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Just kidding. Below are a few 问题 I’ve attempted to answer about the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC). This isn’t formal research, just a few points that I believe need to be brought to attention.

What is this ‘Westboro Baptist Church’ 你 speak of?
The fine folks at Wikipedia have summarized that in far fewer words than I ever could have, so if 你 are unfamiliar with the WBC, I would suggest 阅读 the first paragraph link.

How does a church from Kansas have enough money to send members to protest all over the US?
Since the WBC classifies itself as a church, they are not required to disclose their finances to anyone - including church members. It wouldn't matter anyway, because about 80% of the WBC's members are members of the Phelps family so they probably know exactly what's going on. I'll get to that later.

Why do they hate so many people?
The WBC has targeted pretty much every major religion - Judaism, Catholicism, Islam, even some Christian groups that don't conform to their ridiculous ideas. They are also known for their anti-gay protests and the picketing of American soldier's funerals. 更多 recently, however, they have been protesting 名人 like Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. Why would a group like this bother with a pop singer and some kid? Media. Think about it. Out of everything they protest, what gets the biggest reaction? What makes people truly angry? What makes the news? When their protesting hits a nerve, they get sued. That should make them pay, right? No. It doesn't.

What happens when the WBC gets sued for being so obnoxious?
A nice group called the Phelps-Chartered represents the Westboro Baptist Church in court.

What is Phelps-Chartered?
Phelps-Chartered is a legal firm started in 1964 由 费雷德 Phelps. In its early days, the firm supposedly took on clients that no other law group wanted - mostly cases involving African-Americans. This caused a stir for the Phelps family in not-quite-ready for desegregation Kansas - possibly giving them their first taste of what it was like to be controversial. Over the years, the Phelps-Chartered grew to include several of his children. The current attorneys of the Phelps-Chartered include Jonathan B. Phelps, Shirley L. Phelps-Roper, Rachel I. Hockenbarger, Rebekah A. Phelps-Davis and Margie J. Phelps. Eleven of the thirteen Phelps children are lawyers, with the exceptions being Mark and Nate, who have been estranged from the family.

Okay, they're all lawyers. What's that got to do with anything?
There's a lovely little law called the Civil Rights Attorney’s Fees Award Act of 1976. Sometimes referred to as "Section 1988", this law allows a federal court to award reasonable attorneys' fees to a prevailing party in certain civil rights cases.

So wait... what?
When the Phelps-Chartered law group wins a case defending the Westboro Baptist Church in civil rights cases, the federal government pays them an attorney's fee because of this law.

So the federal government pays for the Westboro Baptist Church to travel all over the place and be obnoxious?
Pretty much.

That is ridiculous. Just when I think they can't get any worse, it turns out that they're lawyers too.
It is my somewhat humble opinion that these people aren't really as crazy as they look. Their tactics are so shocking and inhuman, most people can't (or won't) see past that. The protests and the picket lines are a front – they do it to get attention and for the money. Maybe the Westboro Baptist Church and the Phelps family really does believe all the crazy things written on their picket signs, but there is also the possibility that they're just conning everyone in one of the most shocking money-making schemes the US has ever seen.

Further Reading:
link
link
link
link (the official site for the Westboro Baptist Church)
 Captions 由 a young WBC member, 发布 to Twitter 由 @meganphelps (granddaughter of 费雷德 Phelps and WBC member)
Captions by a young WBC member, posted to Twitter by @meganphelps (granddaughter of Fred Phelps and WBC member)
added by zanhar1
added by ThePrincesTale
Source: twitter.com/ManateeMindset
Nick Veser (Liberty Link) and Eric Brakey (former Maine State Senate) discuss why the government shouldn't control helath care.
video
辩论
politics
government
health care
health insurance
nick veser
eric brakey
2020
Nigel Farage's farewell speech to the European Parliament was cut short after he 说 goodbye 由 brandishing a Union flag along with his Brexit Party colleagues. The Telegraph, 29 JAN 2020.
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issues
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european union
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nigel farage
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2020
Sen. Rand Paul takes on socialist arguments about Venezuela, Scandinavia, and fairness. Reason, December 2019.
video
辩论
politics
socialism
the case against socialsm
john stossel
rand paul
reason
2019
John Stossel's short-attention-span version of PBS documentary "School Inc", on how the American education system can learn from private school innovation abroad. (2 parts)
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issues
education
school
government
private
charter
documentary
john stossel
reason
added by DarkSarcasm
People who fled Cuba and Venezuela warn Americans not to embrace socialism. Gloria Alvarez interviews some of them for Reason, October 2018.
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issues
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socialism
venezuela
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denmark
reason
gloria alvarez
2018
How Does An Actor Handle Unwanted Advances In Hollywood? 由 Robin Riker via FilmCourage.com.
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hollywood
表演
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film
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辩论
"How long do we keep pointing out the bad apples, ignoring the fact that the orchard was planted on a mass grave. And that we planted it there."
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white supremacy
institutional racism
button 诗歌
guante
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Everyone Goes To College To Get A Job, Not Start A Business 由 Joshua Chavez
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education
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startups
entrepreneur
business
life
tips
As the only white guy TDS reporter, Jordan Klepper is sent along to a post-election Trump rally... [Credit: Comedy Central UK].
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politics
political
the daily 显示
trevor noah
jordan klepper
jordan klepper fingers the pulse
donald trump
trump
trump rallies
rally
2017
"Throughout US history, to be white, even to be poor and white, has meant to have access to certain forms of preferential treatment, 或者 privilege."
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white privilege
humor
slavery
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institutionalized racism
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John Stossel interviews parents and physicians about raising gender neutral kids.
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parenting
gender
neutral
interview
john stossel
dr. leonard sax
"Go ahead. Throw your vote away!" Clip from a 1996 episode of The Simpsons, Treehouse Of Horror Episode VII.
video
election
politics
usa
two-party system
spoof
parody
辛普森一家
1996
treehouse of horror
aliens
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The Republicans as well as a personified hairball some cat coughed up 辩论 tonight. Though there are only five of them still in the race whittled down from an impressive seventeen before the primaries, it's hard to know what they're really for and against beyond all the rhetoric.

The Democrats have a completely different pickle. Their party is divided between two candidates who can't stop agreeing on everything, and yet insist they are different from each other.

So what does this really mean? Your very own political pundit is here to break it down for 你 in as unbiased a way as I can possibly...
continue reading...
Should I Go To Film School? 由 Prof. Ross Brown of Chapman 大学 via link 更多 video interviews at link
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film school
chapman 大学
ross brown
filmmaking
college
电影院
The Controversy Surrounding ALYSSA: PORTRAIT OF A TEEN KILLER 由 Shane Ryan via link 更多 video interviews at link
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辩论
film
filmmaking
news coverage
news media
controversial subject
added by hermionicole
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