Anonymous targets Westboro Baptist over threats of Newtown protest

Anonymous targets Westboro Baptist over threats of Newtown protest

edition.cnn.com

Hacktivist group Anonymous published what it claims to be personal information of members of the Westboro Baptist Church after the group announced on Saturday it would picket Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, where 26 children and adults were killed.

Anonymous published private e-mail addresses, phone numbers and home addresses of various members, and teased the group about the hack on Twitter.

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Related News Links:
mashable.com
www.salon.com
www.twitter.com

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
Anonymous vs Westboro baptist Church
Anonymous hacks and exposes Westboro charlatans Baptist Church internal infrastructure during live c

These two organizations have butted heads in the recent past, but I am on the fence about whether or not the Westboro Baptist Church is with in their legal right to protest at the Newtown Connecticut Sandy Hook Elementary School. I am curious what others think about this situation. I am also on the fence as to whether or not Anonymous is with in their legal right to publish private information of the churches members. Above are some older links I found on ATS while searching to see if there was a thread on this news that CNN International posted two hours ago

edition.cnn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I am all for free speech but there are limits to what you can and cannot do and it boils down to common sense, i.e. you cannot yell "fire" in a theater, you cannot threaten someone's life and you cannot harass someone and that should include their "M. O." of showing up somewhere to intentionally inflict pain and suffering by word or deed.

The Westboro Baptist church and it's followers are evil. There is not anything Christian like about them. They should be classified as a hate group because that is exactly what they are. They are also crazy lunatics.

Not sure what Anonymous hopes to achieve with that? I guess they are just doing what they do best as hackers in protest.

What is Westboro protesting?.... I thought they were going there to praise God for sending the shooter.

Legal or not, someone needs to put and end to their hate group.

I would venture to guess that WBC is within their rights and anonymous isn't.
That being said, I'm glad Anonymous is doing this. And honestly I feel that WBC is about to bite off more than they can chew.

reply to post by JayinAR


You are quite possibly correct, that it is their right to protest, perhaps that will change with the petitions. I wonder though, if they are labeled a hate group, and that right is taken away, where will the line be drawn in the sand, to say if you are on this side of the line, you are OK and if you are on that side, you are not OK? I hope to hear some more ATS members thoughts on this in the morning. Thanks to all that expressed their thoughts thus far.

Imo,the members of WBC should bear in mind that for some,this could well be the last time they are in a position to rear their pus-filled heads Anywhere.With emotions naturally running so high over this atrocity-and they Really want to pitch up spewing their disgusting venom? I wouldnt be at all surprised if some finally got their heads bashed in,or hateful arms bearing hateful placards,broken in several places,or ripped off.They are indeed planning to bite off more than they could possibly chew.Many people would propably love to beat the living crap out of em as it is.

Westboro Baptist Church Dox!

Lulz Link !

Play nice kids (,"). Remember Anonymous loves you all , no matter your sexual orientation , skin tone or beliefs.

reply to post by AlchemistSwami


I would say that legally they are well within their rights but on the grounds of basic human decency and good taste, they shouldn't. And their own safety because frankly if i lived there and saw this group coming to protest such a tragedy. i am sure i would feel rather violent towards them - and i am fairly sure that many others in the local community would feel the same.

Equally though, Anonymous are starting to really rather annoy me. Who do they think they are? What gives them the right to break the law as they see fit? What gives them the right to release personal information? Anonymous at times have, i have to confess, tried to do their bit to support some great causes. At other times though, they act just like a lynch mob.

Neither is particularly attractive.

reply to post by AlchemistSwami


Are they within their legal rights? Maybe. Are they within any boundaries of decency, common sense, or human compassion? NO! I have driven past that place.....nasty signs all over, security cameras everywhere, and they have a little "compound" of sorts, apparently owning several connecting properties. All that in an otherwise normal neighborhood.

Those people are VILE. Nothing they do is remotely Christian, or anything close to Baptist. When I saw someone "targets Westboro...", I could not help but think, why school kids, and these creeps walk around doing what they do? No, not a very Christian thought, but they push the limits.

I don't know if they would care what Anonymous posted; they seem to have no shame or self respect. If they do try a protest, I hope some of the motorcycle groups show up to drown them out.

You know, a couple of you have it about right....these cretins are going to end up walking into something they can't walk out of. I have seen videos where people were throwing things at them, and even breaking windows, because of how they act. No, not condoning that, at all. But....such people are out there, and in a case like this? They would be wise to shut up and stay home.

I would like to add a P.S. to my previous post.....
"Git 'em Anonymous"!!!

Originally posted by JayinAR
I would venture to guess that WBC is within their rights and anonymous isn't.
That being said, I'm glad Anonymous is doing this. And honestly I feel that WBC is about to bite off more than they can chew.

Agreed. If it were anyone other than the WBC that were being targeted, I wouldn't agree with this. I'm all for religious rights and freedoms. However, it is the WBC, and they deserve the treatment they're getting from Anonymous. They reap what they sow. The WBC are nothing but hate-mongers, and have no love for anyone. Therefore, Anonymous, if you're reading this: Give 'em hell!!!

The one thing I don't get is the fact that the WBC are saying that God wanted these children dead, but if they were real Christians, they wouldn't believe that.
Matthew 18:4-6,10-11: "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven. And he that shall receive one such little child in My name, receiveth Me. But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea... See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father Who is in heaven. For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost."
What they are doing is scandalizing these children. They are going directly against the scripture they purport to defend. Hopefully they come to their senses soon. I know, fat chance, but still.

reply to post by AlchemistSwami


Seriously, the WBC must be like the johova's when it comes to protest. It's part of the religion or something and instead of going door to door, handing out doom and gloom pamphlets they picket everything that will cause people emotional stress.

My opinion? I think it's time for the police to put their "ridiculous arrest" tendencies to good use. Just for one day. Find a technical infraction and break up the stupidity long enough for the families and friends to mourn in peace. I think they can do that much.

Seriously, if you're gonna arrest someone for something stupid, this would be the time, place, and people to do it with. Lock them up for about 8 hours, and let them go. Show them that this tragedy is NOT an opportunity for them to push their stupid agenda, and that we won't allow it. We have to put our foot down sometime, the police have to put their foot down sometime, and now would be the perfect reason and opportunity to shake them a little and say, "No, bad dog. That's a bad boy. Go lie down."

It would seem that within American culture there are many bottomless moral sinkholes. I don't doubt other countries carry their own equivalences, but is there not a level of ethical context that can be used as a drawn line of acceptable protest? Can one be argued?

In all honesty, I am biased against Westboro' Baptists as much as I am against all forms of religion, but the Baptisits are an entirely different breed of fundamentalists. These buggers do not only enjoy the deaths of their own compatriots, they want to trample and desecrate their memory. Now, I am a very moral, ethical and empathetic person...I don't need a book or a priest, a rabbi, or an iman to teach me how to be moral or how to act ethically. My own life experience, and my love for humanity, have been the greatest guides I could ever wish for.

These Baptisits preach a hate of 'righteousness', and such hate cannot be defended by, or hide behind, the right of religious freedom...nor should it. Not by any stretch of the imagination are they preaching the Christian code of love and 'samarition' (probably not a real word, but I use it adverbially pertaining to the samaritan parable) that Jesus is alleged to have taught. There is a need, a societal one, for their mindset to be argued with.

It is essential that we do not remain inert or feel morally powerless in making a response. Morals do have common denominators that we can all share and agree on, and at some point, moral consensus (not mob consensus) must override certain rights when behaviour oversteps the protective boundaries of those rights. I am not arguing for any particular 'right' or 'rights' to be taken away from anyone, as I believe 'rights' become sacrosanct to civilised progress, and if we going to lose them, we must do so with great reluctance, argument and fight. Yet, if any particular 'right' loses its power to reflect the moral code and ethical behaviour of contemporary society, are we not duty bound to revisit it, debate its usefulness, and update it as necessary, or replace it entirely? What we must never do is take any 'right' for granted.

When I see the Westboro Baptists behave the way they do at their protests. When I view the tone and content of their protest, my perception is that they overstep the protective boundary of the right to religious freedom. That they are abrogating their responsibility to uphold the right to religious freedom, and that they are bringing that right into disrepute. It is long overdue that society reminds them the limits of their right to religious freedom, and their responsibility to remain within them.

As far as I can morally discern, they do not have a right to descrate the memory of those killed in overseas conflicts, those of alternative sexuality, and especially the 18 children and 6 adults whom died at the hands of the sociopathic Lanza. That is not a right I can agree with.

Originally posted by Hijinx
reply to post by AlchemistSwami

 

Seriously, the WBC must be like the johova's when it comes to protest. It's part of the religion or something and instead of going door to door, handing out doom and gloom pamphlets they picket everything that will cause people emotional stress.

IMO they made a post about protesting to stir up a hornets nest to give them some more time in the spotlight which they haven't had lately, and if they DO show up, it can only be in the hopes that someone does attack them so they can sue. They are not fraught with lawyers in their family by sheer coincidence. Money is their motivation. Picket a event that is sure to have people in a high emotional state, say a lot of extremely crude and inflammatory statements to the people who are grieving and then sit back and play the victim when they are attacked then sue and collect a paycheck while hiding behind the free speech amendment.

They are a vile, hateful group of people who will eventually get in spades everything and more that they have given out to other people. One day someone is going have enough and we will have a different story on the news about someone(s) firebombing their little compound. And as bad as it may make me appear to be, I doubt I would have any sympathy for the adults. The children that they raising to be the same hate spewing people they are, I would feel bad for. They tend to drag them along as a sort of human shield as decent people are loathe to attack a group of people that have children amongst them.

WBC is what is great about America, that the minority is free to express itself w/o worry of the majority's opininon.

Do I support the WBC? Their rights, yes. Their views, no.

Let them run their yaps, they've got every right to do so.

Personally, they're attention seeking iceholes that aren't worth a pinch of crap, but that doesn't mean their rights should be taken from them.

Derek

Originally posted by elysiumfire
These Baptisits preach a hate of 'righteousness', and such hate cannot be defended by, or hide behind, the right of religious freedom...nor should it. Not by any stretch of the imagination are they preaching the Christian code of love and 'samarition' (probably not a real word, but I use it adverbially pertaining to the samaritan parable) that Jesus is alleged to have taught. There is a need, a societal one, for their mindset to be argued with.

Did you not read any of the other posts? Or, for that matter, any comments from others about this group? They are NOT Baptists, no matter what they choose to call themselves. They are not affiliated with ANY baptist group, and nothing they do is in any way, shape, or form, like a real Baptist church. No, they are not (as you did state) doing anything close to what Christians are supposed to do. That's because they are a cult, mostly ONE extended family, calling themselves a "Baptist church".

Originally posted by elysiumfire
When I see the Westboro Baptists behave the way they do at their protests. When I view the tone and content of their protest, my perception is that they overstep the protective boundary of the right to religious freedom. That they are abrogating their responsibility to uphold the right to religious freedom, and that they are bringing that right into disrepute. It is long overdue that society reminds them the limits of their right to religious freedom, and their responsibility to remain within them.

There, I have to totally disagree. I think those people are vile, and despicable, but they still have a right to practice religion as they wish, and to protest, like any other American. We don't get to take people's rights because we find them offensive. Placing some arbitrary "limit" on a freedom means it isn't a freedom at all.

Originally posted by elysiumfire
As far as I can morally discern, they do not have a right to descrate the memory of those killed in overseas conflicts, those of alternative sexuality, and especially the 18 children and 6 adults whom died at the hands of the sociopathic Lanza. That is not a right I can agree with.

So you don't agree with freedom of speech? I think them doing what they do is horrible, but they still have a right to speak as they choose.

As some have already posted they, are in the "right" to protest, but come on!! The funerals of the deceased children? Thats just unmoral, and unethic. They would poop a brick house if someone came, and did that during one of their funerals. Then again most people would have the decency to let them mourn alone....