Words cannot express my disappointment with the East Coast.

[Junkenstein]

I think we should get the entire LBGT community up there making out furiously in front of them. How's THAT for not taking them seriously?

I'd say a table with flyers and drinks regarding how much they spend a year doing this shit would be more interesting.

The reaction would certainly be worth watching.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Providing availability, I will be going.

[Suu]

I think we should get the entire LBGT community up there making out furiously in front of them. How's THAT for not taking them seriously?

I'd say a table with flyers and drinks regarding how much they spend a year doing this shit would be more interesting.

The reaction would certainly be worth watching.

I like this idea.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

i've seen lots of mockery, and it doesn't seem to slow them down any.  i mean, it's worth it anyways because of the funny pictures to paste on the intarwebs, but i've not seen any evidence of this doing anything but rolling off like water on a duck's back.

i would assume that they think anyone mocking them is their enemy, and mockery from an enemy generally fuels resolve, no?

does it ever cause them to pack up and go home?

That's because the people doing the mocking generally tend to look like The Enemy.

What you WANT is people that look like professionals and/or good old boys doing the mocking.  Even better, people wearing Christian religious shirts and/or symbols doing it.

It's all about the message, and a good chunk of the message is delivery.

[P3nT4gR4m]

Heartstrings - a few big posters displaying how many sick children a quarter of a mil could save?

[Suu]

The folks organizing the human wall said they don't want anything there. Just folks dressed in black and remaining silent to block the protesters from view of the funerals. It's not a counter protest, just a protective measure. And I respect that.

However if they go to the bomb site, they are fair game to counter.  I would have to know with enough time to catch a train to get up there though.

[deadfong]

i've seen lots of mockery, and it doesn't seem to slow them down any.  i mean, it's worth it anyways because of the funny pictures to paste on the intarwebs, but i've not seen any evidence of this doing anything but rolling off like water on a duck's back.

i would assume that they think anyone mocking them is their enemy, and mockery from an enemy generally fuels resolve, no?

does it ever cause them to pack up and go home?

That's because the people doing the mocking generally tend to look like The Enemy.

What you WANT is people that look like professionals and/or good old boys doing the mocking.  Even better, people wearing Christian religious shirts and/or symbols doing it.

It's all about the message, and a good chunk of the message is delivery.

This makes me think of the two times I've seen the Phelpians in person.  The first time, they were protesting a Marilyn Manson concert - I tried to get one of them to autograph my Bible, but none of them would take me up on it.  The line of people waiting to get into the concert did all the things you'd expect, especially lots of same-sex couples kissing.  But I imagine to the Phelpians they looked exactly like The Enemy.  They stayed about an hour that time.

The second time, they were protesting my department's annual banquet.  I always thought that was an odd choice.  The religious studies department at KU is pretty liberal, and we held it at the Ecumenical Christian Ministries building - they had a sign that called it a "fag church" - and they seemed to have a beef with our speaker, Jonathan Z Smith, but I couldn't figure out what.  Maybe they don't like his work on comparison and religious traditions, or that he's a Jew who happens to have written a lot on Jesus and early Christianity?  Anyway, we were all dressed up for the banquet, a very professional-looking crowd, sipping cocktails while getting pictures of ourselves with them in the background.  They only stayed 15 minutes, 20 tops.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

They only stayed 15 minutes, 20 tops.

That's because they had no hook to hang their shit on, and they couldn't hide from themselves that they looked like hayseeds.  Clowns, in this case.

[deadfong]

They only stayed 15 minutes, 20 tops.

That's because they had no hook to hang their shit on, and they couldn't hide from themselves that they looked like hayseeds.  Clowns, in this case.

Yeah, we were definitely not the audience they wanted or needed.  I still wonder why they came in the first place.  All I can figure is they were having a slow day in the Phelps compound, and it's only about a 40 minute drive from Topeka to Lawrence.

[Richter]

I can always ask them why the spelled "Figs" wrong.

http://jesushatesfigs.blogspot.com/

Jesus didn't like figging?  Can't blame him.  It's not everybody's thing.  The figgers aren't on about some sort of figging agenda or making certain all our children are indoctrinated into figging at an early age though.  They just want to fig when they feel like a fig.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

The reason I'm not in favor of ignoring Westboro is because, while, sure, protests are giving them the attention they want, they're so repugnant that that's a GOOD thing. Nobody wants to align with them. They are profoundly depolarizing.

Combine that with social censure, and suddenly you have an environment in which people who were moderately anti-gay are leaning towards tolerance because they can't stomach being associated with Westboro or the shunning and contempt that goes with it.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Westboro is to the gay what RWHN is to legalization.

[Suu]

Going through my dresser this morning for a plain black shirt, I pulled out my Mooninite 1/31/07 shirt by chance. I've never felt like a bigger asshole in the entire world. 

[Faust]

Going through my dresser this morning for a plain black shirt, I pulled out my Mooninite 1/31/07 shirt by chance. I've never felt like a bigger asshole in the entire world. 

I just googled that:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Boston_bomb_scare

And it IS pretty funny.

[Cain]

I remember it happening, and it being discussed here on PD.  It was hilarious.