Westboro Baptist Church - Protesting Oklahoman churches

[BadgeBunny]

I am actually surprised that this hasn't happened before now.

While I understand and sympathize greatly, if we let these people get the best of us they will have accomplished their goal.

Unfortunately there are no easy answers here. (Well, actually, there are a couple but they aren't exactly PC ... and in all likelihood not legal either. But danged if they wouldn't be immensely (sp?) gratifying ... )

 

[vvvvvvv]

(Well, actually, there are a couple but they aren't exactly PC ... and in all likelihood not legal either. But danged if they wouldn't be immensely (sp?) gratifying ... )

Send 'em down to a rural area. The good ol' boy network runs the legal system so tight that I doubt you'll find any "witnesses".

 

[Nraman]

Send 'em down to a rural area. The good ol' boy network runs the legal system so tight that I doubt you'll find any "witnesses".

Not the way it works.
http://www.kansas.com/2010/12/03/1616214/faces-5-charges-in-westboro-incident.html

 

[doctruptwn]

Send 'em down to a rural area. The good ol' boy network runs the legal system so tight that I doubt you'll find any "witnesses".

Not the way it works.
http://www.kansas.com/2010/12/03/1616214/faces-5-charges-in-westboro-incident.html

Veggie meat- might be right if this dude was actually in a "Rural area". Wichita is only slightly less liberal than Topeka or Johnson county. Charges seem pretty reasonable to me considering he was apparently impersonating an Officer and carrying concealed without a license.

 

[ignerntbend]

It's all about the price of gasoline. They come down here because it's close.
The Lord won't do a loaves and fishes type miracle for their gas tanks.
Plus, they've gotta be back home to punch the clock at Wally World on Monday morning.

I'm sorry I said that.

 

[311SCV]

Hey yall, NRAman, I would respectfully mention that S.E. Ok is NOTHING like Kansas, or the rest of Ok for that matter. There are still shiners around here, cash croppers, and a lot of towns with only one or two leos. I think Wapanucka is still with out any police. As is Folsom, Kenefic, Pushum, Mead, Caters Corner, Cobb, and a bunch of others. Takes a looong time for the BCS to get where they need to be sometimes. This is a very rural area I know two families that sill have outhouses. and one family on Gobblers Knob Rd. in Mill Creek that live in an 18 ft lodge, have for years. Durant (County seat) doesn't have a very big police force, I think about 18-20, but every once in a while you'll see a DPD car on 70 west with fishing poles sicking out the back winder. Just saying what happens in "yankee" (apologise to the ladies) land, don't apply everywhere else.

 

[AC37]

You know the ironic part about WBC and all the attention they get?

If people just ignored them, they'd would go away.

 

[Nraman]

Hey yall, NRAman, I would respectfully mention that S.E. Ok is NOTHING like Kansas, or the rest of Ok for that matter. There are still shiners around here, cash croppers, and a lot of towns with only one or two leos. I think Wapanucka is still with out any police. As is Folsom, Kenefic, Pushum, Mead, Caters Corner, Cobb, and a bunch of others. Takes a looong time for the BCS to get where they need to be sometimes. This is a very rural area I know two families that sill have outhouses. and one family on Gobblers Knob Rd. in Mill Creek that live in an 18 ft lodge, have for years. Durant (County seat) doesn't have a very big police force, I think about 18-20, but every once in a while you'll see a DPD car on 70 west with fishing poles sicking out the back winder. Just saying what happens in "yankee" (apologise to the ladies) land, don't apply everywhere else.

Look, as much as I support everybody's right to free speech, I don't accept that the right includes going to a funeral and causing emotional trauma to people already in a very vulnerable state, to further one's political agenda.
Unfortunately, as much as these a$$holes deserve it, it will be hard to punish them. You go and beat a couple up, the rest will be more than happy to testify. I wish there was a way, I don't see it.

 

[radarmonkey]

quoted from AC37

"You know the ironic part about WBC and all the attention they get?

If people just ignored them, they'd would go away."

I would like to think that is true, but these people seem to be batsh*t nuts about their "cause". I don't know that they would go away. Where do they get their money from? Cut off the money.....

 

[AC37]

Look, as much as I support everybody's right to free speech, I don't accept that the right includes going to a funeral and causing emotional trauma to people already in a very vulnerable state, to further one's political agenda.
Unfortunately, as much as these a$$holes deserve it, it will be hard to punish them. You go and beat a couple up, the rest will be more than happy to testify. I wish there was a way, I don't see it.

The problem with suppressing 1A rights because some use them unintelligently is for all the problems free expression brings, when free expression and exchange ideas is stopped, sooner or later people are going to start exchanging violence. Numerous historical examples of this playing out could be cited here. The 1A for all of its imperfections is a big part of the reason we live, as a country, in much better overall conditions than much of the rest of the world.

The beauty of the 1st is just like the WBC is free to protest, others are free to counter-protest WBC in turn, such as the Patriot Guard Riders.

A fundamental part of believing in the 1A is accepting that while many will use it for good purposes, others will do not-so-intelligent things with it. You have to take the good with the bad; remember that whatever viewpoints you believe correct (religion, sex, etc.), many others believe you're wrong - vehemently so. IOW; if you accept suppression of the beliefs you find incorrect, sooner or later you're going to find your own viewpoints being suppressed by those who didn't agree with yours and also thought wrong viewpoints shouldn't be protected by the 1A.

Bottom line: you can't force wrong people to be right. You can only find peace in your dealings with them through mutual respect for individual freedom - and maybe in time those others will eventually come to see the error of their ways.