Westboro To Picket NYC Pride Today

More here (PDF).

Photo Of The Day

(Via - Truth Wins Out)

Lisa Lampanelli Vs. Westboro

Over the weekend comedian Lisa Lampanelli vowed to donate $1000 to the Gay Men's Health Crisis for every Westboro protester that show up at her Topeka, Kansas show.

Westboro Baptist: Still Hacked?

JMG reader Thomas writes to observe that the websites of Westboro Baptist Church still appear to be offline more than three weeks after the live hacking done by Anonymous during a joint interview with Shirley Phelps.

Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber: Dan Savage Is The Gay Version Of Fred Phelps

Father Of Slain Soldier Predicts Gunfire At Future Westboro Baptist Pickets

Bereaved father Albert Snyder, who lost his Supreme Court battle with Westboro Baptist Church earlier this week, says that somebody is inevitably going to open fire on the Phelps family.

"Something is going to happen," Albert Snyder told CNN Thursday. "Somebody is going to get hurt." "You have too many soldiers and Marines coming back with post-traumatic stress syndrome, and they (the Westboro protesters) are going to go to the wrong funeral and the guns are going to go off." "And when it does," Snyder said. "I just hope it doesn't hit the mother that's burying her child or the little girl that's burying her father or mother. It's inevitable." Albert Snyder again slammed the high court justices for not having "the common sense that God gave a goat." "I just can't believe that there was no common sense used in this decision," Snyder said.

Snyder must now pay $116K in court costs to the Phelps.

America's Bedrock

Quote Of The Day - Maggie Gallagher

"The fringe cult calling itself Westboro Baptist (a small congregation consisting of close, and possibly incestuous, relatives of Fred Phelps, who calls himself a pastor) first became famous by protesting gay rights events with revolting signs suggesting that God hates gay people. (They used another offensive terms as well). These ugly signs proved irresistible to reporters from the New York Times etc., who like to pretend this sentiment captures religious conservatives' views generally. [snip]

"Only Justice Sam Alito had the common sense to recognize that somewhere in our great Constitution, there has to be a way to let people bury their dead, without becoming the objects of other people's monomaniacal desire to disrupt their grieving for publicity purposes." - Maggie Gallagher, whose supporters never use offensive terms or signs like Westboro.

HomoQuotable - Jim Burroway

"This [Westboro] ruling is important for many reasons. First and foremost, it preserves the primacy of free speech in America, which benefits us all. But from a parochial pro-LGBT narrative, it’s equally important to note that it proves the lie to the multiple instances when anti-gay activists falsely claimed that advances in LGBT equality and protections — whether they come in the form of marriage equality or hate crimes protections — will result in the infringement of religious and speech rights. They never have and, if this ruling is any indication, it reaffirms the fact that they never will. So the next time someone claims that marriage equality will result in pastors being prosecuted for hate speech, make a note of it: Snyder v Phelps." - Jim Burroway, writing for Box Turtle Bulletin.

Sarah Palin On Westboro Ruling

Supreme Court OK's Westboro Protests

The Supreme Court today ruled 8-1 to overturn a $5M judgment against Westboro Baptist Church, saying that the First Amendment protects their right to picket the funerals of military members. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote: "Speech is powerful. It can stir people to action, move them to tears of both joy and sorrow, and– as it did here– inflict great pain. On the facts before us, we cannot react to that pain by punishing the speaker."

Westboro Screen Shot

Westboro's sites are down again at the moment, but the above is a screen shot captured earlier and sent to me by a purported member of 4chan. Embiggen the image or hit the above link to read the message claiming to be from Anonymous.

UPDATE: On today's David Pakman Show, a purported member of Anonymous and Westboro's Shirley Phelps-Roper butt heads over the hacking. Anonymous denies the initial hacking threat, but then performs a live hack of the Westboro site during the below interview.

Photo Of The Day - Inside Westboro

From Life's photo essay, Inside The Westboro Baptist Church.

(Tipped by JMG reader Andi)

GLAAD Angry About Westboro Radio Deal

The Westboro Baptist Church has agreed not to picket the funeral of the federal judge murdered in Saturday's massacre in Arizona. In return, a nationally syndicated radio show will give Westboro airtime to broadcast their repulsive message. GLAAD wants the deal called off.

This week Westboro has reacted to the tragedy in Tucson with messages like "God Sent the Shooter." Giving airtime to this malicious group is like negotiating with terrorists. Except in this case, Westboro is being incentivized by being provided with an outlet to broadcast their hate to thousands of others. While countless radio stations and media outlets around the country are properly paying tribute to the fallen and taking a serious look at the tragedy in Tucson, KXXT-AM and CFNY-FM have decided to renege on their responsibility as broadcasters by rewarding one of the most anti-American groups in the country. Make your voice heard. Tell KXXT-AM and CFNY-FM that rewarding hateful behavior doesn’t work and demand that they immediately rescind their offer of airtime to the Westboro Baptist Church.

Here's GLAAD's petition.

ARIZONA: Activists Work To Shield Funeral Attendees From Westboro Protests

Predictable

Afternoon View - Key West Phelpsian

Even in the paradise of Key West, whose city motto is "One Human Family," one cannot escape Christianist hatred, as discovered by Father Tony and his husband, who ran across this idiot standing on the city side of the final bridge to the island. Does anybody know if he's actually part of Westboro? Or is he just a local loon? Note the camera in his right hand, which he has at the ready in case anybody "tries something."

Westboro To Picket Edwards Funeral

(Via - Towleroad)

Accused Westboro Stalker Released

Iraq war veteran and double-amputee Ryan Newell has been released from jail in Topeka, Kansas after police arrested him last week for stalking members of the Westboro Baptist Church in a car laden with several guns and almost 100 rounds of ammo.

Ryan Newell, 26, of Marion, had been held on $500,000 bond since his arrest last week after Sedgwick County officers said they saw him following members of Westboro Baptist Church leaving a protest in Mulvane. Officers said they found numerous firearms in his vehicle. On Tuesday, Judge Ben Burgess allowed Newell to leave jail on his own recognizance, on the condition that he report to a VA hospital. KSNW-TV reported Newell appeared in good spirits as he walked out of jail with his attorney.

Veterans groups from around the nation have reached out to Newell with offers of psychological help and fundraisers for his legal defense.

KANSAS: Disabled Iraq Vet Arrested For Stalking Westboro Church Members

An 26 year-old veteran who lost both his legs in Iraq has been charged with stalking members of the Westboro Baptist Church after police found him following the Westboro family van in a car stocked with handguns, a rifle, and dozens of rounds of ammunition.

Sedgwick County sheriff's detectives arrested Newell mid-morning Tuesday in the Wichita City Hall parking lot after a detective saw him following a van that carried Westboro church members. The church members were meeting in City Hall with police officials. Detectives found Newell in a vehicle backed into a parking space. In the vehicle, investigators found two handguns, a rifle and more than 90 rounds of ammunition, sources have said. The stalking charge accuses Newell of actions targeted at Westboro members and putting them in fear for their safety. The weapons charges accuse him of unlawfully carrying and concealing or possessing with "intent to use" an M4 rifle, .45-caliber Glock handgun and .38-caliber Smith and Wesson handgun.

At Newell's arraignment several lawyers arrived to offer pro bono defense services, prompting the judge to quip, "The more, the merrier." Reportedly "many other lawyers" have contacted him with the same offer. Newell, who uses a wheelchair due to difficulties adjusting to Army-supplied prosthetic legs, pleaded not guilty via a video link from his cell. He is being held on $500,000 bond on one felony and several misdemeanor charges. Other charges may be filed pending the result of an FBI search of his home.



Westboro's Megan Phelps comments on Twitter: "Peacefully protesting institutionalized sin on public sidewalks =\= loading up your car with weapons & lying in wait to commit murder. But somehow, in the totally backward minds of many of you, the former (loving our neighbor) is worse than the latter (planning murder)! Wtf?" Phelps claims that Newell was planning to murder her parents and the 26 children in the Westboro clan.



A defense fund has been set up for Newell via several popular conservative websites. Late this afternoon the Facebook page "Let Ryan Newell Go" was established. Westboro will continue with their planned Hanukkah picket of a Harvard student Jewish group tomorrow.



UPDATE: Shirley Phelps-Roper weighs in.

Westboro spokeswoman Shirley Phelps-Roper said today: "Here is what I expect to happen: This guy is going to be called a hero, he may get a parade." People "will line up to sing his praises, to pay his legal fees and to get him a lawyer," she said. "Then he will be permitted to plead to some nothing charges." Phelps-Roper also said, "We've had communication about a federal investigation" involving Newell.