the extreme left wing protestors seems to be their hatred of those they believe to be wrong. We've seen where that leads at the extreme--mass extermination; 10/8/11, 6:37 PM
Jason (the commenter) said...: A string of numbers:
But the public is already against their point of view. And whatever tiny sliver is not, covering Westboro will not change anything.

Most people in America are straight (and conservative) and haven't had any firsthand experience with the bad things which can happen to gay people. The Westboro Baptist Church gets these people to take off their blinders. It literally groups them with gays and calls them "faggots" and "fag lovers".

Things which might used to have been something to joke about suddenly become serious, and characteratures become feeling people.; 10/8/11, 6:38 PM
Jason (the commenter) said...: Peter Hoh: Family members who come out are probably the single biggest reason that conservatives -- and liberals -- change their mind about gays.

I agree completely. But while they affect a few, deeply, the Westboro Baptist Church affects many, slightly. Although I suppose the people being protested might be affected very deeply as well.; 10/8/11, 6:46 PM
rcocean said...: You have to admit they can carry a tune.; 10/8/11, 7:37 PM
MrCharlie2 said...: they need a parody of "Into the Air Junior Birdmen"; 10/8/11, 7:46 PM
Anonymous said...: "… The Westboro Baptist Church gets [straight and conservative Americans] to take off their blinders…"

I could not possibly disagree more.

Westboro publicly rejoices in the destruction of the World Trade Center, IED deaths, etc. This is provocation; designed to enrage, not enlighten — and if you scan this thread (or others) you'll see that this is indeed the effect it has.

Not only that, Westboro is leveraged by progressive and anti-religious groups to smear everything to the right of them. Not sure how familiar you are w/Europe, but many there see Westboro coverage and accept that it's manifesting a significant trend in the American population, instead of being the isolated cult that it is.

Westboro has become a brand name for hatred, and with each new article/post, its brand equity increases.

We need to cut off its oxygen, instead of being, in effect, its collaborators.; 10/8/11, 10:33 PM
Anonymous said...: PS- my friends call me "814."; 10/8/11, 10:43 PM
J Allen said...: @ Meade - next time stay in the cross walk, the cop would have to warn the drivers to watch out for you then.

@814 - spot on.

Thought - what kind of real chaos would ensue if someone released a honey badger in their midst? Your aha moment will come once you watch the honey badger video.; 10/8/11, 10:49 PM