Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Groucho's Name Invoked Against Antisemitic Wackos

Among the current crop of hateful nut-jobs, few sink lower than the members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka. This group has gained notoriety with their stance that God hates America because God hates homosexuals, and America is "enabling" homosexuality. They have picketed at military funerals, carrying signs with messages like "God Hates Fags," "Thank God for Dead Soldiers," and "America is Doomed." They don't limit their hatred to gays. They also hate Catholics, Swedes, Irish, and Jews.

Recently, they picketed outside the synagogue of Congregation Beth Elohim in Park Slope, New York. Steven Waldman, Editor-in-Chief of Beliefnet.com wrote on Sept. 29, 2009:
The rabbi, Andrew Bachman, inspired the crowd by blowing the shofar, "in the name of the God of love." But the crowd especially roared when he added, "And in the name of the God of Groucho Marx, we put our thumb on our nose." He then led the crowd in a sort of modified Bronx cheer (photo below) In response to the God Hates Fags placards, one woman put a sign on her canine reading, "Dog Loves Fags."

Read the whole story at:

The God of Groucho Marx & Westboro Baptist Church (The "God Hates Fags" Gang) by Steve Waldman

2 comments:

  1. Good comeback! I can't believe how many idiotic people can exist. "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" might be the most tasteless thing I've read lately.

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  2. ... Thus raising that old question about the ultimate efficacy of ridicule as a weapon against evil... as a show of defiance: masterly - but only possible when the opposing army is small and content to limit their attacks to placard-waving and yelling. They aren't always.
    Neither is freedom of speech the devoutly guarded Western bedrock many of us choose to assume. I fear some very dark days are just around the corner.

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