Community | November 09, 2009 | 153 comments

Westboro Baptist Church protests outside Obama girls' school

source: http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/11/westboro-baptist-church-protests-outside-ob...

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Westboro Baptist Church, the fringe-of-the-fringe anti-gay group famous for protesting at military funerals and claiming that God is punishing the country for its tolerance of homosexuality, was spotted this morning protesting outside Sidwell Friends, the school attended by Sasha and Malia Obama.

Protesters were carrying signs with anti-gay, anti-abortion and anti-Obama slogans, slowing down traffic all along Wisconsin Avenue this morning.

One member, Megan Phelps-Roper, posted a picture on Twitter of the protest.

Westboro Baptist Church, founded by Fred Phelps and made up mostly of Phelps family members, has garnered national attention for carrying signs such as "Thank God for 9/11" and protesting at funerals, including that of Matthew Shepard, the student who was killed in 1998 because he was gay.

They believe that the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, as well as the ensuing wars and even the mass shooting last week at Fort Hood, are punishment from God for tolerance of homosexuality. They plan to picket the Fort Hood memorial service this Tuesday.

The group, which is not affiliated with the Baptist church, protests nearly every day in Washington, D.C., rotating around the city. According to their web site, today they plan to hit a few more local schools and the White House, and will be at the Sidwell Friends Lower School tomorrow afternoon.

"Quakers?! Are you frigging kidding me? You pretend to be all non-violent, and you allow the most bloody, deceitful, evil, murderous bastard and his shemale sidekick to place their satanic spawn within your four walls?" reads the posting for today's protest at Sidwell Friends, which is a Quaker school.

The school has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Randall Terry, the extreme anti-abortion protester, has also arranged demonstrations outside the school.
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153 comments // Westboro Baptist Church protests outside Obama girls' school

  • speeder1989
    • 0
      speeder1989  

    • please tell since they are targeting the Obama girls who have nothing to do with anything, that the Secret Service was there. and that their are being investigated for something. Because if they are not being investigated... they should

    • 2 years ago
  • asherp
  • OnlyCheryl
    • 0
      OnlyCheryl  

    • This is a terrorist group that is endangering children and interfering with the educational process. Freedom of speech does not guarantee anyone an audience.

    • 2 years ago
  • bike10
  • jcamille
  • s0uthc0ast
    • 0
      s0uthc0ast  

    • We need to understand these people are victims of our backwards defective culture.
      It is not their fault they think these things.
      We need to be tolerant of diverse views, don't we?
      Why, we tolerate a religion which justifies killing innocents in its name.
      Oh well, another sign of hope and change in 0bama's America.

    • 2 years ago
  • capetan_omalley
    • 0
      capetan_omalley  
    • s0uthc0ast:

      If Pastor Phelps were called Mullah Or Imam Phelps he'd probably be rotting in Guantanamo by now. I presume the killing innocents in it's name thing is a dig at Islam. I suppose you've never heard of the LRA or the Phalangists, Christianity is just as capable of producing modern day murderers as Islam.

    • 2 years ago
  • boiscalm
  • unclecharlie
    • 0
      unclecharlie  

    • It's an interesting shot of the two kids wearing their God Hates Fags t-shirt. 60 years ago, these kids would have been wearing Hitler Youth uniforms. Their existence is proof of the rabid anti-intellectualism so often found among fundamentalist Protestants. Racism and bigotry is passed down through the generations. I know MLK, Jr. preached nonviolence, but if these anti-christian bigots ever protested in front of my church, heads will roll.

    • 2 years ago
  • Karolein
  • Erin_McNally
    • 0
      Erin_McNally  

    • It's fine that they want to protest. It's a free country and freedom of speech. But for them to do that outside of an Elementary school is 100% wrong. The kids don't need to see this and as far as I'm concerned this is teaching kids to hate. It's disgusting.

    • 2 years ago
  • ChristopherX
  • emarston
  • cabinettags
  • hardknockxpert
  • tomofnorthcal
    • 0
      tomofnorthcal  

    • As an ex-bible thumper, I remember that JC never protested a childrens school, nor encouraged lying.
      ...there was something written about suffer the little children, but not cause suffering to little children.

    • 2 years ago
  • crispyfritters
  • kreddig
  • ras_menelik
  • ibrake4rappers13
  • VitaminB2
  • EdJoyProductions
  • hardknockxpert
  • EdJoyProductions
  • hardknockxpert
  • SleepDirt
  • bailey78
    • 0
      bailey78  

    • I DO NOT AGREE with these people but I must say they have the right to Freedom of speach Just as I have the right to say there Nuts flat out all out NUTS!

    • 2 years ago
  • snarly
  • AndrewH13
  • kivol
  • ii386
  • AndrewH13
  • PsychoAlan
    • 0
      PsychoAlan  

    • WBC is just a group of angry kids with legal power. I've heard that their ability to fund these protests comes from winning lawsuits they've filed against people.

      They're beyond attention whores -- WBC are more like real-life trolls.

    • 2 years ago
  • Karolein
    • 0
      Karolein  

    • It's incomprensible to me that these types of protests are conducted anywhere near schools. It sickens me. When I lived in San Jose, I had to drive through a major intersection on the way to work. The anti-abortion protestors had huge posters of aborted fetuses. Elementary school kids had to walk past these protestors on their way to/from school. I can only imagine how frightened they were.

    • 2 years ago
  • capetan_omalley
    • 0
      capetan_omalley  
    • Karolein:

      I used to see those aborted foetus from time to time when I was younger, it never really had any effect on me. I only wake up screaming every other night. Seriously though, I think the Westboro Baptist Crew have moved away from Abortion they "hate fags™", essentially they're a vile bunch of people & much like the Nick Griffin/Tom Mezgers of the world they feed on attention & more than likely the level of vigour of their Homophobic rantings suggests that ole' Pastor Phelps is seriously overcompensating & is in fact a raging closet case.

    • 2 years ago
  • SleepDirt
  • JonRaymond
  • Ihatethemall
  • JonRaymond
  • Ihatethemall
  • SleepDirt
  • Michael_66984
    • 0
      Michael_66984  

    • I'm seriously baffled as to how anyone who has actually read the bible can think that hate in any shape is ok. It's really weird. Besides, why do these morons want to spend their life bashing someone for their personal choices? Do they seriously have nothing better to do.

    • 2 years ago
  • Conniepae
    • 0
      Conniepae  

    • These people may be against abortion, but they are more shameful than those they are prostesting against. Shame on them! They have lost sight of right from wrong.

    • 2 years ago
  • seanalyn
    • 0
      seanalyn  

    • This is just sad. They can protest their crazy fanatical beliefs all they want but what is the point of doing it in front of an elementary school? Yes, we all know why they are doing it (to gain attention and try and upset the Obama children) but how do they justify it to themselves? There is absolutely no point in doing this outside of a school when the kids inside cant even vote!

      I wonder how they would feel if gay marriage advocates stood outside their childrens' schools and protested.

      These people need to grow up and quit acting like children.

    • 2 years ago
  • timetide
  • seanalyn
    • 0
      seanalyn  
    • seanalyn:

      lol whats sad is there is probably some truth in that. I feel bad for their kids, growing up in a household of hate and fanaticism is no way for any child to be brought up.

    • 2 years ago
  • AndrewH13
  • Conniepae
    • 0
      Conniepae  

    • People are free to protest, but outside Obama girls' school should be unacceptable to the President. He has the power of the Justice Department and I would put them to work. These protesters who have such audacity, better be squeeky clean. If I had control of the Justice Department, I would clean their clocks!

    • 2 years ago
  • Cococalves
    • 0
      Cococalves  

    • agree w/ ii386. sure dont see their logic tho, i can see not agreeing witht the man's ideas, or maybe even the man himself, that's fine idc. but y attack the kids, i guess its their fault for not chosing to be born to different parents, "those dang satanist fags, always chossing the wrong parents."

    • 2 years ago
  • LarzNero
    • 0
      LarzNero  

    • Conservative whackos stalking pre-teen girls? This isn't news!

      On a serious note, these people are monsters. Even Jesus would shit on them.

    • 2 years ago
  • takenbygnomes
    • 0
      takenbygnomes  

    • these are some sick people, just browsing through their website gives me chills. they are crazy cult status brainwashed extremists who brainwash their kids, who are gonna grow up and continue this vicious cycle. they are disturbed people to say the least.

    • 2 years ago
  • MGCandles
  • metalcookiesxy70
  • desertcat
    • 0
      desertcat  

    • Anyone who puts children in the middle of adult situations should be arrested for some kind of child abuse. Is this is what Christianity has become, a religion of fanatics, cowards and nut cases. If I were a Christian I would be angry but the acorn does not fall far from the oak.

    • 2 years ago
  • tangibleparadox
    • 0
      tangibleparadox  
    • desertcat:

      just remember, they're not all bad. the media just likes to focus on the really bad ones.

      i have plenty of family members who identify as christians and they are, generally, good people (of course they have faults, everyone does). not everyone takes religion to the extreme.

      considering they have no problems brainwashing their own children, i'm not surprised to see them barking their nonsense in front of a school.

    • 2 years ago
  • erikjames
  • extracrazykiwi2008
  • good_stuff
    • 0
      good_stuff  

    • As I am from Topeka, KS; I am very familiar with this group. I don't know why the national media still covers them, as this is how they make money and support their hatred.

      Everybody in Topeka started ignoring them, and poof they disappeared. They don't geniuinely beleive in what they are doing, but just do it because it is their identity and job. They are all lawyers who know what lines cannot be crossed and will sue you if you do something that crosses it.

      Personally I'm glad they exist though. I think they are the perfect show of hypocrisy in religion.

      My favorite was seeing them protesting a Roman Catholic church with the sign, "fag church". Did they not do their research, or do they think the priest's hat is homosexual?

    • 2 years ago
  • cefirak
  • jac1992
    • 0
      jac1992  

    • I don't car what you do or say about the father, but leave the kids alone. No matter what the idea, it is always drowned out by the sentence "In front of the kids' ..."

    • 2 years ago
  • JulianCommongold
  • mjseydel
  • JulianCommongold
  • EdJoyProductions
    • 0
      EdJoyProductions  
    • JulianCommongold:

      I keep waiting for god to do that. I refuse to believe in him until he takes one of these extremist out with a giant bolt of lightening while they are being televised. Then I promise to go to any church he tells me to go to. :D

    • 2 years ago
  • Nephwrack
  • JanforGore
  • samthesixth
  • current89
  • wellhunggimp
  • ianakaeeen
  • e_young
    • 0
      e_young  

    • How is saying, in writing from their website, "We're talking great power, and you Jews had better be very afraid," not a threat? Also, when you are in school, you are considered a "captive audience" which means Free Speech rights go out the door. Those a-holes shouldn't be allowed to be there. It does nothing for the "conversation" which is the point of free speech. This is hate speech and shouldn't be covered.

    • 2 years ago
  • nikongrapher
  • tome_erau
    • 0
      tome_erau  

    • These people came to protest at my school because our ROTC program is apperently to tolerant of gays. The students were outraged and we were all gonna show up to give them hell but the school wisely advised us to stay home and ignore them. Because of that it was just 5 angry crazy people so no media showed up and it was like the whole thing never happen.

    • 2 years ago
  • Ihatethemall
    • 0
      Ihatethemall  

    • Yes these folks are freaks. For starters, God doesnt hate anyone.
      To bad you all werent as pissed about the nasty comments made about Palins kids. Karma is a bitch man. And its for real.

    • 2 years ago
  • SleepDirt
  • nikongrapher
    • 0
      nikongrapher  
    • Ihatethemall:

      wow. you are pathetic. Karma is a bitch? How does that excuse make it okay for those kids to deal with that? Let me go outside your kids school and protest against you for being a complete moron... that sound good?

    • 2 years ago
  • nursediesel
  • Ihatethemall
  • Varex_Sythe
    • 0
      Varex_Sythe  
    • Ihatethemall:

      To reiterate, Palin put her children in the political spotlight herself and therefor made her children a fair political target of the media and the people who disagree with her. Obama has not used his children as a political tool, and as a result any political attack against or towards his children is uncalled for.

    • 2 years ago
  • Ihatethemall
  • Ihatethemall
  • nikongrapher
    • 0
      nikongrapher  
    • Ihatethemall:

      the fact you even say yes shows how minuscule and irrelevant you are to society. You are the reason we are looked upon harshly, you're i don't care.tough guy attitude... doesn't get you far in the real world, sorry, hope you aren't teaching them that... goodluck

    • 2 years ago
  • Ihatethemall
    • 0
      Ihatethemall  
    • Ihatethemall:

      I am just wondering when I can expect you at my kids school. You said it. I didnt. You made the threat, I didnt. I just told you I would be there.

      and as getting far in the real world. My shit is paid for. Farm, House, cars, tractors truck. How far will you get?

    • 2 years ago
  • nikongrapher
  • Ihatethemall
    • 0
      Ihatethemall  
    • Ihatethemall:

      example...kinda like my example of how no one here defended Palins kids but obamas kids are untouchable and it "makes me sick"....."terrorism"....."this makes me really upset" to quote a few of the replies in this story.....

      And if standing up to someone who makes the statement....as an example or not....Let me go outside your kids school and protest against you for being a complete moron... makes them a "tuff guy" I guess its your right to think that. To me, its just defending my family.

    • 2 years ago
  • nikongrapher
    • 0
      nikongrapher  
    • Ihatethemall:

      But see, your wrong man... you need to start viewing both sides, because republicans and conservatives alike who were for Palin, did outcry about it... they got smashed for it... foxnews couldn't have said anymore about it without it being their only news story, i watched it for months until i got sick of it... I live in a town that supported Palin a lot, ( she actually stopped in to our town), and there were a lot of mad people about it...

    • 2 years ago
  • Ihatethemall
    • 0
      Ihatethemall  
    • Ihatethemall:

      And remember the first words in my original post.................YES THESE PEOPLE ARE FREAKS.......I wasnt defending them in any way. I was condeming those who saw no problem when it was palins kids.
      For that you dont have to read between the lines. You just need to read

    • 2 years ago
  • Ihatethemall
  • Ihatethemall
  • nikongrapher
  • Ihatethemall
  • nikongrapher
    • 0
      nikongrapher  
    • Ihatethemall:

      No problem. I understand your point and position, and for the most point I agree, but I cannot agree with Karma.. two wrong's do not make a right for anything ever, and I firmly believe what they are doing, is retaliating, and it's making them look way worse than the Palin people did, and that is only going to hurt them, not help their cause or voice... so hopefully they continue to, it will just make them look worse, fine by me you know?

    • 2 years ago
  • Ihatethemall
    • 0
      Ihatethemall  
    • Ihatethemall:

      I agree. I never meant it to sound like I thought it was right. Shit man they should be arrested for what they are doing. I was only trying to point out the differance between how the folks here on current never sounded off at how bad it was to make fun of Palins kids but came to the defense of obamas kids. The people who run this church, if you even want to call it that, are freaks. Anyone who believes that God hates anyone and still calls themselves a christian has some really serious issues. They shouldnt even be allowed to have a tax exempt status as a church.

    • 2 years ago
  • kivol
    • 0
      kivol  
    • Ihatethemall:

      how can you say karma is a bitch when you condemn these peoples actions from both sides? Is that not hypocritical? You really can push my buttons, and I despise you for that. Your logic makes hero sense. Also aren't you assuming no one here on current complained? I didn't want her to bring her kids into the politics, I didn't choose for her, I didn't want to see her kids attacked for her own ignorance. I may not have even said anything about these kind of attacks, though that doesn't get away from the fact that they should not have been brought into the politic scene but they were.

    • 2 years ago
  • snarly
    • 0
      snarly  
    • Ihatethemall:

      who protested outside palin's kids schools? the only things I remember is the mother of a expecting minor preaching abstinance over birth control and sex ed, and a tasteless joke by a late night talk show host. Going to these girls school, or any school for that matter to protest homosexuality and war is just not right. What do these childern have to do with this? Absolutly nothing!! If these assholes showed up at my kids school, yyou can bet they'd be praying for someone to shield them from me.

    • 2 years ago
  • Ihatethemall
    • 0
      Ihatethemall  
    • Ihatethemall:

      Kivol:

      I am not assuming anything. I was here on Current for last years elections. I saw what was said about palins kids and I saw how the current folks reacted to it.
      No I am no hypocritical. I am not saying it is right for one side to do it and not the other. I am saying karma is a bitch because they said nothing a year ago when Palins kids were being attacked and now that the shoe is on the other foot they bitch about it saying.............kids should be left alone.............they certainly werent saying that 14 or 15 months ago.

      Glad to hear I push your buttons.

    • 2 years ago
  • kivol
    • 0
      kivol  
    • Ihatethemall:

      why did you write hypocritical and not hypocrite? Just curious. I'm glad you like to hear that you push my buttons. :P

      Maybe I should ask what kind of attacks(specifically show me) were there? I am curious to know what was said. Are you referring you to the 16 yr old daughter who got pregnant by the media playgirl whore? Because I don't know if there were attacks on trig. I would be surprised if there weren't but hope they aren't welcome here on current.

    • 2 years ago
  • EdJoyProductions
  • Ihatethemall
    • 0
      Ihatethemall  
    • Ihatethemall:

      For starters, I dont believe Levi....edjoy...would you?

      To see what type of nasty shit was said about Palins kids all you need to do is search here on current for all the stories related to palin and go back to the stories that were being published back in the fall of last year. I just dont have the time to do it.

      I will say this, The last one I recall was kinda recent. It was when Letterman said those things about Palins daughter getting knocked up by some baseball player.
      Many here on Current thought that was OK. I dont. The girl is 14. Letterman is a piece of shit for that. Now many say he meant the other daughter. But that wasnt the daughter that was there at the time. Even if he did mean the older daughter, it was still wrong.

      No politicians kids, unless they themselves are politicians should be used in political battles.

      No I am no hypocritical....There should have been a T at the end of NO...my bad

    • 2 years ago
  • VROTK
    • 0
      VROTK  
    • Ihatethemall:

      i don't remember ever hearin about any nut protesters outside Palin's kid's school with pictures of their mom and the words "The Beast" written on it. Granted Palin is a beast, her kids were never harrased to that degree.

    • 2 years ago
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