Viewpoint: U.S. must turn from sexual immorality to avoid suffering God's Wrath

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The WBC's message is that if you are not a part of our church, god hates you and you are going to hell. The homosexual thing on their part is because it gets noticed. They've acually made statements to this effect more than once. They just another one of those cultish hate groups that spring up every once and awhile, they'll die off soon enough as members leave.

I do defend their right to say whatever they want, however if they also have the right to take the consequences of their words. Other people can say what they want as well, are you going to breach their rights to protect the WBC? No laws ban them from protesting, the only backlash is social. If they are going to continue to piss people off, then they can deal whith those people who have lost patience.

75.180.29.170 (talk)05:00, 24 December 2012

Thanks. I'd have to go back to the factual narratives in Snyder v. Phelps (2011) to evaluate your claim. If you're right, then they are spending a lot of money to gain a handful more attendees at their services in Westboro. And if they really are motivated by hate, you are surely correct that any true Christian will stop attending their services. ("Hate the sin, not the sinner.")

Your last point is where the role of the People's Law is critical. Speakers must not be subjected to violence or to any unlawful disruption of their speech. (See, for example, California Penal Code 403 as interpreted in Kay (1970).) The appropriate response during a speech event is heckler speech, which is also protected. A well planned picket or other heckling action can co-opt the event and capture media attention for the opposing view. Rather than silencing web sites, I would like to see pro-queer Anonymous activists putting together a brilliantly creative and effective, and entirely legal, heckle response to WBC.

Wo'O Ideafarm (talk)05:53, 24 December 2012