Westboro Baptist Church is thwarted!

[Chefodeath]

*sigh* This is exactly what the WBC wants. I expect to hear about a major law suit being lodged against the town of Rankin. Violating the freedom of speech of anyone - even those with deplorable messages - is unconstitutional.

Then maybe your total freedom of speech needs to be updated. Excluding the Phelps entirely would be a good update.

You Americans and your total freedom of speech. If they can't take a punch in the jaw for saying it, then they shouldn't say it

America is filled with backwards rednecks who would get Darwin kicked out of high school biology if they could. We need as much protection from the tyranny of the majority as we can get.

 

[Iron Lightning]

No one should have the right to slander the recently deceased, I don't care if it is protected constitutionally...

Laws don't matter if you don't like them?

AWESOME

Give me your wallet.

I have the right to say anything? ok, so I have the right to call you a ****** faced fuck head without being banned, as it's in the constitution that I can say whatever the fuck I want no matter how shit headed. ...no, it isn't you can express yourself to a degree, not go on a totally biased rant about how mexicans and gays are ruining everything and that americans deserves to die for allowing either to live, that's crossing a line. These are people who are purposefully being assholes in public, I can't walk around saying "Blacks are murderous thieves!" at the top of my lungs, cause it's racists, and these guys are doing basically the same damn thing to homosexuals, which offends me on a personal level, as I'm BIsexual.

Yes, you do have the right to say that. You can be banned from The Escapist for saying that because The Escapist is a private enterprise that has some degree of freedom to enforce its own rules. However, you do have the right to say whatever you like as long as it's not a direct threat or something that unnecessarily endangers the public (e.g. shouting "fire" in a crowded theater when no fire exists in the theater.) You have every right to go around shouting "Blacks are murderous thieves!" at the top of your lungs. Feelings are not protected by the constitution.

I'm sorry that you're offended on a personal level, but just remember that the best way to deal with people like this is to ignore them. If you give them grounds to sue you, your just helping further their cause.

 

[Burningsok]

DAMN... I'm reading all these comments and each side has got some good points. I'm torn...

I guess in order to have free speech we got to deal with the assholes... It's a price we have to pay, but overall it's freakin worth it.

Also, when the WBC shows disrespect, you respond by showing respect and leading by example. They get no gratification and no opportunity to sue. If they do decide to threaten or even physically harm you, all you need to do is counter with IRONY... which means sue their asses

 

[ProtonGuy]

The tactical brilliance of the plot to thwart these twats is amazing. I vote we make trophies and personally deliver them to all involved in the plot to stop these genetic rejects of Westboro church.

 

[Danpascooch]

Haha, well done Rankin County. Apart from the guy that got assaulted, this was a pretty smart, non violent way of dealing with these guys. Unfortunately the Church will just view it as persecution against them.

Wait... this is persecution against them.

I think it was a smart, and awesome move, but still, it's totally persecution against them.

 

[Callate]

You completely countermand yourself there. You can't be "all for free speech," and then turn around and say you want some speech limited

Only if one has an extremely black-and-white view. As I believe I mentioned, one can make a case that a point is reached when words cease to be speech, i.e. the communication of ideas and becomes assault, that is, an act whose principal purpose is to inflict injury.

there some things you cannot say: You wish to harm the President; that you will harm someone else, as well as bullying people; and some other instances I can't think of currently.

I'm aware of that. The common example is "you can't yell 'Fire!' in a crowded theater." Would you suggest that someone who favored such a thing also "completely countermanded themselves" if they said they were all for free speech?

And if so, is there any point to such an assertion?

 

[Danpascooch]

Here's my take.

Yes they broke the law, but I think they did the right thing.

I think they need to be penalized under the law because the First Amendment must be upheld, but they definitely still did the right thing and I hope they think their actions were still worth it despite the penalty when all is through

 

[crhoades]

wait, I dont really know that much about the WBC but why would they protest this guys funeral.if someone could explain it I would appreciate it.oh also good job to those guys of rankin county if you guys are reading this god bless you guys.these WBC people give all christians a bad name.

 

[pwnzerstick]

Why can't the WBC do a protest in Berkeley, where I live so that I can join in a counter-protest. After all, its got everything they hate: gays, hippies, acceptance of all religions, and science.

 

[IAmWright777]

As a Mississippi resident, I'm happy to see this. I've always wondered what would happen if they tried anything like that in my county. Hopefully, it'd be similar to this.

 

[IAmWright777]

wait, I dont really know that much about the WBC but why would they protest this guys funeral.if someone could explain it I would appreciate it.oh also good job to those guys of rankin county if you guys are reading this god bless you guys.these WBC people give all christians a bad name.

If I'm correct (I might have some details off) they protest the funerals of soldiers because these men died for a country that, and I quote, "is full of fags." I hesitate to even acknowledge their claims of being the same faith as me. Anyways, I wish I could give more details.

 

[agafaba]

If I'm correct (I might have some details off) they protest the funerals of soldiers because these men died for a country that, and I quote, "is full of fags." I hesitate to even acknowledge their claims of being the same faith as me. Anyways, I wish I could give more details.

they claim that because we should celebrate in all of gods decisions that we should celebrate when he decides to take the life of a soldier. they also claim that god is taking their lives due to our acceptance of gays, atheism and sexuality in general.

 

[Corporal Yakob]

I will never cease to be amazed how many people will defend scum under the pretense that they deserve the right to act like slanderous filth-freedom of speech and freedom to protest should not protect you if you go to funerals of soldiers who gave their lives for their countries and call them fags who got what was coming to them.

As for the community who fought back against the WBC pricks-good for you!

 

[BrownGaijin]

Having no one to aid you after a savage beating is what we call karma. Everything else is what we call "working the loopholes". While I'm sure that the WBC is not going to take this lying down, I commend the people of the county for having the brains and the balls for working the system.

As far as I'm concerned, WBC got a little taste of their own medicine. Let's see if they can follow through.

 

[OutforEC]

I hate the WBC but why do people say a bunch of criminal bikers (some who have probably murdered, beaten their wives, and go rough around the law and cause trouble and be douchebags when people just want them to be out of their sight?) are better than them yet the WBC actually thinks what they are doing is right and cause less anarchy?

Likely because normally people go by what a group has done or is doing rather than, as you put it, what they "have probably" done.

 

[TriGGeR_HaPPy]

Haha! Kudos to Rankin for this, really. Perfectly handled.

 

[busterkeatonrules]

As ardently as I disagree with their message they DO have every right to say it.

Technically, that's correct, but we should keep in mind that there's a time and place for everything. When the WBC decides to spread their message of hate at the funeral of a soldier, where his friends and family are gathered to say a final farewell to him, that's not the WBC exercising their freedom of speech. It's the WBC being a bunch of disrespectful pricks.

In conclusion: Well done, people of Rankin, Mississippi!

 

[MrSnugglesworth]

Spitting on the casket of a dead soldier is one of the most vile acts that a person can commit. Bravo to Rankin, MS for putting WBC in their place.

I must quote this for all of the truth that it contains. I hope nothing happens to Rankin for technically breaking the first amendment because that would make me very sad.

Breaking the first amendment?


I hardly see that, I only see a sequence of bad luck and circumstance.

Hardly probable, but not a break of the First amendment.

=)