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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#45001: Dec 24th 2012 at 8:46:26 AM

They are protesting American tolerance of homosexuality and saying God allowed this tragedy to happen because of it.

edit: They do the same thing at a lot of military funerals because apparently 9/11 and the resulting wars were caused because we aren't killing off all homosexuals.

edited 24th Dec '12 8:47:13 AM by Kostya

Trivialis Since: Oct, 2011
#45002: Dec 24th 2012 at 8:48:21 AM

Again, what does a protest at a funeral accomplish? That's not the legislature.

Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#45003: Dec 24th 2012 at 8:49:28 AM

It pisses people off? Look, they're jackasses and most people are convinced they're just doing this so they have an excuse to sue. Don't try to ascribe logic to them.

edited 24th Dec '12 9:06:48 AM by Kostya

ohsointocats from The Sand Wastes Since: Oct, 2011 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#45004: Dec 24th 2012 at 9:01:15 AM

Westboro Baptist Church is full of lawyers. When people try to obstruct their ability to protest funerals, they bring in legal shit and make a lot of money and usually win. This is why they still do it.

Midgetsnowman Since: Jan, 2010
#45005: Dec 24th 2012 at 9:03:57 AM

[up][up][up]

Publicity, mostly.

Also the chance to sue anyone who tries to stop them.

LostAnarchist Violence Is Necessary! from Neo Arcadia Itself Since: Sep, 2011
Violence Is Necessary!
#45006: Dec 24th 2012 at 9:08:40 AM

WBC are just a bunch of corporatist lawyer shills who need to be deported, or better yet, imprisoned (because apparently, I'm the only one who thinks they need to be hunted down themselves for being gun nuts themselves!).

edited 24th Dec '12 9:08:56 AM by LostAnarchist

This is where I, the Vampire Mistress, proudly reside: http://liberal.nationstates.net/nation=nova_nacio
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#45007: Dec 24th 2012 at 9:33:38 AM

<Lost Anarchist is immediately sued millions of dollars for "making death threats">

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#45008: Dec 24th 2012 at 9:35:57 AM

"Conservative bikers turned out yesterday to protect Newtown mourners from Democrat Fred Phelps and his Westboro cult from protesting."

...Nice distortion there from Faux News. A) Making it sound like WBC is directly linked to the Dems and B) implying the Patriot Riders are conservative, when I believe they explicitly politically neutral. At least that's what they say anyway.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#45009: Dec 24th 2012 at 9:36:49 AM

[up]Who are the Patriot Riders? I believe they've been referred to as the Hell's Angels by other groups.

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#45010: Dec 24th 2012 at 9:43:46 AM

From what I've read from The Other Wiki they are just a bunch of people with bikes who got sick of the WBC. They also do charity work for veterans and their families. Never heard of them being linked to Hell's Angels or outlaw biker clubs though.

Unrelated edit: Goddammit. http://bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2012/12/24/source-edward-kennedy-will-not-run-for-senate-massachusetts/XJTMSKLTGoBhFYKIZonzxO/story.html

edited 24th Dec '12 9:46:04 AM by Rationalinsanity

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
DevilTakeMe Coin Operator from Wild Wasteland Since: Jan, 2010
Coin Operator
#45011: Dec 24th 2012 at 10:04:55 AM

Patriot Riders are a motorcycle club (as much as the Hells Angels are a motorcycle club, YMMV). Hells Angels are just the largest motorcycle club in the US, so it's easy to mis-label any bike rider.

Glove and Boots is good for Blog!
Achaemenid HGW XX/7 from Ruschestraße 103, Haus 1 Since: Dec, 2011 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
HGW XX/7
#45012: Dec 24th 2012 at 10:19:37 AM

Two firefighters have been shot dead and two more injured in a shooting in upstate NY. Utterly disgusting behavior.

It could be that guns and gun control become the defining issue of Obama's second term.

Schild und Schwert der Partei
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#45013: Dec 24th 2012 at 10:21:31 AM

While they might become more significant I still think the economy and foreign policy will be at the forefront.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#45014: Dec 24th 2012 at 10:30:44 AM

Ugh, if guns and gun control are the defining issue of Obama's second term, then the NRA can jump up and down and scream "SEE? SEE?! WE TOLD YOU SO! OBAMA DIDN'T TOUCH OUR GUNS AT ALL SO THAT HE COULD SNATCH HIM AWAY IN HIS SECOND TERM!"

rmctagg09 The Wanderer from Brooklyn, NY (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
The Wanderer
#45015: Dec 24th 2012 at 10:55:00 AM

This is happening so often that if I didn't know any better I'd think it was being planned on purpose.

Hugging a Vanillite will give you frostbite.
RadicalTaoist scratching at .8, just hopin' from the #GUniverse Since: Jan, 2001
scratching at .8, just hopin'
#45016: Dec 24th 2012 at 11:02:09 AM

@ Devil: I disagree with item 4 on that list, and item 11 I see only as a joke (a good joke admittedly, it's Chris Rock). But otherwise I agree with her proposals. That said, you've got some good ideas there too. I can get behind a License to Purchase approach (I wouldn't extend it to CCW as I don't think concealed carry should be permitted; if you got it, wear it openly).

Might I suggest a Permit to Secure? In urban areas, criminals like stealing guns as much as they like using them. If you own considerable firepower, you should be required to demonstrate that you can reliably keep it under lock and key. (If not, you could still own them if you left them someplace like a shooting range or public gun locker, which would of course have sufficient security.)

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.
Trivialis Since: Oct, 2011
#45017: Dec 24th 2012 at 11:03:02 AM

[up][up]Is it happening often, or are we just getting more attention to it?

MrLthebetrayer Since: Apr, 2012
#45018: Dec 24th 2012 at 11:04:25 AM

[up]I think its the latter. Need to check on facts, will do that later.

A pretty fun guy to be around.
Joesolo Indiana Solo Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
Indiana Solo
#45019: Dec 24th 2012 at 12:02:39 PM

On the patriot riders-As far as I know they have exactly 2 goals- protect people from the WBC, and raise money for charity. They're really not political.

I'm baaaaaaack
RadicalTaoist scratching at .8, just hopin' from the #GUniverse Since: Jan, 2001
Serocco Serocco from Miami, Florida Since: Mar, 2010 Relationship Status: Faithful to 2D
Serocco
#45021: Dec 24th 2012 at 1:17:17 PM

I've heard a theory that Obama wants to compromise just so he can appear post-partisan. Get a pat on the back by the Washington media.

Cenk Uygur takes it a step further by saying that Obama wants to cut the social programs because Obama wants the good publicity by people like Fox News.

In RWBY, every girl is Best Girl.
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#45022: Dec 24th 2012 at 1:20:20 PM

The former I'll buy. The latter on the other hand is just over the top.

Obama's dumb sometimes, but he's not *that* stupid.

I think it's more likely that he knows Republicans won't/can't compromise, so by promising to compromise and then letting the fiscal cliff happen, he gets off with both the revenue increases and with placing virtually all of the blame on the Republicans, which gives him more leverage when we climb back up the cliff after having fallen off it.

terlwyth Since: Oct, 2010
#45023: Dec 24th 2012 at 1:23:08 PM

[up] Considering that he could just go over the cliff and that he had a super-majority from '08 and how he seems to be avoiding the cliff,still caved to the miniscule minority,it's really not that over the top

Well what politician doesn't want good publicity everywhere? What very few seem to learn is that you can't please everyone. Sadly it seems Obama isn't one of those few like '08 led us to believe.

edited 24th Dec '12 1:30:33 PM by terlwyth

Thorn14 Gunpla is amazing! Since: Aug, 2010
Gunpla is amazing!
#45024: Dec 24th 2012 at 1:26:00 PM

Is it so hard to believe that Obama honestly believes in bipartisanship is the best solution?

RadicalTaoist scratching at .8, just hopin' from the #GUniverse Since: Jan, 2001
scratching at .8, just hopin'
#45025: Dec 24th 2012 at 1:29:01 PM

I can believe he's honestly that naive, yes. He's probably surrounded by people who tell him so.

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.

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