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Anonymous Goes After GodHatesFags.com
An anonymous reader writes "Anonymous is now recognised as a serious force to be taken seriously, but its activities aren't confined to mass global protests, as the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, is discovering, according to p2pnet. Says the Examiner, 'Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church is infamous for their "Love Crusades," obnoxious displays of insensitivity and homophobia at the funerals of fallen American soldiers. The controversial if monotone message of the "Love Crusade" seems to be to blame everything that is wrong in the world on homosexuality. The crusades are part of a hate-based mission started in Kansas by the WBC and Fred Phelps.' In an open letter on AnonNews, 'We, the collective super-consciousness known as ANONYMOUS – the Voice of Free Speech & the Advocate of the People – have long heard you issue your venomous statements of hatred, and we have witnessed your flagrant and absurd displays of inimitable bigotry and intolerant fanaticism,' says Anonymous, stating 'Should you ignore this warning, you will meet with the vicious retaliatory arm of ANONYMOUS.'"
I don't think their target group knows nor care about what a computer is, so ANONYMOUS won't be able to do much damage here.
c++;
I smell a conflict of interest.
Viable Slashdot alternatives: https://pipedot.org/ and http://soylentnews.org/
These tactics sound like hate meets hate.
Wouldn't praying for them in a spirit of love work better?
It would either make Phelps & Co. see The Light or at the very least it would annoy the Hell out of them.
Either way society wins.
Heart's in the right place and all, but I don't know that dramatic pronouncements from Anonymous nerds on the internet is going to scare a bunch of hillbilly douchebags like WBC. "vicious retaliatory arm".. seriously? I think they can narrow down Anonymous a bit as either being 12, or having the mentality of a 12 year old.
I won't glorify them by posting their web site here but I will post a counter-site:
www.godlovesfags.com
Unfortunately it's a bit dated.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
Tactically, Westboro is a bit better target than just saying "hey! let's DDOS Amazon.com!"
Do I condone all their techniques? No. But it seems they've come to realize multi-billion dollar corporations are a bit too big to attack for them. Not that I pity Westboro at all (hypocritical demon warshipers)...
"Anonymous is now recognised as a serious force to be taken seriously..."
C'mon, "a serious force to be taken seriously?" Who wrote that?
Is there anything ironic about the self-appointed "voice of free speech" trying to bully an admittedly annoying and vocal cult into silence?
These inbred wackos are a great target for derision, but what exactly does Anonymous propose to do to them? A DDoS? An email hack? Does the Phelps clan have a website? If they do, does anyone actually go there? Do they even use email? I think unless they go out to the sites where these troglodytes are harassing grieving families and directly confront them, they're wasting their time.
I think they can narrow down Anonymous a bit as either being 12, or having the mentality of a 12 year old.
That being said they are still at least twice as mature as the group they are protesting.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
Whoever loses, we win.
A serious force to be taken seriously? It almost sounds like.... the internet is serious business. ...I hate myself for spending too much time on the internet, now.
I believe in the cake.
The average mental age on the Internet is at least 13 and the 85th percentile is at least 15.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
Why the hell do they think it's a good idea to make virtual martyrs out of such a vile hate-filled group and give them free publicity? Stupid, stupid, stupid.
The Westboro Baptist Church fills an odd role where they're so extreme and, possibly more problematically, rude, that they have very little support. Will damaging them in some way actually change anything? Even people way on the right already dissociate themselves from them, and they have basically no actual influence on anything.
It's sort of the same with Actual Nazis imo. I'm worried about a certain kind of intolerant right-wing strain in the U.S., but I think Westboro types and swastika-flag-waving types are mostly distractions and not where the real problems lie; the right-wingers who aren't actively shooting themselves in the foot like those two groups do are bigger problems.
It'd go the other way too. Say you were a conservative worried about leftism in the U.S. You could attack the Communist Party USA, but would that be a good use of your time? They're a sideshow.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
If I don't think about it, is the rest of your signature any less true?
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
WestBoro Baptist Church is just a media whore stirring up trouble to provoke a reaction. Whoever claims to speak for anonymous is the same. "anonymous" is just a group of people, in the loosest sense of the term, with no leadership or agenda. You can not declare a warning from something you have no control over. As the wikileaks DDOS attacks have shown us, most of them barely even qualify as script kiddies, and are ridiculously easy to catch. There are some that know enough to do SQL injection attacks, or brute force passwords (or use the built in password reset) but super hackers they are not. The mainstream media is laughable in how clueless they are about it. They can't seem to understand that the internet makes it possible to have a group with common goals who is coordinated through group-think instead of a firm leadership. There is no monolithic entity, no membership, no initiation ritual or brotherhood. It's a loose group whose actions are dictated by a herd mentality.
Not that I really care one way or the other, but shouldn't people who are "The Voice of Free Speech" not really make threats upon other groups use of free speech?
I didn't take the time to look into any of their claims against whoever they are accusing of whatever today.
I start to like these guys "anonymous " !
You know, as much as I completely agree with a lot of what "Anonymous" is against (though not the methods, for the most part), is it necessary that they talk like some fucking robot from a 1950s sci-fi flick? They sound like fucking morons.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
'nuff said.
Hmm, I think the ego of people calling themselves anonymous have gotten to their head. Seriously, when did they start talking so damn much? Yes, I think the idea behind them is very cool, but all this talking is pretty dumb. Stay anonymous, do what you are going to do, and stop trying to bully your way around. They sound like a bunch of teens trying to act tough now.
How about instead of talking shit, just go do it. That's right, talking trash gets you noticed and put in headlines. If they want to truly be anonymous, maybe they should shut up about their plans, because now whoever gets busted from what they to do this website is going to get an even harsher penalty because of how planned this is. It has left the, "Oh, I am bored and I support this cause" to "Look at me! I am the almighty anonymous. Bow before me or else I will smite you." If you don't like somebody, just go tear their world apart. Leave your ego at the door and do it instead and trying to act all tough, because if you get pinched, since you opened your big fat mouth, even if it was 1 single teen that was told about it, every person that gets pinched is going to get hit so much harder since everybody knows who they want to go after now.
Good job guys. Way to wave that red flag around and then just sit there.
The world is how you make it
After reading about the pillar of fire by night and a pillar of smoke by day, I think there may be some truth to this web site's name.
A medical question:
If each cigarette you smoke takes 5 minutes off of your life, but you are an eternal being, how does that work?
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
WE ARE ANONYMOUS, VOICE OF FREE SPEECH. OBEY US OR BE SILENCED.
Only twats as self-important as they obviously are could write this sort of thing and not even realize what they're saying. Or perhaps they do realize and just think that they're so great that their hypocrisy doesn't matter. I believe we've seen this sort of thing in history before. It starts with a religion and ends with lots of dead people. But hey, maybe this time it will be awesome.
Wow! Just wow! Anyone with enough homophobia to register a domain like that, and put up that website. Really needs to be taken to a bath house, and left there for a couple of days.
If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
I get that Anonymous has presented itself as a collective direction that any one person can join. But I doubt this is an initiative of their core members. It seems off the reservation and out of the plan. Phelps is a complete ass doing his best to spread hate and stupidity; but he's not oppressing the poor or breaking the law.
Banks, corporations and oppressive governments are far more worthy targets. This is random time-wasting crap. I doubt it's a false-flag, 'cause there's no way an attack on Phelps would inspire any sympathy from anyone; but I do expect it's a teenager wanting to be a bad ass and not bothering to apply intellect towards finding more important targets.
The Invisible Hand of the Free Market is what punches workers in the nuts.
The Westboro Baptist Church lives off suing people for infringing on their right to free speech, assembly, etc. If the IRC and 4chan douche bags attack them, then WBC isn't going to have anyone to sue, but will try and waste capital in their attempt.
And yes, they have computers, website, businesses associated with them, so there is crap for anonymous to attack.
God does not hate. Every day that a homosexual wakes up they have been forgiven.
If, however, they choose to cling to their homosexuality--which always has a basis in doing what they want to do to get something--then they remain in sin and are subject to the whims of the devil. Over time the homosexual is no different than women. At first they enjoy sex, then they learn that they are able to use sex to get what they want, then they find that they get stuck in situations where they no longer wish to have sex with someone (or feel obligated to be directed to have sex with someone else), but they need to continue to do it because their director/partner has significant control over their social and financial lives. Homosexuals are no different. At some point in their homosexuality they discover that they do not really want to do this anymore but to refuse would create enormous social and financial problems, as well as having the gossip of "used to be" follow them.
The only solution is truly the path of God.
Why do bad things happen to good people? For the same reason why bad things happen to bad people. Because they insist on sinning and, once in sin, the devil enjoys doing it to you. Not that the path of God will keep you from all of the irritations and problems which are naturally part of this world--but the path of God is the only way to ensure that you will survive it.
God does not hate but, if you wish to actually live without sin and observe the path of God, then observe that God created them male and female.
the NPG electrode was replaced with carbon blac
Is it too much to hope for for this to end up like the "Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat" story? It would be so nice to be rid of both cabals of sociopathic jackasses.
...and I cherish the First Amendment above all the others.... ...but just this once....I'm gonna be spending all my time looking in another direction.
And -Damn you to Hell- Fred Phelps, and your inbred collection of Olympic class haters, for pushing me to this hypocrisy.
"A microprocessor... is a terrible thing to waste." --
GeneralEmergency
At what point will they realize that they are a threat, a nuisance, and an extragovernmental tyranny, and implode in a DDoS of self-awareness?
And will they have the power to do it by then?
Westboro is an attention-whoring organization. Attacking them seems somewhat counter-productive.
I can't say I approve of vigilante justice, but in this case I could most certainly consider making an exception.
Over here (UKoGB) the anti smoking lobby is pretty strong but even they don't invoke a deity in support.
Sounds catchy - even if I am a confirmed tabber.
Cheers
Jon
I don't see why Slashdot would promote this kind of behavior.
Part of living in a free and open society is that although a majority of people will keep to themselves and exercise their rights in a way that's respectful of others, a minority of people are loudmouthed idiots.
While I think the views held by these people are deplorable, we should all support their right to say these things without fear of intimidation, because one day we might find that we hold publicly unpopular views and don't want to be similarly silenced. And, while their arguments for doing things like protesting at funerals are terrible compared with the suffering they must cause some families, we have a system for dealing with these rights issues, and their case is currently before the Supreme Court.
We don't have a perfect system, but we do have a good system. Intimidating others away from public speech is a dangerous road. As to the truly offensive and dangerous behavior, our legal system is dealing with it. Let our system work. There's no need to fuck with these people.
If the media would just stop covering the WBC, they'd have absolutely no leg to stand on. Its a shame they're just so funny.
Pardon me for saying so, but why in hell would Anonymous give PR to this weird little cult? Apart from being grossly disgusting they seem fairly few and harmless and their sole power is the outraged press they garner.
They're the kind of religious nuts you can't reason with because they see everything as proof they are right. Hell, isn't this the same creeps that wanted to show up in the funeral of that 9yo girl that got shot? I think these people are going for martyrdom and hoping someone will open fire on them. I'd be tempted.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
Phelps and his gang of Christianist assholes are in the business of provoking angry responses to their hellish displays that Phelps' gang will claim in court violated their rights or damaged them. To blackmail their targets, usually municipalities with the ability to pay, into settling the lawsuit and paying off Phelps rather than pay the extensive legal fees and possibly damages. That's why Phelps' gang is pumped full of lawyers trained at "Liberty" "University", the Christian crusade madrassa.
In this fight, it's Anonymous that's on the side of the angels.
--
make install -not war
Oh wait...someone has different moral values than you (even if their moral values suck).
an "anonymous" reader linked this?
godhatesfags.com?
That sounds like something I'd expect anonymous to START in the first place!
bickerdyke
That is all.
I don't think these folks have much exposure to the net, but their email WOULD be fascinating to a psychologist I am sure,
I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
OP is a fag
You know, I hadn't even heard about that website until Anonymous vowed to take it down.
Supporter of the +1 Over Dramatic mod option. In memory of apk.
The Voice of Free Speech & the Advocate of the People
I am more than capable of fighting for my own advocacy, thank you. That being said- Westboro will get NO sympathy from me.
Isn't it ironic that "The Voice of Free Speech" would tell another group that if they don't shut up, they will have their free speech DDOSed off the face of the earth?
C'mon, Anonymous, I don't like the tactics of the Westboro people any better than you do, but you either believe in free speech or you don't. If you don't, and you want to go ahead and DDOS them, fine, but let's be consistent.
Of course, DDOSing them won't stop them from shoving up at funerals and inflicting pain on innocent, grieving families. It might make you feel like you're Doing Something, but you won't be, really.
> ...we have hitherto allowed you to continue preaching...
And with those words we have the rest of the story. They claim the authority to "allow" others to speak. In other words they are our master and will decide who is allowed to speak and are willing to use force to enforce their edicts. Scratch a progressive, find a fascist. Every. Time.
Democrat delenda est
I liked Anonymous better when they were doing it for the lolz. The last thing we need is another bunch of moral crusaders.
AnonNews has jumped the shark. It's all downhill from here.
I usually smile and node sagely when Anonymous nails someone. I think I can find it in my heart to applaud for this one. Not a wimpy golf clap, either. A great honking big "Indiana Jones Saves the Universe" round of applause.
Best wishes.
Wait one cott'n pickin' second, I thought everything that was wrong in the world was due to the Jews; not all of them of course, just the homosexual ones.
I wonder how long it will be before some Anonymous fan decides to kill a few people to prove a point. I always said during the Bush years that I was glad that the paranoid nutjobs (the 9/11 truthers) all appeared to be on the Left this decade. It was such a drag when the militia idiots were in the news all the time.
WBC is annoying or very clever but not tyrannical. Anon needs to work on behalf of free speech and other rights, not be the arbiters of taste. Why not help with the various middle-eastern rebellions? or thwart the chinese govt.?
As much as I love Anon for going after these idiots, I fear that they'll just feed off this and call it a gay agenda =/
I hate to say this since I despise WBC. But when WBC goes out and tests the limits of free speech, and our courts set firmly in place that no, you cannot stop someone from saying something, just because it's "offensive", they do more to protect my free speech than a bunch of script kiddies do DDOSing company websites that hardly anyone even goes to.
I'm not saying I like Phelps and his gang of douchebags, but seriously? The wording of that message? Might just as well type "MUAHAHAHA!" down at the bottom, and then twirl your eloquently waxed mustache in a menacing fashion.
You used the critical word: rude. Their message is ugly but protected as free speech. It is the deliberate bad manners exhibited by Westboro that is unforgiveable!
Phelps just loves attention. What are they going to do? DDOS his website? It'll be down for a day but that will just give him plenty of publicity. He's not a huge company that needs a website up 24/7. I don't believe he has any other IT infrastructure for them to attack.
Democracy Now! - your daily, uncensored, corporate-free
The only question is who are the bigger trolls?
And against all expectations, a group of them will decide it's easier to put on ninja outfits and burn down the church. Hack the planet!!
Come on.... were those skits based on you?
Anonymous should change their name... Anyone using the loic client to launch a ddos is neither anonymous nor intelligent.
Anonymous is an advocate of free speech, if I read their website correctly. Yet they are threatening to take action against an organization whose "speech" and actions they do not approve. Which means, Anonymous is philosophically no better than the organization whose speech and actions they do not approve. Which means that Anonymous does not advocate free speech: Anonymous advocates free speech ONLY for those organizations and causes of which it approves. But I'm only an old codger who believes in free speech for EVERYONE, even if I do not approve of their agendas or ideas.
Don't get me wrong, I can't stand the Westboro Baptist Church. However, the following statement demonstrates the total ignorance of Anonymous: "the Voice of Free Speech & the Advocate of the People – have long heard you issue your venomous statements of hatred,"
In other words, "we are the voice of free speech and have decided to silence your (unpopular) free speech." Anybody see a problem with that?
I would say to picket there funerals but then we would be as bad as them.
This is one email by one poser, somehow I am not seeing a big NetMeeting session to hammer out the details of a collective statement.
A threat isn't news because a threat isn't action, and Anonymous is defined by collective action. We will find out what Anonymous has decided to do when the action starts, and by definition it's not possible to know, probably even from the "inside", beforehand.
"Anonymous is now 'recognised' as a serious force to be taken seriously"
LOL This sets up the article perfectly.
Fred Phelps, pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church, has run for public office five times.
As a DEMOCRAT.
Way to go, ANONYMOUS, way to pick the tough battle, to go against the grain and stand up against the weight of public opinion.
Almost everyone hates the Westboro Baptist Church. It's easy, and also cowardly, to attack people whose beliefs are repugnant to the majority. But it takes true bravery to stand by and respect their right to say repugnant things.
I wonder what would happen if the domain name was www.godhatesniggers.com
He's done it five times.
It's easy to take the high road and say "oh, yea they have the right to say what they want. First amendment and all that". But what you say has repercussions. So sure you can scream " I hate fags!". Just don't be surprised when someone punches you in the face at some point.
They come in the dark, only in the darkest.
They misread it as "God hates moralfags", so this makes perfect sense. For moar lulz, they should have figured out a way to get the Scilons to attack WBC and vice versa. THAT would be epic.
What this coward says seem to make sense. But can be easily shown its cowardly nature by changing the names a bit.
Is there anything ironic about the self-appointed "guardians of freedom" trying to bully slavers out of existence? No, there absolutely IS NOT.
Only people that prefer for nothing ever to be done about anything because they are scared shitless of ever having to take a stand try to find silly excuses like this.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
"Freedom of Speech" has to do with government censorship.
It doesn't mean 'Freedom from repercussions from speech'. It doesn't mean you won't get fired for telling your boss he's a haberdasher of asses; it doesn't mean a seething host of Internet Superheroes aren't going to besiege the gates of your web server if you're a hypocritical douche.
We got enough bullets, there is room for one more at the well. No cigarettes though, you guys hate fags.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
No it doesn't. It only takes the cowards way out. "Oh I believe in free speech as some kind of right to say absolutely anything anywhere to anyone so I never have to take a stand for what I believe in because it might upset someone so I can sit safely at home feeling good at myself while filth roams the street".
Bravery is fighting for what you believe, not rolling over on your back for everyone with some hate speech.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
There are few who label their opponents as suffering from mental illnesses as a matter of course.
"Homophobia" - "Capitalismophobia" - "Corporatephobia" - "Greedophobia" - "Rightophobia" - "Conservatophobia" - only one of these is regularly used.
By labelling your opponents as mentally ill, you are basically saying that democracy is a pointless endeavour for them to take part in.
That is something I have taken to heart.
GL HF.
As a noncommercial organization, they should have put their site up at godhatesfags.org instead of the .com address. I hope Anonymous gets 'em good for that!
--Dan
Web Tips
"...with the sunshine shining"
unless their target has real money and knows what its doing...
I guess in their world of high profile targets this hate Church is one step below Amazon in the realm of evilness. I don't know where you go from here, to BobbysLemonadeStand.com?
Their new method of operation seems to be , groups that can't kick our ass or embarrass us are preferred.
* Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
That's an odd concept for many. In the sense of how deep it reaches, here in the USA. But, with this, Anonymous show themselves as ignorant of the concept. And for damn sure, I don't care for 'them' as gatekeepers.
I am blown away by the Vernian accuracy of Gibson, Sterling, et al... Was it truly prognostication, life imitating art, or an inevitable outcome....
I know The Laughing Man isn't character by either of those authors, but a character of a similar vein none-the-less...
"Helping to keep you two steps ahead of the Thought Police!"
Wake me when its over. Boring gits.
Watched a BBC documentary on them a month ago. After years of despising them, I couldn't help but feel bad for them, the family. Phelps himself, could take a flying leap for all I care.
That said, Anon has either jumped the shark (well, there isn't an Anon, so it could be anyone, so perhaps the concept of Anon has jumped the shark) or has picked a losing fight. By their own rules feeding a troll only ends in failure and I can't think of a bigger, or at least purer troll than Westboro Baptist.
Anyone think this might NOT have been Anonymous?
Hate to say it, but he had this coming for a long time. I can understand freedom of speech, but protesting at a soldier's funeral, a soldier that has died for our country, and blaming gays and people's tolerance towards gays as if that was responsible for his death, is not just nonsense, but is completely disrespectful.
Plus, isn't this Church of his more like a military compound or something?
. . . you will owe it to anon and anon
It's not just "in some fashion". They're professional trolls, finding the most offensive messages they can come up with so people will attack them and towns will ban them, and they can sue for civil rights violations and win. It's kept them in business for a long time.
If Anonymous can interfere with their cash flow and encourage the press not to publicize them, great. But if Anonymous gets them more publicity, which is more likely to be the case, they fail. WBC aren't like the Scientologists, who need to keep their real nature secret to avoid scaring away suckers; they're a family business that doesn't need to recruit new converts, and the suckers are town governments that unconstitutionally ban their demonstrations, lose lawsuits, and have to pay them. Anonymous isn't going to win by revealing their secret beliefs - if the public isn't offended enough to get into a fist-fight with the WBC, they haven't done their job, and they'll think up something new to say that'll tweak people even more.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
As long as the press covers them, they don't need to run websites themselves. They *need* publicity, but they don't care how they get it, as long as people hate them and do things that they can sue them for.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
HERD MENTALITY + Anonymity= diffusion of responsability^impunity
Take a gander at OP's journal. He clearly has issues.
So pushing him by making fun of him will either get him to hurt himself, or someone else.
I'm guessing that ain't exactly what you had in mind.
i look forward to his proclaiming "4chan: land of the sodomite damned!" it may be the first time his judgment is received enthusiastically.
"They were pure niggers." – Noam Chomsky
I will recommend my friends to read this.I will bookmark your blog and have my children check up here often.I am quite sure they will learn Abercrombie lots of new stuff here than anybody else!
"Change their minds"? "Make it clear that WBC protests won't work"? They're professional trolls, and if you're not offended by what they say, and you've got deep enough pockets to be worth a lawsuit, they'll come up with something that'll offend you too, so you can attack them and violate their civil rights and lose in court. They're not trying to convert you, they're trying to piss you off. They don't actually care how you feel about gays, God, or America's Brave Troops - those are merely popular enough topics to get people to fight over so that town councils will try to run them out of town in ways that are slam-dunk unconstitutional interference with free speech.
"Shame them"? A couple of the kids have left the family business, or never gotten into it, but Fred and at least one daughter don't seem susceptible to shame.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
This story is stupid. It's written as though anonymous "does" "anything". So......somebody, anonymously, posted something where anyone can post anything. This means??? Nothing....figure this stuff out before you report on it.
If this is just for the LOLZ, go ahead anonymous, the WBC need to be taken down a notch. If this is meant to be some e-peen wagging by anonymous, then "whatever, man"
The children who call themselves anonymous can be as stupid as they want as long as the target is a greedy whack-job. When they go after things like amazon and mastercard it just shows they're incompetent too. Please go haxs Communist China if you want to look like a force of good instead of a force of fools. And I say that as China has no qualms about hacking any foreign country, just like Russia.
What next an attack by the militant branch of the Salvation Army? Or are they trying to hate all hate evenly across the entire spectrum. These hate groups often start in points of isolation. The solution is increased broadband and internet addiction for their descendants. Egypt's current situation could not have happened as easily without the training that the Egyptian Army received from the United States. Remaining impartial and knowing your own limits is useful training that is obviously lacking in the hate speech movement.
This is all going to be fun to watch. As someone who used to live blocks away from Fred and his cronies, I can tell you that they aren't a cult at all. They are nothing but a con game and the whole family is in on it. They perform their so-called protests specifically to get people angry enough to do something that violates their civil rights and then they sue. So, ANONYMOUS is actually just playing right into their hands. The WBC lawyers will try to find out the names of people in ANONYMOUS and will then try to sue them for violation of civil rights. If ANONYMOUS is smart they will set up traps and honeypots to make it look like various right-wing jerks are members of ANONYMOUS, which will cause the Phelps ignoramuses to sue the wrong people.
However, this tactic of ANONYMOUS will never stop the Phelps crew precisely because WBC is a con game that thrives on publicity. All ANONYMOUS is doing with these attacks is giving WBC even more publicity.
There's a much better, easier way to deal with these insensitive fanatics, one that doesn't run foul of the law. Simply picket their church, every Sunday, during services. Make it loud, make it hard for them to hear themselves and, if possible, make it impossible for them to reach the building because of the crowds. Let them see what it's like from the other side and watch them call for the police to arrest the picketers because to people like them, Freedom of Speech only means freedom tor them to speak, not for their opponents.
Good, inexpensive web hosting
so the defenders of free speech want to take someone elses
free speech away, right.....
Anonymous claims to be "the Voice of Free Speech" while simulataneously attempting to supress the free speech rights of Phelps and his "Church"...? Shouldn't they try for a little internal consistency, or do they expect "the People" they are advocating for to just suspend their disbelief.
On the one hand, I fervently believe in freedom of speech and recognize the irony of this situation. On the other hand, it occurs to me that there's a difference between supporting freedom of speech and wishing that I didn't have to hear the hatred-filled nonsense spouted by these crack-pot extremist groups. In short, I think the most important thing is that freedom of speech is legal, not that there's a public forum for these people to express their views. One of the infuriating tactics of Westboro Baptist church is their insensitive and inappropriate demonstrations at military funerals. The point at which their actions begin to infringe upon the freedoms of others, is the point where something has to be done. Plus, in the end, sometimes you just get tired of always taking the high road. That's when there's hell to pay.
Ironic that they call themselves champions of free speech while taking down a site for expressing...free speech!
We may dislike what they say and disagree with it, but targeting them in the name of free speech is kind of...what's it called when you attack someone for doing something that you do yourself?
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
However he did say "the right to say" not the right to harass, abuse or needlessly insult :)
You're falsely assuming that Christianity is some fixed set of beliefs, but it isn't. For 2000 years, Christianity has kept changing its dogma and beliefs for political, moral, and theological expediency, and for about a millennium before that, the Jews were doing the same. I mean, Paulus took an apocalyptic Jewish preacher ("the world is going to end within my lifetime; Jews, give away your possessions and obey Jewish law") and turned his message onto its head in order to create a new religion appealing to a wide audience.
For the simple reason that many men want to be ordained as priests: it is a quick-and-easy way to gain moral authority over others.
Christianity isn't a consistent set of beliefs, it's a symbol and placeholder that is (falsely) perceived to stand for morality and compassion in our society.
You have a Constitutional right to petition your government. You do NOT have the Constitutional right to petition the grieving families at a soldier's funeral.
Free speech is a separate right from the right to petition the government. And they aren't "petitioning" the family, they are making a public statement about the deceased.
They have a right to do that, even though it hurts the feelings of the family. Nobody has a Constitutional right to have their feelings protected. Free speech would be meaningless if the only things you could say were things that don't offend anybody. And, frankly, Phelps's statements are so off the wall and bizarre that it's hard to see how anybody could even be offended by them.
I would certainly pitch in a few bucks to fly some gay men to WBC for a nice love-in on the steps of the church
And that is the appropriate response to free speech that you consider offensive: you speak out against it and support the people hurt by it.
... another gay hater was created this day, and it's all anonymous's fault..
I fully condone this act. I am proud to call myself a Kansan, not proud to share this state with the likes of Fred Phelps. He gives the rest of the decent people in this state a bad name. Homosexuals are people too and he has no shred of common decency in his body, nor does any member of his "family", if they choose to persecute others as they do. At funerals no less. It really does warm my heart to hear that Anonymous has gone after Fred Phelps and his "gang". They try to spread a message of peace and "God's love", but all they do is spread a message of hate for their fellow man. F@&king hypocrites.
Sorry if I sound like troll or just a plain hatemonger. But if you were born and raised in a state where a guy like him came from, I would hope you would understand.
My blood hurts...
Some faggots in Anonymous got a little touchy with the Phelps' church.
"The first step is showing the world you're a moron"
"The second is keep telling the world so they are reassured you are a serious force to be reckoned with seriously, seriously"
Fundie nutjobs would like nothing better than to be martyred, or at least "persecuted" for their beliefs.
"Blessed they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
If someone did physically attack one of Phelps' mob, they would just see it as a Sign From God that they were doing his work.
1) Make outrageous comments, or be generally vile. In the name of Jesus.
2) Notice that people are really angry with you and object to everything you say.
3) Claim "persecution" and sit back with a smug grin on your face, knowing you've scored lots of Jesus-points and will get a better seat in Heaven.
4) GOTO 1
Cress, cress, lovely lovely cress
I can choose to ignore WBC's website, but I cannot ignore them if I go to a funeral, or I am walking down the street and they are protesting. A website could never be construed as harassment.
The idea that "free speech" advocates would try shut down a website is bizarre.
Anyway, if you don't believe in God, why would the notion that God Hates Fags even bother you?
I wish I could call myself a christian, but i cannot, I've backslidden. But I can rebuke the westboro baptist church.. God loves everyone the same regardless of creed, colour, sexuality or way of life. Jesus said love thy neighbour as thyself. I hardly think a church that sets up a website called 'GodHatesF*gs' is interested in following that particular teaching. Jesus also said, judge not lest ye be judged. And its pretty clear to me that the westboro baptist church isn't interested in loving homosexuals, just judging their sins as if they are god. Seems to me that on the day of judgement, members of the westboro baptist church will have alot to answer for.
Does this ANONYMOUS group have a PGP key?
How do we know the WBC warning is from the same ANONYMOUS
that has been in the news lately?
These people are really spitting on the trops - unlike the mythical Vietnam events. If these westboro people were libruls, they would be crucified on Slashdot and in the MSM. As the are not, they are defended.
Your mother is a stinking whore. If you don't believe that's true, why would it even bother you?
I don't see how this is any better than anything else these criminals do. I don't have any use for Fred and his family nor any sympathy. But it seems like Anon is only for free speech IF THEY can control who and how it gets used by.
Nope ... this is no better. They all need locked up. It's obvious they have no intention of being good citizens and no intention of working within the law. They are no better than your average arsonist, rapist or murderer IMO.
[quote]We, the collective super-consciousness known as ANONYMOUS – the Voice of Free Speech & the Advocate of the People[/quote]
Who the hell are they kidding, "Advocate of the People"? They're nothing more than a bunch of 16-years-old script kiddies with IRC to coordinate them. Granted, quite a big bunch, but they're still only immature assholes.
And I'm willing to bet quite a number of them are also homophobic, just like their current target...
Hyperbole: I use it liberally!
So my question is: WHY do they do that?
The last few times this has been proposed the general consensus on /b/ has been that Westboro are superior uber-trolls and therefore in line with Anonymous.
What has changed since then, why do they do it now???
of the Westboro Baptist Church, but it's kind of sad that "the Voice of Free Speech" doesn't see the irony of attacking people for speaking their views, however idiotic and bigoted.
We are the 198 proof..
I recall searching for WBC's site following a reference somewhere and thought that godhatesfags was a parody of their site it was so absurdly anti rest of world
Seriously guys, Anonymous is now seriously recognised as a serious force to be taken seriously, but its serious activities aren't confined to serious mass global protests, as the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, is seriously discovering, according to p2pnet. Seriously.
As much as I think the Westboro Baptist nutjobs are straight out of the middle ages, I think Anonymous isn't protecting free speech at all by attacking those religious fanatics. Then the next step for Anonymous would "I don't like you, so I'll DDOS the fuck out of you." In this digital age, they argue that their DOS attacks are the equivalent of a crowd sit-in. How exactly *do you* effectively obstruct a bank in, say, Zurich, when their customers can do on-line transactions, and people don't really walk to the bank much for anything (I don't. Do you?).
The concept that "hate speech" is an actual act of hate (hence, not free speech at all) is kinda of a slippery slope... A hate group is a self-delimited group. They single themselves out, so it's immediately obvious who one is talking to. You can just turn your back. As long as hate groups (Westboro, Arian Nations, Nation of Islam, etc.) don't actually commit to physical violence, maybe it's better to keep them in open shouting their stupid ideas rather than having them plot in the dark.
The Anonymous collective is a bunch of very smart and articulate people, but I think they are taking their hacktivism in the wrong direction. Their Litmus Test for attacks should be: "If I woke up as an ACLU lawyer, what would *I do in this case."
It's kind of sad that, in America and Europe, protests are so sanitized, and furthermore, monitored by the police (cameras, databases, etc.) to an extent it really is kind of fascist and Orwellian. Americans in particular don't really seem to have the guts to go out and protest, due to all the laws (Patriot Act, No Fly list, police brutality and arrests) their previous right-wing government has advanced - they can claim their Constitution is grand, but you really need to have a very well-paid lawyer...In that kind of climate, it's only natural that a group of activists prefers anonymity to open spaces. Suck it up, "civilized" nations. Anonymous is just your own backyard blowback to so much crowd control (in America, thought control is called "patriotism") and so little respect for dissenting voices.
Main difference between the BSD license and the GPL license: one is from California and the other is from Massachusetts
... that power doth insidiously corrupt. Imagining themselves supremely noble in their quest, the taints of hypocrisy or malice shall not stay their collective hand.
Here's the counterpoint to your very uneducated Darwinian argument:
A substantially (large) proportion of the human population (~10%) keeps popping out with this particular behavioral trait, i.e., homosexuality (there are others traits, but let's leave it at that.). Much to religious people's chagrin, it just doesn't seem to go away, as much as they pray and curse. It has been so for millenia.
Contrary to what you argued, instead of it being "unnatural" as you claimed, it would seem that there must be some Darwinian explanation for that trait to remain in the human population gene pool, because otherwise, if it weren't so, it would already have been eliminated, for precisely the reasons you pointed out.
Main difference between the BSD license and the GPL license: one is from California and the other is from Massachusetts
I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.
Voltaire
I am THE arbiter of what constitutes Free Speech, I'll crush any of you when ever I feel like it.
Anonymous
Anon would do alot better to just remain silent about this and systematically remove all reference to Phelps et al from the internet. The only reason they keep it up is because of the attention. If you ignore them and erase their existence from the media it doesn't matter what they say, no one will hear them and they will be like a kid throwing a tantrum in a soundproofed padded room where no one is watching and no one cares.
This is ridiculous. The Westboro thrives on their hatred. Just like so many other cults, extremism is how they attract people, and it is how they keep them in (who would socialize with these morons outside their church?). Telling them to stop is akin to saying a New York rat to stop feeding on the trash, it is just not productive. So if Anonymous is serious about this, they should just go ahead and attack, period. And better do it quietly, so as not to give the church free publicity.
Anonymouse, please take out fox news !!!
Anonymouse, please take out fox news !!!
Anonymouse, please take out fox news !!!
Attacking people you don't like to prevent them speaking, so that others cannot make up their own mind, isn't a step in the right direction. It's a step backward. Anonymous (the activists, not me the lazy individual who doesn't have a Slashdot login) are the new Nazis.
On the other hand, if they attack commercial websites which pick and choose which legal entities they will and won't work with, great. Why not just stick to that.
The only group left I love.
It's not what I "consider"; these are extremely well studied and documented facts, starting with Thomas Paine's "Age fo Reason" (which I recommend) to modern historical, theological, and linguistic studies.
Ironic - absolutely. But tbh, I wish Anonymous well on this latest quest. Lets be honest, the phelps family have a thirsty desire for conflict. There is no other purpose in their lives other than the production of hate and diatribe. They know they're vile and they love it! The phelps funny farm is like an overworked sweat shop, proudly knocking out hate by the bucket load. And no doubt all those posters, video equipment, travelling to funeral expenses etc etc, are all TAX DEDUCTIBLE (religion). If there is a god, the sooner the phelps meet it the better.
I think the right of 'free speech' (of which there is no such thing in reality) comes with some responsibilities . If you continually abuse that right granted to you - then you should lose it.
What is really ironic and even hypocritical (god hates hypocrisy) is the phelps cult preach to us all that god is our judge, they answer to no one but god, but they hide like rats behind the 'free speech' and 'religious hatred' laws. If you only answer to god or only recognise god as your judge - then you shouldn't be cowering behind the laws of mere mortals should you?
Anonymous. Just be careful you don't take yourselves too seriously. You have done great things in highlighting the crimes of $cientology. You are doing great things in providing a voice for Iranians, Tunisians, Egyptians etc, Don't be turning into any organised corporation though, poacher turned gamekeeper is not a strength.
Keep up the lolz and MOAR CAKE ffs.
For any species to survive, they need to reproduce. According to natural selection, the strongest traits that give the most advantage survive. It is not natural in this sense, that a portion of the gene pool would intentionally commit suicide.
I'm coming in partway through this argument having read only some of the posts, but this line above caught my eye.
Your point here may apply well enough when considering a purely atomistic species, i.e. some lifeform that is entirely non-social. However, once you begin to look at group dynamics, other factors come into play. With humans, for instance, social behaviour is key to how we function. In this perspective, a portion of the gene pool that does not reproduce does not necessarily mean suicide per se, as these individuals would be free to engage in other behaviours aside from direct child rearing with all the costs associated with that, and these free agents may instead increase the survivability of the group as a whole. These genes, although not reproducing themselves directly, would thereby be positively selected for within the group.
Cheers,
"What in the name of Fats Waller is that?"
"A four-foot prune."
The controversial if monotone message of the "Love Crusade" seems to be to blame everything that is wrong in the world on homosexuality
When a guy is so eager to demonstrate to the world that he is not at all gay, whatever people say, then perhaps he has some personal issues he should work with; such as deciding to come out of the cupboard.
Finally someone who is fed up enough with those judging religious hypocrites who think their God to actually do something about it! You go anonymous!
If Anonymous were to register as a US corporation, then just think - we could vote for Anonymous for Congress/Senate/President! Works for me, and it couldn't be any worse than what we have had for the past... well a LONG time! :rolleyes:
Sometimes, real fast is almost as good as real-time.
As opposed to a non-serious group not to be taken seriously?
.....
http://anonnews.org/?p=press&a=item&i=494
Anonymous have denied this in no uncertain terms. You can read the link it is rendered as a bitmap and I'm too lazy to retype the response.
God does not exist, or we would not have to worry about such ignorant pieces of trash. Doesn't this low life have anything better to do?
Hope they will enjoy Hell, cause Karma does work!
I don't know if anyone is interested in knowing this but I found it slightly funny. First hand I STRONGLY disagree with what WBC is doing and while they do have the freedom of speech and protest it doesn't make it any less disgusting.. I find them to be a bunch of low class,idiotic, hypocritical cult, but anyways.. They decided to protest a funeral around my area in Lamar, MO. They were there for maybe 15 minutes before they decided they were not getting anywhere with the hundreds of veterans and family and friends surrounding them. They tried to leave only to find that every vehicle they had driven there, their tires were slashed and every single mechanic and tire shop in the town refused service to them so they had to have their vehicles towed to another town... While yes whomever decided to slash their tires was wrong and it was highly illegal I still found that it made me warm and tingly inside to know that the little town of Lamar got the last laugh.... And yes I know this has nothing to do with what is being discussed.. but I figured someone on here would like it.