Who are they?

?

Please explain.

Across the street from the wedge was(is?) a small extreme religious group with signs such as "god hates jews," and "bitch burger" with picture of unborn baby on a bun, it looked like. They are surrounded by hazard tape and 3 police escorts. On the other side of the street are the local neighbors apparently playing right into their hands and growing increasingly irate, with signs of their own. It looked like quite a scene.

Just a guess, but perhaps the Westboro Baptist Church out of Kansas are still making a protest tour in state. They had several stops in state this week, including in Norman and Shawnee.

I figured it was probably them, but they didn't have the god kills soldiers cuz America loves ***s type stuff, and I didn't know they were currently "on tour." I'm sure it was them.

So, I'm guessing these losers phone the police departments ahead of time so they can get protection? Shouldn't the hand of god be all the protection they need?

They were set to be protesting near a Jewish facility at OU earlier in the week as there is a significant day for that faith this week. Perhaps that was Wed or yesterday, I don't recall which I read.

I strongly suspect they got a permit to be where you saw them. Highly organized protestors don't tend to forget such housekeeping matters. As for the police escorts, whether that's billed to them or provided by the city as a 'gotta be cheaper than hauling in the remants of a melee' I don't know.

Of course, they might be hiring in security to protect them from the hand of God, just in case She decided enuf be enuf and just gave a back hand one or more of them

Isn't there a synagogue up there?

There is - 1 block East of there but I guess they needed a bigger audience.

Maybe I should break out the old

"SHut, uP MoRANs" sign and join in.

LOL

It's our friends from the Westboro Baptist Church... they're so kind as to provide us a picket schedule on their website. Somehow they're simultaneously in Central Oklahoma as well as the Greater Cleveland area. It must be one of those prophetic miracles.

http://www.godhates***s.com/schedule.html

3.30..harassing Jewish students at OU
5.00..harassing Jewish people in Nichols Hills
6.00..harassing Jewish worshipers at the Temple B'nai Israel on Penn
7.30..harassing Jewish people on Western

I don't recommend actually reading the stuff on their website..it will just depress you.

The news on channel 4 at 6 said they were going to do a feature on this at 10PM, but I forgot to watch it. So saw it on kfor.com

Don't these ugly fanatics ever get tired and bored with demonstrating? Or maybe they did but only switched to a new theme--jews.

These people better hope a lightning storm does not roll through!

God`s thinning out program.

Yes, there is a synagogue not far. Those people make me ill.

World is full of somewhat crazed zealots. On a 1-10 scale, these folks rate a 2, barely.

Sad truth is the only way these "Baptist" (which by the way are NOT Baptist at all!) get fed is by getting attention. If people will totally ignore them I suspect they will starve to death....really.

I hate bullies.
.357 is the best set of numbers when talking about Westboro.

I am amazed that someone hasn't given in to frustration at their outrageous antics. I hope that continues because the last thing you want is for these hateful people to claim victimhood. Plus, it wouldn't be worth it to ruin the life of someone who just lost control. That being said, I'd like to pound 'em. I understand that sometimes they even bring children into that hate.

That angers me most ECO.
Children should not be exposed to this type of "parental/religious" instruction.

It's our friends from the Westboro Baptist Church... they're so kind as to provide us a picket schedule on their website. Somehow they're simultaneously in Central Oklahoma as well as the Greater Cleveland area. It must be one of those prophetic miracles.

http://www.godhates***s.com/schedule.html

3.30..harassing Jewish students at OU
5.00..harassing Jewish people in Nichols Hills
6.00..harassing Jewish worshipers at the Temple B'nai Israel on Penn
7.30..harassing Jewish people on Western

I don't recommend actually reading the stuff on their website..it will just depress you.

Must admit there isn't much guesswork as to the content of the website with the somewhat straightforward web address

OU Daily has an article (http://www.oudaily.com/news/2009/sep/18/counter-protesters-turnout-westboro-baptist-hillel/)and pictures up. They were at the Hillel (corner of Boyd & Elm)

Last night I was driving up Western. I saw the police lights and passed between the protestors and the anti-protesters. It sounded pretty heated. I noticed that one on the police officers was a buddy of mine, so I decided to stop and ask him what was going on. I didn't have any idea that this was going on before this time. I walked up and asked him what was being protested and who was doing it? He said that group from the Kansas church. I asked, the ones who go the funerals of the soldiers? He said yeah. I told him that I better leave before I lose my mind on them. So I left. I can still hear their song "God hates jews" in my head. I'm an active duty combat veteran who served in Iraq. It almost made me sick. These freaks aren't even real people, they are more like bad cartoons. I don't understand them. I never will. I hope they figure out that they are wrong before someone gets violent with them.

LOL. Loved this post. Especially the last paragraph. I remember ol' Fred Phelps back in the late 80s, early 90s would be a regular on the corners in Topeka, KS. And the strangest part of his daily protest was he would wear those biker shorts. You know, the skin tight ones?

I remember driving by one day and hollering, Hey Fred, looking good in those skin tight britches! Shake it and show me what you got!

Needless to say he spewed forth a "blessing" my way.


They were set to be protesting near a Jewish facility at OU earlier in the week as there is a significant day for that faith this week. Perhaps that was Wed or yesterday, I don't recall which I read.

I strongly suspect they got a permit to be where you saw them. Highly organized protestors don't tend to forget such housekeeping matters. As for the police escorts, whether that's billed to them or provided by the city as a 'gotta be cheaper than hauling in the remants of a melee' I don't know.

Of course, they might be hiring in security to protect them from the hand of God, just in case She decided enuf be enuf and just gave a back hand one or more of them

How do these loony people make a living, so they can travel? Do they practice law when they can? IF so, who would want to be their clients? Do they hope someone will lose their temper at the protests and physically assault them, so they can sue for money? Do they love to trot out to their mailbox to see who all has sent them money from around the world? But then I didn't see any pleas for money on their web site.

They are not welcome in our city. They disrespect humanity and demean those that God loves. They do not stand for God and do not represent his love.

I ask anyone in Oklahoma City who encounters this parasite of a group to ask them to leave Oklahoma City, and do not come back.

They will have a rude awaking someday when they find out Jesus is Jewish.
by the way so was his mom.
I'm just saying...

They have their beliefs, no one will sway them their beliefs could be flawed and they are willing to go to great lengths to tell others of how the world ought to be. Shoot fire and save some matches, if they have larger numbers they'd be their own political party.

Dumber than dirt and less appealing then eight month old kitty litter, but not the zaniest of our societal fringe.

They have their beliefs, no one will sway them their beliefs could be flawed and they are willing to go to great lengths to tell others of how the world ought to be. Shoot fire and save some matches, if they have larger numbers they'd be their own political party.

Dumber than dirt and less appealing then eight month old kitty litter, but not the zaniest of our societal fringe.

If they're not the zaniest of our fringe, that's rather frightening. Although you're right. They're not carrying out assassinations or bombing buildings yet.

How do these loony people make a living, so they can travel? Do they practice law when they can? IF so, who would want to be their clients? Do they hope someone will lose their temper at the protests and physically assault them, so they can sue for money? Do they love to trot out to their mailbox to see who all has sent them money from around the world? But then I didn't see any pleas for money on their web site.
Almost everybody in Phelps' family--about 95% of his followers--are lawyers or trained as paralegals. His daughter, one of the primary faces of the group and the erstwhile leader now that Fred is getting old, may be crazy and is most certainly a zealot, but she knows how to use the legal system to the benifit of her family and thier wacky activites.

They make their money suing individuals, municipalities, and anybody or organization who tries to stop them or whom they succeed in provoking.

If they are provoke somebody to strike them, the person gets sued.

If a city tries to ban them or limit their appearances in a way that does not tow a very thin and specific constitutional or procedural guideline, the city gets sued.

The lawsuits, most of which are settled, are numerous enough that even the nuisance value makes them enough money to operate.

In other words, the places they appear almost always end up footing the bill for thier appearances.

...They're not carrying out assassinations or bombing buildings yet.

Yet...

Yet...

It is rarely if ever the provocateurs who do the dirty work. They just send the message until someone who is mentally ill and armed carries out the actions.

Nah, that sort of activity would get them shut down. As often noted elsewhere, and above, follow the money honey, follow the money. I don't condone their actions, but they've nearly got their prattle down to an art form.

The tendency is to go counter them, even when the target group, such as at OU, urged people to stay home and just deny them any audience. The target group, it appears, did ignore them, but several locals and students came out to counter-protest loud and proud in place of the target group.

FWIW, the target group had it right. When you deny the audience, you deny the opportunity to seek any income stream and minimize the publicity.

However, and although it stoops to their level somewhat, when they, or any group targets a funeral, I find myself favoring the notion that any permit to protest a funeral should have to include the following notices:

1. Trash burning is permitted within a 1 mile radius of any funeral service or procession.

2. Ownership of a registered flame thrower is a citizen's God given and state approved right.

3. Funeral protest permit fees must be paid in advance, in cash.

Sad truth is the only way these "Baptist" (which by the way are NOT Baptist at all!) get fed is by getting attention. If people will totally ignore them I suspect they will starve to death....really.

But I would argue that they are extremely Baptist. After all, isn't what Baptists believe in basically just hellfire and damnation? And I'm being serious. I grew up in the Catholic Church so I've never really understood the more conservative protestants. Once you get more conservative than the Methodists and Episcopalians it's just all extremist stuff to me.

But I would argue that they are extremely Baptist. After all, isn't what Baptists believe in basically just hellfire and damnation? And I'm being serious. I grew up in the Catholic Church so I've never really understood the more conservative protestants. Once you get more conservative than the Methodists and Episcopalians it's just all extremist stuff to me.


No. That is not even close to what Baptists believe. Someone has been filling you full of nonsense. That is on par with the old myths that jews killed babies.

It is rarely if ever the provocateurs who do the dirty work. They just send the message until someone who is mentally ill and armed carries out the actions.

The brownshirts, the taliban,al qeada, its always a fridge group who is frustrated no one is listening or doing what they tell them to do.Thats all it takes is one of them speaks violence and before you know it you have a nut group, like the militias who then does a act of terror.

Don't forget Timothy McVeigh. He heard the message.

Last night I was driving up Western. I saw the police lights and passed between the protestors and the anti-protesters. It sounded pretty heated. I noticed that one on the police officers was a buddy of mine, so I decided to stop and ask him what was going on. I didn't have any idea that this was going on before this time. I walked up and asked him what was being protested and who was doing it? He said that group from the Kansas church. I asked, the ones who go the funerals of the soldiers? He said yeah. I told him that I better leave before I lose my mind on them. So I left. I can still hear their song "God hates jews" in my head. I'm an active duty combat veteran who served in Iraq. It almost made me sick. These freaks aren't even real people, they are more like bad cartoons. I don't understand them. I never will. I hope they figure out that they are wrong before someone gets violent with them.
I hear they travel with lawyers so they would want someone to get violent with them.

god hates jews

^^^^^^^^^

The case of hypocrite christians...

Since when does God hate ANYONE?

He doesn't. He loves all his children.

Christians speaking and judging like that are surely no christian at all in my eyes. Just people who like to hate and cause drama.

as with anything, the small fringe extreme has the loudest voice, give the rest of their group a bad rap, and christians get verbally persecuted more than any other group, despite the other hypocritical fringe groups in virtually anything out there.

I've had the displeasure of encountering these people a few times. I'm with the Patriot Guard Riders and we've stood between the folks from WBC and the families of fallen soldiers many times. They usually have the women and children out there protesting and the kids jump up and down on the American flag. As much as I would like to turn a fire hose on them what we do is turn our backs to them and pay honor to the fallen.

They do have to get a permit to protest the funerals and the city can't refuse them but many cities can say where they can and can't protest and many times they are stuck on the edge of town on a seldom used road. Amazingly enough property owners upwind from them always seem to pick that day to burn leaves and grass. :evilsmile

Christians get verbally persecuted more than any other group

Based on what? I'm a Christian. I don't ever feel persecuted. Some extremist Christians like Sally Kern get called out for being hypocritical morons, but that's not persecution.

Are you suggesting that Christians have been more persecuted than Jews?

That's absurd.

I'm just curious if there's any factual basis to your commentary.

As far as I can see, many Christians enjoy doing the persecutin', and have throughout history.

Based on what? I'm a Christian. I don't ever feel persecuted. Some extremist Christians like Sally Kern get called out for being hypocritical morons, but that's not persecution.

Are you suggesting that Christians have been more persecuted than Jews?

That's absurd.

I'm just curious if there's any factual basis to your commentary.

As far as I can see, many Christians enjoy doing the persecutin', and have throughout history.

You don't hear much outlash by the general public or "non Christians" at the Buddhists, Hindi, Agnostics, Satanists, etc.

The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.
~G.K. Chesterton

You don't hear much outlash by the general public or "non Christians" at the Buddhists, Hindi, Agnostics, Satanists, etc.

Ive also never seen a Buddhist try to get their creation myth taught in science classes. Ive never seen an Agnostic try to get their definition of Marriage made federal law. Ive never been accosted by a Hindi trying to convert me. Ive never seen a Satanist try and get their commandments put up in front of the public court house...

Ive also never seen anybody repress a Christian minding their own business.

You don't hear much outlash by the general public or "non Christians" at the Buddhists, Hindi, Agnostics, Satanists, etc.

This must be selective attention. You can turn on the TV every night and see examples of Christians selecting a group of people to tarnish: Muslims, Gays, Yankees, foreigners, people who don't adequately recognize Christmas, etc.

Six million Jews were slaughtered during WWII because of their faith. I can't imagine anything approaching that happening to Christians because of their faith.

Yes, the Romans did it, but that was several centuries ago.

But even the extremist Muslim terrorists aren't singling us out for Christianity, they want to kill us for other reasons, and they don't just want to kill the Christian among us, they want to kill all of us.

I'm really tired of the "we're so persecuted because we are Christian" rants. They don't hold up to much scrutiny.

I should add that the Nazis -- just like our own Ku Klux Klan -- used Christianity and extreme nationalism as justification for their genocidal actions.

Christians also killed Muslims during the crusades.

History provides many regrettable examples of Christians persecuting others in God's name.

I can't imagine anything approaching that happening to Christians because of their faith.

Well, there's always Africa. You've pretty much got persecution of every flavor in Africa. And, of course, there was the Romans. And some Christians do face persecution from Muslims and Hindus around the world. Christians have even been known to turn against each other based on denominations.

It's not pretty. Really, that's why it is so odd to me that so many Christians in America today want to use secular state institutions to enforce their religious beliefs. I in no way would call what any of them are doing "persecution" on the scale of Sudan or anything like that. But it is a poorly veiled effort to establish Christianity as the de jure state religion of the United States (some are already convinced it is). Once you've accomplished that, then legislative persecution or vigilante persecution doesn't seem as far fetched. Often times the rhetoric comes very close to suggesting persecution, mainly by way of limiting rights, for those who do not follow their God's laws.

These crazies are little more than tort bait, but some of their sentiment is shared by a lot of people and is reflected in our legislature. I have to ignore them, because I would probably fall into their trap, but I do think it is good for those who can counter protest in a productive way to do so, because I honestly do think many people here need to see that not everyone thinks like that.

This must be selective attention. You can turn on the TV every night and see examples of Christians selecting a group of people to tarnish: Muslims, Gays, Yankees, foreigners, people who don't adequately recognize Christmas, etc.

Tarnishing damnYankees is understandable. :smile:

You can (further) tarnish a Yankee? Who knew?!?!?!

Yea but just how much more can you tarnish..yankees...

Ugh @ these fools! Does anyone even take them seriously? The "mom" Phelps and her kids were guests on The Howard Stern Show before, and they came across as total bafoons.

They can believe doG hates jews/"***s"/whatever, but their antics aren't going unnoticed. Eventually some other unhinged type will thin out the herd. Can't come soon enough.

Quote:
"...christians get verbally persecuted more than any other group..."




Oh boo hoo

*que the tiniest of tiny violins*

Ugh @ these fools! Does anyone even take them seriously? The "mom" Phelps and her kids were guests on The Howard Stern Show before, and they came across as total bafoons.

They can believe doG hates jews/"***s"/whatever, but their antics aren't going unnoticed. Eventually some other unhinged type will thin out the herd. Can't come soon enough.

Again, you are truly a person full of hate. I hope something helps you understand how much of the problem you really are.

And now we have the government census worker found naked, bound and hanged in Kentucky with the word "FED" scrawled on his chest in Magic Marker. Freaky. According to an AP reporter, his census worker ID badge was taped to his head.

Again, you are truly a person full of hate. I hope something helps you understand how much of the problem you really are.

Well I'm sorry if you were offended by my criticizing the Westboro Baptist crazies. I didn't realize that you had such an affinity for that church. My bad. Next time you see the Phelps clan, could you at least tell them to tone it down a bit? Thanks. xoxo

I doubt it was the criticism that was a reflection of hate - but you know that. It was the hateful comment about dog and thinning the herd, etc. But that is just one post. Most of your posts are hateful, dismissive and seem merely designed to get attention rather than contribute to the discussion.

And now we have the government census worker found naked, bound and hanged in Kentucky with the word "FED" scrawled on his chest in Magic Marker. Freaky. According to an AP reporter, his census worker ID badge was taped to his head.

Did you see where this guy had taken out two large life insurance policies and the police just released their investigation finding it was suicide?

Did you see where this guy had taken out two large life insurance policies and the police just released their investigation finding it was suicide?

Saw that. Somewhat surprised it took this long for the information about two policies to come to light. Can't imagine the swirl of pain the news brings to the family.

Saw that. Somewhat surprised it took this long for the information about two policies to come to light. Can't imagine the swirl of pain the news brings to the family.

Because the insurance won't pay?

Because the insurance won't pay?

Well, they won't, but no, but that's not even a minor blip on the swirldar of pain the family must endure.

I really canna wrap my head around the notion of what the family will go though, now knowing a loved one believed the one best option left available was to check out of life and just leave them behind.

Trying to fraud the insurance for them explains the graphic path he chose, but not the decision to abandon them, ill or no.

The families I've known who lose someone to suicide really suffer. It is a horrible place to feel like perhaps you could have done something (probably couldn't have), and there is such a taint to it that some people don't know how to comfort them.

as with anything, the small fringe extreme has the loudest voice, give the rest of their group a bad rap, and christians get verbally persecuted more than any other group, despite the other hypocritical fringe groups in virtually anything out there.

Yes Metro, Christians are perfect people...And right, Christians get a much worse stereotype than say...Muslims.