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Westboro Baptist Church Overloaded with Phone Calls After Turkey Virus Hoax
Frontiers LA ^ | 11/28/2014 | Dominic Preston

Posted on 11/30/2014 1:23:20 AM PST by Slings and Arrows

A satirical news website managed to trick thousands of readers into phoning the Westboro Baptist Church, infamous for its ‘God Hates Fags’ slogan, after telling them that it was the “Turkey Safety Hotline” following an outbreak of avian flu.

The hoax article, ‘Millions of Thanksgiving Turkeys Recalled: Is Your Family Safe?’, was published by the National Report, which describes itself as “a news and political satire web publication, which may or may not use real names, often in semi-real or mostly fictitious ways.” The article claimed that a new strain of avian flu had infected turkeys across the country, putting people at risk over Thanksgiving:

“The CDC has confirmed that millions of turkeys have been recalled due to safety concerns over an avian virus that the birds may be harboring. The virus is related to human influenza virus but was thought to lack the ability to infect humans. However, it appears that the virus has recently developed the ability to move from bird hosts into humans. The results could be disastrous.”

The article then encouraged anyone who had bought a turkey to phone the ‘Turkey Safety Hotline’:

“Individuals that have purchased a turkey from any manufacturer are encouraged to call the Turkey Safety Hotline that has been established in collaboration with the CDC and several major turkey suppliers. The hotline is available 24 hours a day at [PHONE NUMBER REDACTED].”

Of course, that hotline was in fact the Westboro Baptist Church, who were no doubt rather bemused by the incoming stream of phone calls about turkeys. According to Pink News, thousands of people attempted to phone the hotline, enough to keep the church’s phone line consistently blocked, with one caller complaining:

“why don’t you make more phone lines available so people can get through. Just one number is not going to help the whole country.”

The National Report may not be the first people to prank the ‘God Hates Fags’ church, but this might be one of the more inventive approaches yet.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Political Humor/Cartoons
KEYWORDS: hoqx; napl; nationalreport; swatting; westburocult
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I took the phone number out because I know how Jim feels about doxxing. It's printed in the source article, though.
1 posted on 11/30/2014 1:23:20 AM PST by Slings and Arrows
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To: Slings and Arrows; MeekOneGOP; Conspiracy Guy; DocRock; King Prout; Darksheare; OSHA; ...


2 posted on 11/30/2014 1:24:26 AM PST by Slings and Arrows ("I Only Love You When I'm Drunk" - http://youtu.be/uT-tCbvfDUg)
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To: Slings and Arrows

I would be a little bit surprised if the Westboro folks don’t get hundreds, or even thousands, of calls every day of the year. They aren’t exactly well liked, and homosexuals are awfully well organized.


3 posted on 11/30/2014 1:36:07 AM PST by JoeDetweiler
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To: Slings and Arrows
The Patriot Guard Riders obstruct the view of the WBC so a family burying their loved one did not have to see the vile animals.


4 posted on 11/30/2014 1:51:35 AM PST by South40 (Hillary Clinton was a "great secretary of state". - Texas Governor Rick Perry)
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To: South40

Inspiring!


5 posted on 11/30/2014 1:56:28 AM PST by Slings and Arrows ("I Only Love You When I'm Drunk" - http://youtu.be/uT-tCbvfDUg)
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To: JoeDetweiler

Maybe homosexuals understand that “Westboro Baptist” is a front organization for a bunch of liberal Democrat lawyers, whose whole purpose is to make conservative Christians look bad.


6 posted on 11/30/2014 4:11:56 AM PST by Campion
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To: JoeDetweiler
They aren’t exactly well liked, and homosexuals are awfully well organized.

Not only are they organized, I am told they dress very sharp and cook pretty well.

7 posted on 11/30/2014 7:27:12 AM PST by verga (You anger Catholics by telling them a lie, you anger protestants by telling them the truth.)
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To: JoeDetweiler

I thought Putin joined the Westboro Church; he preaches the same cant and is doing it, too, to smear real conservatives.


8 posted on 11/30/2014 7:42:07 AM PST by elhombrelibre (Against Obama. Against Putin. Pro-freedom. Pro-US Constitution.)
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To: Slings and Arrows

Couldn’t happen to a more deserving bunch of aliens.


9 posted on 11/30/2014 8:42:40 AM PST by dayglored (Listen, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is...sounding pretty good about now.)
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To: Slings and Arrows

First the NYT reporters who published Darren Wilson’s address get massively harassed and now this. It’s been a great holiday.


10 posted on 11/30/2014 8:44:30 AM PST by catfish1957 (Everything I needed to know about Islam was written on 11 Sep 2001)
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To: catfish1957

We got a holiday; karma has been working overtime.


11 posted on 11/30/2014 10:54:23 AM PST by Slings and Arrows ("I Only Love You When I'm Drunk" - http://youtu.be/uT-tCbvfDUg)
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To: dayglored

If only they’d return to their home planet...


12 posted on 11/30/2014 11:04:27 AM PST by Slings and Arrows ("I Only Love You When I'm Drunk" - http://youtu.be/uT-tCbvfDUg)
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To: verga

“...I am told they dress very sharp...”

So they say. But then I keep seeing them running around wearing Daisy Dukes and Wife Beater shirts...it is a puzzlement...


13 posted on 11/30/2014 11:28:10 AM PST by JoeDetweiler
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To: Slings and Arrows

Actually, we’re quantum presbyterians.
14 posted on 11/30/2014 2:04:30 PM PST by Trillian
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To: Trillian

15 posted on 11/30/2014 2:34:29 PM PST by Slings and Arrows ("I Only Love You When I'm Drunk" - http://youtu.be/uT-tCbvfDUg)
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To: Slings and Arrows; 3D-JOY; abner; Abundy; AGreatPer; Albion Wilde; AliVeritas; alisasny; ...

I’m amazed Westboro Baptist understood them at all. It’s not everyday a concerned human being can speak Baboon.

DANG!


16 posted on 11/30/2014 7:06:14 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (The mods stole my tagline.)
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To: Slings and Arrows

"He's a good friend of mine!"


17 posted on 11/30/2014 7:11:11 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (The mods stole my tagline.)
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To: Slings and Arrows

What is “doxxing”?


18 posted on 11/30/2014 7:17:10 PM PST by TBP (Obama lies, Granny dies.)
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To: TBP

Fred Phelps was a homosexual.


19 posted on 11/30/2014 7:28:48 PM PST by TBP (Obama lies, Granny dies.)
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To: TBP

Doxxing is posting personal information, particularly that which can be used to harass its subject. Documenting —> docs-ing —> doxxing.


20 posted on 11/30/2014 7:59:08 PM PST by Slings and Arrows ("I Only Love You When I'm Drunk" - http://youtu.be/uT-tCbvfDUg)
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