Westboro Baptist Church

[marksiwel]

City of Houston probably spent $10,000 - $15,000 providing protection for four of these hate mongers to spread their venom around our city on a Sunday and Monday. If they choose to go out in public to incite and be inflammatory, why should I pay for their protection? I'm subsidizing their brand of hate. Sure they have free speech, but if they want to be stupid about it and put themselves into situations where they intend to cause conflict, why should I pay for their fun?

You spend 10 thousand, so they come back and sue you for 1 million, then add in all the time the city will have to spend fighting that law suit if they choose to, and then the ACLU will get involved.

Now if one of them gets killed expect MORE trouble.

[boomerang]

When the law says "the language by its very utterance tends to incite an immediate breach of the peace" I think it means people like this, not people who use an Ango-Saxon word when something is sold out at Wal-Mart.

[The Annoyed Man]

They really are the devil's tools. I wouldn't make water on one if them if he were to burst into flame right in front of me.

So, it's safe to assume that you would as long as they're not on fire?

Absolutely!

I think I may be on to something here; would PC9.22 cover setting fire to someone to protect them from TAM's biological attack?

Now you're getting in the spirit!

[The Annoyed Man]

Now if one of them gets killed expect MORE trouble.

OK.... kill 'em all?

[Oldgringo]

Now if one of them gets killed expect MORE trouble.

OK.... kill 'em all?

...and let You Know Who sort 'em out. That'll be okay with me.

[KD5NRH]

City of Houston probably spent $10,000 - $15,000 providing protection for four of these hate mongers to spread their venom around our city on a Sunday and Monday. If they choose to go out in public to incite and be inflammatory, why should I pay for their protection? I'm subsidizing their brand of hate. Sure they have free speech, but if they want to be stupid about it and put themselves into situations where they intend to cause conflict, why should I pay for their fun?

It does seem like they should be required to pay for their own security, and require that it be provided by either off-duty LE or commissioned security. Minimum of four guards, plus one for every five protesters.

Heck, we just got to watch an estimated $30-50k worth of tax money spent on additional security for a play that was ultimately cancelled the night before it was to be performed. The protest didn't happen either, but there were dozens of cops on hand to watch the empty protest area. (I thought about making up huge sign that says "I HAVE A HUGE SIGN" and marching there just so they'd have something to do.)

[Nicolai]

First of all, thanks to the Patriot Guard and others who get between grieving families and the "members" of the Westboro "Baptist" "Church." WBC's hate talk is simply beneath contempt.
Heard on the news this a.m. that Fred Phelps has run unsuccessfully for public office five times as a Democrat and that information is listed in his Wikipedia bio. According to Wikipedia, he's also a former lawyer, but managed to get himself disbarred.
The Annoyed Man pointed out in a previous post that WBC members were immedicate Phelps family members, so I can't help but wonder who's funding the WBC so they can take their "message" all over the country.

[E.Marquez]

What I do not understand is, how the WBC’s right to free speech negates
Texas Penal code
§ 42.01. DISORDERLY CONDUCT.

(a) A person commits an offense if he intentionally or knowingly:

(1) uses abusive, indecent, profane, or vulgar language in a public place, and the language by its very utterance tends to incite an immediate breach of the peace;

(2) makes an offensive gesture or display in a public place, and the gesture or display tends to incite an immediate breach of the peace;

Certainly it is foreseeable that the WBC activities will be found under a common person’s concept to be offensive, and incite an immediate breach of peace.

City of Houston probably spent $10,000 - $15,000 providing protection for four of these hate mongers to spread their venom around our city on a Sunday and Monday. If they choose to go out in public to incite and be inflammatory, why should I pay for their protection? I'm subsidizing their brand of hate. Sure they have free speech, but if they want to be stupid about it and put themselves into situations where they intend to cause conflict, why should I pay for their fun?

[marksiwel]

What I do not understand is, how the WBC’s right to free speech negates
Texas Penal code
§ 42.01. DISORDERLY CONDUCT.

(a) A person commits an offense if he intentionally or knowingly:

(1) uses abusive, indecent, profane, or vulgar language in a public place, and the language by its very utterance tends to incite an immediate breach of the peace;

(2) makes an offensive gesture or display in a public place, and the gesture or display tends to incite an immediate breach of the peace;

Certainly it is foreseeable that the WBC activities will be found under a common person’s concept to be offensive, and incite an immediate breach of peace.

City of Houston probably spent $10,000 - $15,000 providing protection for four of these hate mongers to spread their venom around our city on a Sunday and Monday. If they choose to go out in public to incite and be inflammatory, why should I pay for their protection? I'm subsidizing their brand of hate. Sure they have free speech, but if they want to be stupid about it and put themselves into situations where they intend to cause conflict, why should I pay for their fun?

What about the 1st? you would see them Sue the State, drag it to the supreme court

[chabouk]

I guess my post got deleted for the "naughty word" in the URL (I posted a disclaimer).

It was a screen capture of a Ku Klux Klan website publicly stating that they had no affiliation with Westboro.

When even the haters hate you....

[TxD]

Protesters From Kansas Take Aim at Miners

“So God reached down and smacked one of those mines, killing 25 (and likely four more are dead),” it said. “Now you moan and wallow in self-pity, and pour over the details of the dead rebels’ lives, pretending they’re heroes.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/09/us/09westboro.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Abraham]

WBC's only ideology is generating money.

If they're recognized as a church then presumably they're a non-profit organization.

If that's so, I wonder if their books have been audited to mahke certain they comply with the tax guidelines of a non-profit?

[The Annoyed Man]

WBC's only ideology is generating money.

If they're recognized as a church then presumably they're a non-profit organization.

If that's so, I wonder if their books have been audited to mahke certain they comply with the tax guidelines of a non-profit?

I made much the same point earlier in the thread about their being a money generating machine. I would be curious to know what their tax status is, because they've definitely been quite profitable.

If they are officially recognized as a church, then the only people who believe that are the IRS and the 30 or so members of the "church," all of whom are related, by the way. It's actually more of a family owned business than a church.

[Abraham]

It's definitely a family owned business.

They depend on outrage and it's product to keep them going.

Rather than give them what they desire, it would be great to see them welcomed wherever they show up, i.e., humored, and not let them yank the chains they're so well practiced at yanking.

The sort of discipline required to do this is probably never going to be met, but it's a tactic that would work...

[E.Marquez]

It's definitely a family owned business.

They depend on outrage and it's product to keep them going.

Rather than give them what they desire, it would be great to see them welcomed wherever they show up, i.e., humored, and not let them yank the chains they're so well practiced at yanking.

The sort of discipline required to do this is probably never going to be met, but it's a tactic that would work...

I can’t, I won’t, I never would ask that of a grieving family trying to lay there Soldier to rest.... There are many who will show they are honorable Americans and stand between WBC and the innocent. Let the WBC show up with ten,,,,, the American people will show up with a hundred and drown them out ..