The only way to win is not to play

[giza]

Guess who is going to protest at Jerry Falwell's funeral.

Go ahead. Guess.





...yes, Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church. So, yeah...

Here's a newscast of them protesting a soldier's funeral, and the counter protesters who got creative:

Watch on YouTube

But sometimes, they get chased out of protests, like this:

Watch on YouTube

About the subject of this post? I really don't want to "root" for either side at Falwell's funeral, and I don't think either side will "win". I will do all that I can... watch with a detached sense of irony from a safe distance away.

Comments

[simbab.livejournal.com]

I can't say I'm sorry to see the ol' bastard go...human decency may discourage me from being openly gleeful, but honesty prevents me from lying. I suspect his death will be received in some quarters the same way Ebeneezer Scrooge dreamed his would be in A Christmas Carol (or at least the George C. Scott TV movie version :P). As I saw someone else post somewhere, if Ol' Jerry had put half the energy into praise and good works he put into condemnation, he'd have had a hell of a life.

[natashasoftpaw.livejournal.com]

Holy crap, I think the Phelps clan is trying to discover just how universally hated one family can be. I don't think their logic makes sense to themselves anymore.

Ya know, I'm only like an hour from Lynchburg, I should go to the funeral just for the hell of it.

[zealianbadass.livejournal.com]

CALLED IT.

[thraxarious.livejournal.com]

Its more like those games of football you don't care about.

You're not there to root for any team, just cheer for Injuries.

[giza.livejournal.com]

I'm not even cheering for injuries.

Funerals aren't for the dead, they're for the living survivors. Falwell may have been the biggest douchebag on the planet, but I have no doubt that there were people, be they family members or friends, who did love him, and are grief stricken by his death.

Harassing those people is just all shades of messed up.

[ionotter.livejournal.com]

Harassing those people is just all shades of messed up.

Then "those people" should have a private ceremony, where they won't have to face the rage and grief their so-called "loved one" spread around the world.

I can't think of a more appropriate set of attendees for that monster's funeral.

[wildw0lf.livejournal.com]

Maybe I'm wrong here, but aren't Falwell and Phelps on pretty much the same side?

[giza.livejournal.com]

I suspect if you ask each group, you'll wind up with two different answers.

[gizmo-nine.livejournal.com]

I suspect if you ask each group, you will end up with SEVERAL different answers.

[nalltwd.livejournal.com]

Hooray for the psychotic christian extremists turning in on eachother!

[patchoblack.livejournal.com]

I like the biker "Guard" group. They aren't being violent, they are merely drowning out the hatred with a show of support. The mob, on the other hand, just adds fuel to the fire, allowing Fred and his gang to believe themselves to be victims.

I am on the side that doesn't give into hatred.

[giza.livejournal.com]

Yes, those bikers rock my world.

[drzarron.livejournal.com]

"The Freedom Riders" are, at the core, a veteran's motorcycle club who have been going everywhere Phelps and his incestuous band go and shielding the families from them

There are several fannish motorcyclist who ride out with them when they can, and I've got a standing order for Guido from Chicago to collect me if they ever ride near me.

[nemetfox.livejournal.com]

I think it's fantastic that someone's gotten up the nerve to create a peaceful situation so that a few more people will not have to put up with the Westboro jerks on their day to mourn. I can hardly think of a better way to show respect to the dead than blocking and drowning out those who have none.

The mob however, was just something that should have been avoided entirely. After all, you heard just how excited they were that they had a broken window.

[tryphina13.livejournal.com]

I hold a business card from one of the Ft Wayne PAtriot Guard. They were encouraging me to join. They told me I didn't have to have a motorcycle just come and ride along.

Indiana passed an anti-protesting law. I don't think it's right to pass a law against free speech no matter how ignorant it is. Many service men agree.

However, G.K. Chesterton said, "Just because you have a right to do something does not mean it is right to do it."