Fighting the Westboro Way

I finally caught up with the Westboro story, and I don’t know what the Supremes will say about it – but I’m not betting against the First Amendment. And I feel pretty guilty. I want to solve the problem -- people cruelly using a dead hero to leverage their message – without weakening the Constitution further.

Besides, we’re dealing with fundamentalists – by calling upon the coercive power of the state, we’ve given them their attention and justification.

Maybe Bill O’Reilly can influence things, but it might just encourage them. So let’s try on a few ideas –

1. Being Christians, one might use the Bible to counter their claims directly. Remember Sodom and Gamorrah (Genesis 18)? Abraham talked – no, make that haggled -- God into sparing the wicked cities if only ten righteous people could be found (from thence a stereotype was born.) Certainly God would give America a better deal, and if he didn’t, certainly Westboro could supply us with ten righteous people and America FTW! And of course, in reserve we ready some sayings from Jesus.
2. A crazier idea I had consists of dressing up as Odin, hiring some bikini-clad Valkyries, and playing Wagner as a counter-demo. The sign might read, “Odin loves his fallen warriors.” Or hiring an Elvis impersonator to sing gospel. Let’s call it “the nuclear option.”
3. Getting back to reality, n the pictures I see the demonstrators seem a rather small – maybe we could use a big tarp to block them from the view of the next group of mourners they decide to bother? Now we have a new group of challenges –

• Where will they strike next? Can we find out and assemble in time? Sure we can, they post their itinerary on their website.
• What can we do about any sounds? Will blocking their line of sight be enough?
• How will Westboro react to the idea?
• Should we decide to engage Westboro, how will the world interpret our actions? We shouldn’t ignore the possibility of being seen as opportunists.