Protesting existence.

[kippurbird]

... Apparently the Westboro Baptists Church might be picketing on October 19th outside the university where I work?

We got an email from the administration about it. They basically said, "Ignore them".

I can't imagine exactly what we did to garner their attention, but I'm going to go with "existing".

We'll have to see if anything happens, yup.

Comments

[thelastmehina.livejournal.com]

Seriously, ignore them. They make their money by being so offensive that someone takes a swing at them. Then they sue for assault. All perfectly legal.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

We are.

That's what the message pretty much said. Ignore. Ignore. Ignore.

[the-norseman.livejournal.com]

You're Jews? I mean when has people needed more reason than that?

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

I'd think Westbro would need more of a reason? But I could be wrong on that.

[rurounitriv.livejournal.com]

They picket the funerals of (straight, Christian, killed-in-action) soldiers because the US government doesn't jail people for being homosexual anymore. The mere fact that you dare to be openly Jewish is more than enough for them.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

You're right. I'll just go back to the shtetl then.

[dergerm.livejournal.com]

What? I thought Jewish folk were one of the few things Westboro kinda ignored, because they had other things to hate. Like everything else.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

We don't love Jesus. You can check their site for the picketing schedule and it has this long THEY ARE DOOMED BECAUSE THEY DON'T LOVE JESUS list of places they're going to.

[silver-chipmunk.livejournal.com]

No, they're branching out, and their latest thing is picketing Jews. They just were around my area for the High Holy days.

[silver-chipmunk.livejournal.com]

Here, check out this link:

Phelps-a-thon

You can register their pickiting of you and use it as a fund-raiser.

[spoofmaster]

I love the idea of raising money for whoever Westboro pickets--make it nice and counterproductive for them. :)

Hugs and prayers to Kippur. Don't let them get to you.

[subieko.livejournal.com]

I don't recall the Westboro Baptists' specific stance on Jews, but it wouldn't surprise me if that was the issue, because they hate pretty much everyone but themselves. Americans, homosexuals, the military, Catholics, Protestants who accept gays, probably anyone who isn't Christian...the list goes on...

[easol.livejournal.com]

They probably hate prairie dogs for kissing in public.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kissing_Prairie_dog.JPG
Shameless sluts!

Seriously, it's disgusting that these people are even allowed to protest like this. They're giving genuine protesters not just a bad name, but a putrescent one.

[bklydej.livejournal.com]

Well, it's the right to freedom of speech...

But that also means we have the power to protest back, though just ignoring them seems to be the best strategy.

[djiril.livejournal.com]

Wow. WBC has a "protest schedule" on their website, and it does seem that they are targeting a lot of Jews lately for being Jews. They are also targeting the National Council of Jewish Women for being too loud and pushy, apparently. I won't link to it, but you can find it easily enough with a google search.
They have a paragraph or two for each protest explaining why they are doing it. I'm not sure which school is yours, since they are picketing more than one Jewish university in California on that day.

[smurasaki.livejournal.com]

Yeah. These are the people who are so far off the deep end that the local conservative religious nutbars here actually counter protested them when they came here to harrass one of the high schools for some reason.

Good luck! I hope everyone ignoring them totally ruins their day.

[bklydej.livejournal.com]

Because she's Jewish, and her school is Jewish.

Yes, that is as stupid as it sounds.

[zephronias.livejournal.com]

Isn't that, you know, illegal? I'm pretty sure someone made a law somewhere that says you're not allowed to screw with people because of race/sexual orientation/religion.

What's the "real" reason they've given officials to allow themselves on your campus? (Or outside it, as the case may be).

Worst case scenario, have someone turn the sprinklers on them.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

They're not going to be on the campus. They'll be protesting just off of the property. And because of that they're within their first amendment rights to do so.

This is what it says on their picket schedual thing:

American Jewish University - Unthankful Jews Go 2 Hell! 15600 Mulholland Dr WBC has some things to say to the hateful, God-defying, hypocritical Jews of DOOMED america and the world: If you do not repent you will be with all the other earth dwellers who have received the mark of The Beast Obama. You think that Holocaust was something? How's this for a history lesson right out of Ezekiel 9:1, et seq. "He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer?s inkhorn by his side; And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house. And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city. And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem - Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The LORD hath forsaken the earth, and the LORD seeth not. And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head. And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me." That man clothed with linen is that same Lord Jesus Christ whom ye slew! Praise Him. AMEN!

Take it as you will.

[zephronias.livejournal.com]

Son of a-

They're insane. They're insane, blood crazed, single-minded psychopaths and should be separated from normal society until they detox off of whatever crazy juice they've been chugging and are able to integrate amongst the sane once more as decent members of society.

I thought people like that were just stories mothers told frighten their disobedient children.
;_;

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Every story has a bit of truth?

[huinesoron.livejournal.com]

Their premise is that the sins of (a small number of) the fathers will be visited upon the children to approximately the 80th generation? As evidenced by... er... a block-quote from Ezekiel? And the destruction of a city is worse than the Holocaust? And I am very confused.

Also I wondered for a while who Dr. WBC was.

Also, is "you will be with all the other earth dwellers" a curse? I suppose being made of earth while dwelling might be a bad thing... I'm very confused.

OH WAIT that's the point.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Yeah. That about sums it up.

[bklydej.livejournal.com]

Believe it or not, people are aloud to protest this. It's part of the right of free speech. People can voice their opinions about anything as long as there's no violence involved, and that includes protesting. Once violence breaks out though, you'd be arrested.

I believe, if my government class got it right, that you aren't allowed to force your beliefs on to other people, or bar people from doing things because of their race/gender/religion/whatever. Protesting isn't taking rights away, it just annoys the hell out of people.

[bklydej.livejournal.com]

*allowed. Damn grammar.