Bikers show up to protect mourners from Westboro Baptist protest

Cochrane Times ^ | 12/19/12 | Cochrane Times

[raccoonradio]

Bikers seem to have thwarted attempts by the Westboro Baptist Church to protest the funeral of Newtown, Conn., shooting victim Principal Dawn Hochsprung.

The vocal right-wing Christian group, whose website is godhatesfags.com, produced a video called "God Sent the Shooter," and has blamed the massacre on gay marriage. It put Hochsprung's funeral on its online "picket schedule."

But there was no sign of the church group, as local newspaper the Newtown Patch live-blogged throughout the day with updates, and reported that people had arrived from as far away as Massachusetts to protect the mourners -- just in case.

Bikers from New York formed a formidable-looking wall of motorcyles.

Late in the day the Patch wrote: "Applause erupted in the crowd ... as it was announced that members of the Westboro Baptist Church were not coming to protest at the wake."

As of Wednesday afternoon, nearly a quarter million people had signed a WhiteHouse.gov petition -- created Dec. 14, the day of the Sandy Hook shooting -- to "legally recognize Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group."

[raccoonradio]

LA Harley Times:
Bikers descended on the town of Newtown yesterday and linked arms blocking the hate group protesters of Westboro Baptist Church from disrupting the funerals.

"More than 100 riders from New York and Massachusetts, organized by the anti-Westboro group Patriot Guard Riders, were also in Connecticut on Wednesday to show their support, Patch reported. The lined the streets arm in arm."

“All these guys see us and think we’re bad. We’re not. It’s solidarity, is what it is,” New York native Jim Hannigan told Newtown Patch. “I just felt I had to be here.”

[Gettin Betta]

“right-wing Christian group”

F you!

[fatnotlazy]

” The vocal right-wing Christian group,...”

***

Nothing right-wing or Christian about the Westies.

[rarestia]

Are they “right-wingers” because they’re associated to a religious movement? Not sure how God would expect mortals to protest the funeral procession of children. Seems... unholy.

[raccoonradio]

They made it to Hartford (about 48 miles away on I-84), but...

>>Members of Westboro, which has been certified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, were in town but didn’t leave their hotel rooms in Hartford, Conn., according to Anonymous.

According to the Newtown Patch, Nicole Sabel of the Women’s Center of Greater Danbury announced at 3:20 p.m. that Westboro Baptist Church would not protest at the wake for Dawn Hochsprung, the Sandy Hook School principal. The announcement was met with applause.

http://blog.al.com/wire/2012/12/people_flock_to_newtown_to_blo.html

[raccoonradio]

yup, gave $ to Gore

[SnakeDoctor]

>> “More than 100 riders from New York and Massachusetts, organized by the anti-Westboro group Patriot Guard Riders, were also in Connecticut on Wednesday to show their support.”

Therein you likely have the only right-wing Christian group in this story.

SnakeDoc

[mylife]

Westboro is neither Christian nor Right wing.
They are Opportunist Shysters.

They inflame sensitive issues, try to get some one to take a poke at them and sue on 1st amendment grounds while hiding behind the guise of being a church.

[SkyDancer]

Thing is, that group makes its money by suing municipalities for not providing them adequate protection from exercising their 1st. Amendment rights.

[LearsFool]

It’s interesting...FReepers have offered many explanations for why this massacre occurred, what mistakes our society has made that permitted this to happen, what bad decisions brought about such dire consequences.

But let someone suggest that sin is the root of the problem and even Christians trip over one another in their rush to disown such an idea.

[mylife]

Patriot Guard ping

[trussell]

I signed the petition and posted it to my twitter and facebook. They need lots of signatures to reach their goal!

[Salamander]

“All these guys see us and think we’re bad. We’re not. “

Push ‘em hard enough, though....

;)

[mylife]

They are punk ass provocateurs.

[heartwood]

A WhiteHouse.gov petition to “legally recognize WBC as a hate group?”

What does legal recognition of a hate group entail?

Does a legally recognized hate group lose rights that non-hate groups retain?

[SoldierDad]

The vocal right-wing Christian group

These people ARE NOT affiliated with Conservatives in any way, shape, or form. They are vile, evil, hatefilled cretins who belong more to groups that worship Satan.

[JustSayNoToNannies]

But let someone suggest that sin is the root of the problem and even Christians trip over one another in their rush to disown such an idea.

Is gay 'marriage' the sin that is the root of the problem? Do you agree that "God Sent the Shooter"?

[NonValueAdded]

THEY ARE NOT RIGHT WING!!!

[G Larry]

politics is NOT linear!

It’s a circle.

So, when you far enough, you’re back on the LEFT, and is Facism!

THAT is where this Westboro crowd is.