Fight Hate Speech with Speech
The Supreme Court is hearing the first amendment case of Snyder vs. Phelps – the father of a dead Marine challenging those Westboro Baptist Church’s picketing of his son’s funeral.
Instead of limiting freedom of speech by ruling against Phelps, or giving nutjobs like him complete freedom to do what his itty-bitty little brain desires, why don’t people use his own methods against him?
How about following him and his followers wherever they go – to the DMV, to the store wherever – shouting and carrying signs that say “God hates you!” Although his congregation is tiny, one of them will no doubt fall off their perch soon – so crash the funeral. Scream obscenities, carry placards saying “Thank god for dead morons”, or the equivalent. Just be creative and give them a taste of what they’ve been dishing out to the unfortunates who have fallen pray to their twisted whims.
The congregation is so homophobic, and being a gay rights supporter myself I know that can only mean one thing: closet cases. Someone somewhere has photos of Phelps or one of his devotees in the back room of a leather bar. Print them out and carpet-bomb Kansas with them.
I appreciate the fact that people are coming to the aid of the poor souls targeted by Westboro Baptist, but the ultimate solution is to attack them – not ignore them or accommodate them.
xxl maroc:
There are no “privacy rights” beyond the Fourth Amendment’s unreasonable search and seizure and not quartering troops in private homes. That idea was the figment of the imagination of an earlier Supreme Court. So it is really just a question of free speech verses disturbing the peace.
6 October 2010, 2:40 pmChad:
I was hoping someone would open up gay bars right next to his church.
7 October 2010, 12:02 pmJoseph:
Well said Scott. The surest way to turn most people into pacifists is to start attacking.
7 October 2010, 4:38 pmThorne Ridge Cassidy:
Absolutely love your site and visit every month—and usually I agree with you. Unfortunately, today I cannot. I am so thankful for the Phelps’. As a gay man, I know that this country would not have paid attention to the injustice, hatred, and lack of coherent thought of those who work against equality for gays in employment, marriage, military service et cetera without their great struggle to place them starkly before the public. I feel for the families they hurt, but my children are affected by the injustices that society has intended for just me. Songs should be written about their ability to bring about discussion and loving community building every time young people gather to foil them. I am not nearly as generous with my time, and frankly I am fully capable of sacrificing all the souls of all the little babies in the third world to spare my family a single minute of unfair suffering, injustices that were aimed at me. Hell, I’ve done worse—I’m a libertarian who voted for and was suckered by the current Democratic regime. May the Phelps’, in their quixotic way, continue to bring out the best in America!
31 October 2010, 4:00 am