God probably hates Bloggers, too

I have always felt that with freedom of speech comes responsibility. I hear people say, "I have a Constitutional right to say_____________", but then are shocked and angered when the replies come pouring in.

You have a right to say whatever. I have the right to voice my opinion. That also is freedom of speech.

What if the message is so inflammatory, so vile, so devastating, so demoralizing that is shocks the majority of the population? What if the message isn't really a message, but abuse, one that causes undue mental pain and suffering?

Shirley Phelps-Roper, ringleader of the Westboro Baptist Church, is often seen with family members (the church is compiled mostly by relatives of the patriarch, Fred Phelps), some as young as seven, holding signs stating "God Hates________". Fill in the blank, as the church has a stockpile of signage decrying that God hates everyone from gays, most celebrities, to more or less, the World...everything and everyone with the exception of the Westboro Baptist Church.

And those are the milder signs. Other signs spouts words and depicts images that couldn't be shown on prime time television. How these signs sneak pass public obscenity laws is beyond me.

To reach the largest audience possible, they picket funerals and now recently high schools that dare show "The Laramie Project", a play depicting the story of Matthew Sheppard, who was beaten to death for being gay.

I don't know God personally, but I highly doubt He appreciates being used as a personal pitbull.

According to a documentary from the UK, entitled "The Most Hated Family in America",when a a young boy who was participating in a hate protest was asked if he knew what the sign he was carrying meant, he answered that he didn't know.

Why is a seven year old boy being forced to represent a idea he doesn't even understand? This boy is being taught how to hate. He is being taught how to be a bigot. That is child abuse, in my opinion.

Speech is a tool. Like any tool, in the hands of young children, that tool can hurt or maim. Any responsible adult would explain to a child that a knife was sharp and one needed to exercise caution when using it.

Phelps-Roper, more or less, is handing this child a knife and telling him to "have at it", not warning him of the inherent danger that lies within. Not only is he hurting others, he is hurting himself.

A seven year old child being taught that the supreme being of his Universe is one of hate. If a "religion" wasn't involved here, we'd be calling it "brainwashing".

Spew hate in the name of your god if you must, but please keep your children out of it.

Trolls in the flesh

In my many years of living on the Internet, lurking in various forums, enjoying a short but sweet experience of freindship in an IRC channel, one thing I learned...Do Not Feed The Trolls. You know, those extremist keyboard jockeys who type the most inflammatory dribble under aliases and sock puppets, just to get a rise from someone. Hell, anyone. And, usually, someone does bite, and lack of hilarity ensues. But, if you starve them, ie, don't reply to them, they skittle away like little cockroaches.

Ah, if it could only be as easy in Real Life.

Who am I pointing the Troll Stick at? The Westboro Baptist Church, who has taken the literal translation of the Bible as many fundie churches do, but in this instance, adding the stink of wet, sweaty "Troll" to the message. It's not enough to mainly base their messages, if not the whole foundation of their "church" on Leviticus (a man, mind you, NOT God) 18:22 "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." They feel the need to jump up on their trollish bully pulpit and tell America that "God Hates America, Sweeden, Fags, Catholics, Billy Graham...anybody and anything except the WBC". Also that every catastrophe that has happened in this world since 9/11 is due to "God's judgement on fag-enablers".

Oh, why Sweden, you ask? WBC picketed a vacuum cleaning store because the store sold Swedish vacuum cleaners, and since Sweden took action against a minister who spoke against homosexuals, well, God hates the Swedes, too, and most likely those who buy their products.

The seventy or so members of this church, mostly family of the patriarch/leader Fred Phelps (who a few of them are lawyers, just like dear old dad was before he was debarred) have in the past picketed at funerals for fallen soldiers of the Iraq/Afghanistan war, along with the funerals of the Sago Mine Disaster. They also take advantage of catastrophes to spread their trollish messages, most recently, by thanking Hurricane Gustav, like they previously had thanked God for Hurricane Katrina for destroying New Orleans.

Westboro Baptist Church seems to have only one purpose, and that is to troll the World by using God as its Sockpuppet, using the excuse of "rejoicing in God's judgements". I am sure the church doesn't see it that way. Extremists never do.

But, rip away all the externals, the who, what and whys and what do you see? A message of HATE from people with some sick superiority complex, led by one very hate-filled man.


Yes, the irony is not lost on me...this very post is "feeding the trolls".