Posted on 05/30/2011 12:19:02 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Westboro Baptist Church members did not show up on Sunday afternoon in Joplin as expected. But thousands of Joplin supporters did show up and lined the streets armed with signs that declare, "God Loves Joplin," just in case.
The extremist Westboro group, known for picketing at funerals of military officers, had announced earlier that they would protest in Joplin, Mo., on Sunday against President Obama, who spoke at a memorial service for tornado victims.
In the group's press release, they also claim that Joplin was hit by a tornado as God's punishment for the sins of residents.
But when Sunday came, no Westboro members showed up even though Joplin Police Chief Lane Roberts had acknowledged on Friday that his department was in communication with Westboro and will give them a designated area to protest.
Instead of an anti-Joplin protest, thousands of supporters of the city came out in force on Sunday waving American flags and holding signs that read, "God Loves Joplin" and "We Support You Joplin."
Charlie Brown, who organized the Westboro counter protest through a Facebook page, said the rally had three themes: honor, respect, and remembrance, according to The Joplin Globe
The grassroots Facebook page "Counter Protest Westboro Coming to Joplin" is liked by over 16,500 people.
"Joplin is where I grew up," said Jamie Stuckey, who came from Fort Scott, Kan. to participate in the Joplin rally, to the Globe. "It's the town I love. I want to tell [Westboro] that natural disasters don't mean God [smote] Joplin. If you want proof of his blessing, just look at the thousands of volunteers who came here to help."
Stuckey learned about the counter protest through the Facebook page.
Westboro Baptist Church, made up of family members of leader Fred Phelps, is notorious for protesting at funerals and declaring that disasters and deaths are God's punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.
The Topeka, Kan.-based group is not affiliated with any Baptist denomination and is condemned by Christian leaders as a cult and for teaching unorthodox views on predestination and God's wrath.
Even though Westboro did not show up, there was a single disturbance on Sunday when a man from northwest Arkansas began preaching and protesting outside of the set protest zone. Authorities led the man to the protest zone that was prepared for Westboro, according to the Globe.
But after the man left the designated zone, members of the Westboro counter protest crowd chased him. Police officers intervened, however, and led him to safety. Reports indicate that mace was used in the altercation, but it is unclear if police used it to control the crowd or if someone else had used it. The man was briefly detained and then taken to the county border and sent off.
As of Saturday evening, 142 people have been confirmed dead as a result of the EF-5 tornado with 200-mph winds that ripped through Joplin on May 22. The town observed a moment of silence at 5:41 p.m. on Sunday to commemorate the one week anniversary of when the tornado struck the southwestern Missouri city.
All they have to do is say they are going to show up and they get the reaction they want.
Everyone in the USA (and in the world) knows the barry the zero doesn’t give a tinker’s damn about any place that didn’t and won’t vote for him (thus the LONG delay in stopping by for the photo-op).
But this isn’t the time for any one to offer anything except prayers and funds for our MO brethren.
That’s because most of them got hemmed in at a truck stop by a bunch of truckers.
It’s on another thread, I’ll see if I can find it.
from a diff. thread on FR:
>>I usually go to the source and read comments:
“__TEX__ at 4:43 PM May 29, 2011
From what I understand the main group from WBC got blocked in at a fuel station 20 miles outside of Joplin. Apparently a trucker or group of truckers blocked them in with their semi-trucks
The only thing bullies understand is force and the willingness to use it. Joplin Mo. isn’t Manhattan, NY. These Westboro scum knew who they were dealing with and knew, in the back of their diseased minds, that if they had gone through with this some of them would have been shot and killed. That’s what kept them from protesting the funeral of those West Virgina miners a few years ago.
Chickens!
I bet even they are smart enough to realize that Joplin residents wouldn’t put up with their crap.
Babies, small children and families died. People have been working for days finding dead bodies, trying to recover their possessions, everyone is tired and cranky.
Here it is:
Westboro Baptist protestors met by counter protestors (Police used Tear Gas on Counter protestors)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2727212/posts
You have to read down into the posts to find out that this occurred at a truck stop.
lol! Praise God for truckers (I’m sure it was a silly mistake on the part of the truckers, probably didn’t even realize what they had done).
This is why need to experience daily demonstrations against them in their homes and church. Make them experience the misery they have dished out to so many others.
Large groups of people who claim righteous indignation are usually looking for a riot. They will attack anything they imagine to be opposing them.
Case in point was a counter KKK rally in the midwest. When the KKK didn’t appear, they turned on each other. A bunch of self-righteous liberal white people learned a lesson that day about race relations. No matter how “understanding” you are, you are still white.
You're a good man, Charlie Brown.
So when a tornado happens out on an uninhabited part of the prairie does this mean God is punishing grass and groundhogs for their sins? And what about waterspouts that generally do no harm at all except maybe to some fish? Are them fish sinning somehow under the waves? BAD FISH
Clarification on previous comment:
Most of the Westboro folks got hemmed in at the truck stop.
The MACE incident was where one Westboro protester had been taken to a DESIGNATED AREA for The WESTBORO PROTESTERS, and he left that ‘area’ and encountered some ANTI-WESTBORO protesters.
I guess they decided they wanted to live to be evil another day.
Cowards, that’s all they are. Funny how when confronted with the possibility of their own demise they back off real quick. The strength of any group depends on the will of it’s leader. I guess their ‘’leader’’ didn’t have the will to face the people of Joplin. Bloody cowards, the Westboro bunch, cowards all. A pox on their house.
http://www.joplinglobe.com/obituaries
These people look pretty innocent to me, especially the little babies. Heartbreaking to read. “died in his mother’s arms” and crap like that.
These Westboro people should be ASHAMED!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.