Westboro Baptist Church in Park Slope this weekend!!!!!!!
Comments
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Westboro is like any other religious zealot group. They mostly focus on anti-homosexuality issues. They hit places like military funerals, reform/liberal houses of worship and so on because they support the lifestyle. They literally feel that gays, idolators, witches and any other "sinner" mentioned in the Bible should be executed. Unless of course they repent and find salvation.
This is where I get down to their level and quite frankly say while I deplore the speech, there ain't no way in hell I would defend their right to say it. Fuck 'em where they breathe. -
I just saw on one of my email lists that we should NOT protest the Westboro people at the Kane Street Synagogue. Here's what DailyGotham.com has to say about how pathetic their protest was:
mole333 wrote: These folks arrived today and their first day of protests was, to put it mildly, unimpressive. They seem to be rather impotent when it comes to being Dickheads.
<snip>
Five people. And they will teach Brooklyn what good looks like? Sounds more like they are teaching Brooklyn what LAME looks like. What CHUMPS! That is the best they can do? Five people telling some of the smartest kids in NYC that God is their enemy. Big f***ing deal.Rabbi Sam Weintraub wrote: SUBJECT: URGENT: PLEASE DO NOT COUNTER PROTEST AT THE KANE STREET SYNAGOGUE THIS SATURDAY
Dear friends,
By now many of you are aware of the planned protest of a tiny, fringe hate group outside the Kane Street Synagogue this Shabbat, Saturday, September 26 at 12:30 P.M.? The "Westboro Baptist Church" (no affiliation to any mainstream Baptist or any other Christian Church) is a group from Topeka, Kansas, who share despicable anti-Gay, anti-Jewish and other messages at Synagogues, churches and other points of public assembly.??
??
We at the Kane Street Synagogue are deeply moved by the many expressions of support which we have received from community members of all faiths and backgrounds.? Your messages have been further confirmations of the blessings we enjoy every week, of living in this rich, diverse, multicultural, and tolerant community.
The Westboro group is based in Topeka, Kansas, and is tiny. A good part of the "Church" are children or grandchildren of one man, Fred Phelps, and at times they manage to gather only two or three people at their "rallies".? We have spoken with the Anti-Defamation League, the local police and other groups which monitor the Westboro group, and unanimously they give us one message:
THE ONLY WAY THAT WESTBORO GETS THEIR MESSAGE ACROSS IS BY PROVOKING COUNTER-PROTESTS AND SO GARNERING MEDIA ATTENTION.? SO, WITH GRATITUDE FOR YOUR GOOD WILL AND CARING, WE ARE ALSO IMPLORING ALL OF YOU TO REFRAIN FROM COUNTER PROTESTS OR ENGAGING THE WESTBORO GROUP OR EVEN COMING BY TO SEE THE "ACTION".? This will only build up the "story" and get Westboro and their venomous message media and other popular attention which they do not deserve. We have made the same appeal to our own members.
We thank you for your understanding and support and on these sacred days wish you a Shana Tova, a Year of health, peace and understanding,
Rabbi Sam Weintraub
Kane Street Synagogue -
Ok, so just to be clear, we're not throwing eggs. Anyone want to come over for omelettes?
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If there's a need to run over there and Be Gay or something, I'm in. I respect the "ignore them, they want you to pitch a fit" approach to these real life trolls, but should that change...someone with a mobile device please update this thread!
I'm going to the farmer's market...
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It was an amazing counter protest. They were outnumbered about 40 to 1, and the Rabbi came out and blew the shofar. Than we sang, and danced the hora, and then stood around chatting and being social... they were so outnumbered that just being there, not taunting back, seemed really effective. A few hotheads shouted at them, and there were the typical signs of "God loves everyone" and "Jesus had 2 Dads", but for the most part it was really, really peaceful, and kind of beautiful in a way, to see so much support. They looked silly.
At one point the rabbi led everyone in putting their thumb to their nose and wiggling their fingers at the protesters, and everyone did, and then cracked up, and that, I think, is when the mood broke and we all came together and, dare I say it?, had a good time. -
I felt compelled to join the counter protest.
I took some pictures
http://whatyourdonotknowbecauseyouarenotme.blogspot.com/2009/09/us-and-them.html
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4th streeter and Em, those videos rocked.
Glad this didn't turn ugly. Though a little Abba would have been nice. -
ringrunner - was that Marty I spotted in one pic?
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The wingnuts were outnumbered by cops and counter-protestors. I noticed they brought a child with them.
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Flexichick wrote: ringrunner - was that Marty I spotted in one pic?
Yes -
So much for the Rabbi taking his own advice. Ya'll gave the nuts exactly what they wanted, publicity. I walked by on my way to a tag sale and everyone should have kept walking.
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Maybe publicity runs both ways.
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eggcream wrote: So much for the Rabbi taking his own advice. Ya'll gave the nuts exactly what they wanted, publicity. I walked by on my way to a tag sale and everyone should have kept walking.
they were protesting in Park Slope. there was NO WAY they weren't going to get a counter protest and some media coverage.
i think it was in the Rabbi's best interest to lead the people in front of the synagogue to make sure the counter protest went a peaceful way.
i think from the pictures you can see the strength of community. -
I think simply ignoring them would have been better, but....what do I know?
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This is a nice video, especially my dear friend Lily (the dog) showing her support for fags. (Watch the video and you'll see why I used the word fag.)
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caseopele wrote: This is a nice video, especially my dear friend Lily (the dog) showing her support for fags. (Watch the video and you'll see why I used the word fag.)
nice -
metalnyc wrote: [quote=eggcream]So much for the Rabbi taking his own advice. Ya'll gave the nuts exactly what they wanted, publicity. I walked by on my way to a tag sale and everyone should have kept walking.
they were protesting in Park Slope. there was NO WAY they weren't going to get a counter protest and some media coverage.
i think it was in the Rabbi's best interest to lead the people in front of the synagogue to make sure the counter protest went a peaceful way.
i think from the pictures you can see the strength of community.
Congratulations, ya'll just gave them exactly what they wanted with videos, pictures, the press etc. Nobody is doubting the strength of the community. :roll: My point, who would have seen them or heard them if nobody showed up or those going inside just ignored them? Keep feeding them and they won't go away. -
enh, to some extent, i agree with you, eggcream, but they're not going away regardless. i think the more important thing is that the community feel stronger and happier with one another. (see for instance the comments for brooklyn tech students on the nyt fort greene blog -- organizing a counter-protest got those students all fired up about loving each other, which is great.) if accomplishing that ends up giving westboro a bit of publicity, oh well.
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exactly.
...doesn't everyone hear the rantings of at least one racist person during their weekly commute?
By gathering amassing into a group of five, then telling everyone where they will be appearing and when, this group gets publicity.
At this very moment, one of them is googling the result's of their NYC trip:
1. Look they posted videos of us!
2. Look, the newspaper covered us.
3. Look, they etc, etc.
Was the community of Park Slope under threat from 5 fools from out of town with ignorant views? No.
...glad some folks had a good Saturday publicly confirming their PC-ness.
Glad most didn't need to. -
I don't care what the jerks from Kansas think.
But if the casual racist finds my blog or looks at the newspapers he/she might decide who he stands with, the Park Slopers confirming their PC-ness or the out of town fools. -
Side stepping the issue of whether they should've been ignored, there's a nice write up here about the protest:
http://www.fuckedinparkslope.com/home/the-park-slope-vs-westboro-baptist-church-smackdown.html -
nomad wrote: Side stepping the issue of whether they should've been ignored, there's a nice write up here about the protest:
Genius. She showed them writing all about in her blog with pictures. Somebody needs to look up "ignoring" in the dictionary.
http://www.fuckedinparkslope.com/home/the-park-slope-vs-westboro-baptist-church-smackdown.html
"The best part was that for the entire time he was speaking, we all had our backs to the Westboro-tards and were ignoring them completely." -
Another article with some video just out:
TNRtv: Westboro Baptist Church vs. New York
Benjamin Birnbaum and Ben Eisler
November 12, 2009
http://www.tnr.com/article/westboro-baptist-church-vs-new-yorkThe New Republic article wrote: What happens when a merry band of anti-Jewish, anti-gay rabble-rousers visits one of the most Jewish, gay-friendly areas in the country? Let’s just say that, in terms of brash willingness to speak their minds, these holy rollers may have finally met their match. TNRtv reports:
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