What would you say to the WBC members who are reportedly going to be picketing Elizabeth Edwards' funeral tomorrow (12/11/10)?

Makes me sick.

@mamma_cakes, I couldn’t agree more! I am a Christian, but I am ashamed of them, and more than a little angry that they CLAIM to be Christian!

I’d tell them they’re going to the special kind of hell.

Uh, go to the nearest sporting goods store so I can buy up every single baseball bat, then smash in the face of the first cocksucker that shows up with a ‘protest’ sign? Seriously, people like that make me sick to my stomach. I honestly don’t think I’d be able to restrain myself. I’d leave the funeral in the back of a police car, while the ‘protestors’ would be carried away on stretchers. Not exaggerating.

I would like to say to them:

“Have you no shame? Can you imagine what it would be like if people protested as you were trying to bury a loved one?

This is not a public occasion. This does your cause no good.

What you are doing is wrong, wrong, wrong.”

@noelleptc

They ‘protest’ because in their opinion any sort of premature death is god’s way of punishing sinners or some bullshit.

Bring guns and lots of ammo…. they would never do it again

WBC calls into question how I really feel. I find what they do to be utterly repulsive, but my inner patriot wants so desperately to defend their right to protest. It feels so backwards for me to say that I can’t believe that they are allowed to do this, but that’s really the point. They obviously know this. It’s infuriating.
On a logical level, I have no idea what I could or would say. I am genuinely torn about what I feel is truly right in the situation. Despite the fact that what they do pretty much literally makes me sick, I still feel a certain desire to protect their right to do it.
On an emotional level? Count me in with @FutureMemory and @noelleptc.

I would say “Fuck off” and let her funeral be held for her loved ones, those that want to see her put to rest. She fought the fight and lost, she doesn’t need your protests, bickering and fighting while her family grieves.

In my more calm moments, I have to agree with @TheOnlyNeffie that a part of me wants to protect their right to free speech. It’s so incredibly callous though it’s hard to remain calm.

@FutureMemory I think that is obviously their tactic. As backwards and ignorant as they appear (and really are, I suppose,) I think they have that much figured out. They know exactly what strings they are tugging.

@TheOnlyNeffie Definitely they know what they’re doing, from a legal standpoint. Fuckers!

@noelleptc

The specific reason that the WBC is picketing is because Elizabeth Edwards supported same-sex marriage and gay rights in general.

These cruising-for-a-fatal-bruising aholes are saying that because of her strong support for gay rights, that she deserved to die.

@TheOnlyNeffie and @FutureMemory I’m not sure where a right to protest a funeral comes from. I would think the right of a family to have a private funeral without outside interference would preclude anyone else’s right to ruin a very private, important last rites and final goodbye from the family.
I know you all are NOT in favor of this protest, not arguing with you, just saying that I see your points, but I don’t understand how these a$$holes keep getting away with protesting at funerals of soldiers, etc.

@chyna They’ve been doing it long enough one can only assume they know the laws with respect to public protest/assembly.

Does everyone know their website actually has the name godhatesfags.com ?

People are fucking sick.

Nothing. I would completely ignore them and pretend that they don’t exist.

They are real-life internet trolls.

I wonder if the family could get a restraining order and keep them away?

What would I say? Drop dead and rot.

They were supposed to show up here in my state last month for the funeral of a fallen soldier and didn’t show. Maybe they won’t show up for Elizabeth’s funeral. I think they prefer getting press coverage of the possibility of showing up and then they don’t have to show.

Hate speech does not equal free speech. They aren’t protected… By my book at least. Of course in my book free speech should come with a price, if you say something stupid, someone else’s fist should count as free speech.

Keep the fuck away!

They might convince a judge to issue a restraining order because of harm to the family.

I suppose… if I were Christian then I’d tell them I pray for them to gain enlightenment and understanding of the Bible that they profess to follow.

But since I’m not, and since they don’t even listen when other Christians say that to them, there’s nothing I could say. I won’t fight them other than in self-defense, and I wouldn’t join or start a riot.

I’d tell them to get a fuckin life!!!!

I agree with JustJessica and some others. My first thought was “get a life”!!! Man, how crapped up must your life be that you feel the need to protest at funerals. The reality of that is if you’re supposedly protesting the deceased, heck, they’re dead and won’t have a clue as to what’s going on. You are only infringing on the friends and family and you don’t know what cause they supoort or don’t support. I try to be a good God-fearing Christian, but I find there’s a great hipocracy with folks doing things in the name of religion etc. Regardless of how we personnally feel, there’s a fundamental flaw with “right-to-lifers” killing abortion doctors or again, protesting when the person you’re against will have no idea what soever that you’re there, and will not b phased by it. That is a waste of time and energy that surely could be better spent, maybe volunteering somewhere.

I’d also tell them to stop claiming to be Christian… It was my understanding Christians aren’t supposed to judge people… notice I said aren’t supposed to.

Dude, fuck the WBC. They do this to soldiers all the time, too.

The thing about the Westboro Church, though, is that they are nothing more than the real life equivalent of internet trolls. The whole family is made up of lawyers (very skilled ones at that), and they purposely inflame people to incite violence so they can sue in response. When you completely ignore them, they tend to go away because they aren’t getting any attention and they know they don’t have a chance at suing anyone to cash in.

While I personally would love to vote Westboro out from the rooftops if you catch my drift, and I love how the Patriot Guard Riders handle them, they basically block them out with motorcycle engines, huge American flags, and singing patriotic songs I still think that the best response to them is to completely and utterly ignore them, if at all possible. Don’t feed the trolls, as they say on the internet.

Also, ironically enough, Fred Phelps, the leader of WBC, took on a bunch of risky civil rights cases as a lawyer in the 60’s.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard I didn’t know all of that, thanks for sharing. Really interesting.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard I’d join you in voting from the rooftops.

@TheOnlyNeffie, no problem, dear.

@Adirondackwannabe, shh! WBC might take that as a threat and sue us! but I’d be honored for you to join me

@noelleptc, as if you needed another reason to have one other than “I want a motorcycle!”

@noelleptc, grr!

You want sick? How about the fact that they are probably enjoying tax free status as an organized religion.

i would tell them that they are sick ass mother f**kers and their going to hell…............. To say that Ms. Edwards died as a punishment is disgusting. God doesnt punish anyone by killing them…....and draging the flag is unconstitutional and they dont like the usa get the f**k out go and s**k iraqs d**k and let our soliders kill you dumbasses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What preperations would I take if I knew they were going to protest at a funeral I would be attending especially if it was someone close to me? If I gave you a truthful answer I would probally be reported to the police so I wont go any further here. Let’s just say it would be the worst day of the WBC protesters lives.

I second “voting from the rooftops”. If they pulled that shit at the funeral of one of my loved ones, they’re done. Fuck ‘em.

And personally, I’m not keen on extending free speech to fascists and bigots. I don’t care about the concept of free speech nearly so much as I do about actual real world freedom and decent society.

According to this, the WBC demonstration was about 2 blocks away, so apparently they had no impact on the funeral. :-)

@Brian1946 Thank goodness.

Organizations and groups ought to get together and start protesting the WBC churchs where ever they are and keep doing it on a daily basis. Push it back on them and let them see how it feels. If one of them has a funeral protest it, if one of them does anything protest it.

@Summum I think that this is a bad idea. This WBC group obviously thrive on conflict. They are not happy just mis-representing Christ and Christianity, they want to have confrontation. I’d say that they should all be coshed on the noggin from behind, separately, and dropped in a pit of alligators or wild pigs.
Quietly and with no fuss.
(Shoves hands in pockets, strolls away looking up and around, starts whistling.)

@Trillian

I understand but maybe if they had their rights ignored and they were upset with someone doing exactly what they do they may understand? I just wish that people could get a restraining order against them. Thanks though.

I suggest we the people and press stop giving them any exposure what so ever. If they didn’t have press, they would stop showing their a$$es.

In the UK a common slang word for cigarette is fag. Perhaps we ought to congratulate them for their No-Smoking campaign