Westboro Baptist Church.

[Juniperdewdropofbrandy]

WTAF?? Did I read right?

here
What is the world coming to? This won't end well.

I don't know for sure if they are a front, I have no evidence, but my feeling is that they are not for real

Really? So far on this thread you have said:

The Westboro Baptist Church, in my opinion, is an organisation whose purpose is to push the envelope and anger the public until politicians are forced to legislate to curtail free speech

It doesn't add up, in my opinion. I think it is a fake group

Conspiracy theorists believe that there are forces that wish to remove some rights of the American people and wish to undermine some parts of the American Constitution

These vile nuts in the Westboro Baptist Church help those forces achieve their goals by undermining the American people's right to free speech

They are obviously protected and have not been prosecuted and stopped from their vile protests and activities because their act plays a role in removing the rights of the decent public

I am beginning to think you might be a fake poster placed on MN to damage the credibility of conspiracy theorists...

Yes, that is what I think but I do not know it for sure

'I am beginning to think you might be a fake poster placed on MN to damage the credibility of conspiracy theorists...'

Are you one of these conspiracy theorists that I have read about?

Busted!

Can you think of any group that says such offensive things and has what most people consider to be hateful messages, that gets so much media publicity and is interviewed by comedians and on radio phone-ins even in the UK?

I can't. And that is why I think that they are not for real and that those who give them so much access and publicity are probably aware of that.

I don't claim that all of the WBC are 100% committed to the beliefs they espouse. They've hit on a strategy that gets them attention. They don't care that it's negative attention. They just want the publicity for its own sake (cf. Honey Boo Boo etc).

My personal opinion is that the WBC are closer to trolls than anything else. But I think that's all they are; I don't see them being used as a cat's paw.

As for gaining attention by being offensive have you never heard of Frankie Boyle?

'They've hit on a strategy that gets them attention.'

I agree with that. But I think they are a bit like the pantomime villain or the 'baddie' in a staged fake wrestling match. I think that they are the actor but someone else probably put the show on the road, and some of the media almost sell tickets to watch the show.

Yes, I agree that Frankie Boyle says what I think are offensive things. But he is more popular than the Westboro Baptist Church. There was a programme made about them called something like "the most hated family in America".

You're overthinking this, seriously.

Yes, because of this thread. I had always thought they were a bit fishy, but had never analysed exactly why before.

Have watched a video report on them in a Huffington Post news article, and it seems to me that they have some not very bright members who actually believe the stuff that they say. I just find it hard to believe that the people near the top of the organisation actually believe it all. I may be wrong, and maybe they really do.

In all the interviews I have heard of them and on the Louis Theroux show etc, I can't remember hearing that one of them was employed by the Kansas State Department of Corrections. I only found this out on this thread when I googled them. It is strange that none of the interviewers ever seem to have brought this up, unless I missed it.

'My personal opinion is that the WBC are closer to trolls than anything else.'

Snorbs, I have changed my mind, I think I was wrong, and unfortunately they do look like they are for real. Trolls yes, and almost loopy ones in my opinion. I have just watched a bit of the original Louis Theroux programme and there is Shirley, who I think is the one that I heard on a UK radio show rather than Margie, and she is teaching the little kids her views, and I can't see anyone doing that for an act, it unfortunately looks real.

They seem to be a bit of a cult that are all taught this stuff by the "patriarch's" study of the Bible.

I think they do seem real, but I still think that they play into the hands of people who are not loopy but would like free speech to be reined in. You couldn't make these lot up and that is probably why they are given so much publicity.

The fight to curtail civil liberties is not only happening in America. New Labour removed many of our civil liberties, many of which have thankfully been restored by our Coalition.
Do you mind, I nearly spilt my coffee on my keyboard.

I'm sure that Clegg said something of the sort that the Coalition is protecting civil liberties.

It goes like this:
Unless we give you our permission to protest against us, that protest will be deemed illegal. If you don't like it try protesting against it, but remember, we will arrest you.
This is government policy.
Oh, and if you protest against student fees, you will be giving a disproportionate prison sentence and even more so if we deem you a rioter.