We’re loath to give putrid performance art troupe Westboro Baptist Church any more attention, but it warms us to the soul to learn that two of its minions were ceremoniously splashed with a cup of hot coffee cup on June 6.
After hearing that Westboro planned to crash Beau Biden’s funeral, 64-year-old retired U.S. Marine and Vietnam veteran Richard Pierce decided to attend a counter-protest to make sure everything went smoothly.
He had intended to “mind his own business,” but when he saw one of their haggy ranks dragging an American flag across the highway, he “snapped.”
“I lost my temper, and the only way that I could demonstrate that is spill my coffee on them,” he told USA Today. He was arrested shortly thereafter and charged with disorderly conduct, but c’mon: Totally worth it.
How about we take this to the next level?
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“So many people have died in defense of that flag,” he explained. “I don’t care who you are, you are not going to disrespect the flag. And if I have to go to jail to defend that flag, I’m going to do it. I take that very strongly.”
Below, watch Pierce patiently explain his motivations, eyes twinkling with impish vindication. (We love that dramatic shot of the empty coffee cup lying on the sidewalk.)
Stephen Meeks
Good
Ummmm Yeah
He gave them what they wanted. If you would ignore these fools they would go away.
darian
I hope the white house finally acts and removes their tax exempt status and labels them the hate group that they are.
AtticusBennett
the WBC is a collection of, like, two inbred families. a cult started by a closeted homosexual, whose obsessions with gay sex drove his every action. the poor kids born into that family.
more than a few have left. there will be more.
Giancarlo85
Best thing you can do is ignore the psychos.
IcarusD
The WBC church and family includes several attorneys, and their income is largely derived from deliberately provoking this sort of behavior and then suing for compensatory and punitive damages plus attorneys fees. Richard Pierce’s disorderly conduct charge is probably too minor to give the WBC much grounds for a suit with any sort of payout, but still … be careful, folks, this is how they make their living.
Desert Boy
Love it. The gay community has been far too tolerant of these vile, hateful bigots.
AJAnders
You can’t give these people a reaction because they thrive on it. They want you to get pissed. I know it must be hard but you CANNOT give them what they want.
The good news is it seems their “congregation” is much smaller than they used to be. Not that they were ever huge but compare their protests these days (there were just 3 at the Biden funeral) to Matthew Shepherd’s trial 17 years ago. That’s a significant difference.
Many of their own family members have left their compound over the years and wised up. If that continues, their “church” won’t last much longer. They’re still evil and their messages are disgraceful but there’s simply not enough of them to take seriously anymore.
They also don’t get as much publicity as they did ten years ago (which has to chap their asses) so people need to restrain themselves and continue to not acknowledge them. Nothing pisses them off more.
billjones
Disgusting. This man is an insult to the uniform he once wore. Instead of defending the freedoms he fought to protect, he’s using violence to prevent other from exercising those freedoms.
chstennis54
@billjones: Are you out of your mind?
billjones
@chstennis54:
No, are you? I’m sorry you hate the 1st Amendment. I don’t.
AtticusBennett
i’m just glad i live in canada, which has had rational, explicit, specific and easily discernible hate speech legislation in place for more than twenty years.
billjones
@AtticusBennett:
I’m glad you love living under a government that can throw you in jail because of what you say. Way too paternalistic and ripe for abuse to me.
AtticusBennett
@billjones: the good news is that’s not how it works. the laws are so explicitly written with such specific guides that there’s no room to abuse it. that’s why they’ve been in place for more than 20 years.
speaking of “ripe for abuse”, how’s your Second Amendment working, eh? enjoy being the number one nation in the world for gun deaths!
but i understand that for many simpletons the concept of hate speech is too much to comprehend. i don’t have that problem.
billjones
@AtticusBennett:
I’m sorry Atticus, but I don’t want to live in a country where it’s okay for people to physically batter others because they drag their flag on the ground in protest. I prefer a country that respects free speech rights and property rights.
Merv
The WBC are the best friends we’ve ever had. The more they talk, the more they discredit Christianity, which is why they should be left unmolested to spew their Christian hate.
It’s fortunate we don’t have blasphemy and hate speech laws in the US like they do in Canada. Those laws make it very dangerous to criticize religion. Multiple people have been charged under those laws simply for publishing anti-religious cartoons. Although they’ve mostly been cleared, it has a chilling effect simply because people don’t want to go through the disruption and potential expense of a court battle. It’s a mistake to use the law to protect irrational belief such as religion from criticism.
AtticusBennett
@billjones: “billjones billjones
@AtticusBennett:
I’m sorry Atticus, but I don’t want to live in a country where it’s okay for people to physically batter others because they drag their flag on the ground in protest.” that’s not legal in canada. i’m not sure what’s confusing you.
canada’s hate speech laws don’t allow people to be beaten for dragging a flag. they exist to highlight cases wherein a specific person’s “right” to incite hatred against another targeted group is less important than that groups’ right to live safely and freely from the ramifications of said speech.
but,as per usual,, americans don’t understand our laws and make stuff up about them, then argue against the things they completely made up. which is odd.
Aron Marks
The problem with this action is that the WBC often sues people that harm them in any way. In fact it’s how they make a lot of their money. Jail could be the least of this guys worries.
billjones
@AtticusBennett:
I’m not talking about Canada – I’m talking about this article. Some morons were conducting a legal protest, and as part of that protest they legally dragged their American Flag through the street. In response to their treatment of the US flag, some other moron committed a violent crime – a battery – against the initial morons.
And then posters on here started defending an applauding the violent moron and his violent act, saying things like “good” and “love it.”
I made the comment that it’s disgusting to shut down one’s exercise of free speech by using violence. I still stand by that.
As to free speech in general, I’m a card-carrying ACLU liberal. I believe that protecting speech – no matter how offensive you might find it – is the foundation of a vibrant democracy, and without it, other fundamental rights, like the right to vote, would wither away.
Robert Young
BUAHAHAHAHA
lykeitiz
@billjones: Although you are absolutely right about free speech & the importance of protecting it even when you are against the sentiment, in the real world there are always potential consequences for your actions. Yes, the police were right in arresting this guy, but that doesn’t make the guy a moron. He is still the hero he was when he wore the uniform. Sometimes enough is enough. Frankly, with all the military funerals Westboro has picketed, I’m surprised they’re still with us. I personally wouldn’t want to mess with grieving people carrying guns. Free speech is free speech and SHOULD be protected, but don’t act shocked when not everyone wants to hear it.
billjones
@lykeitiz:
I’m not shocked when I hear that morons attacks another moron for saying offensive things.
But for a former soldier to do it, to me, is the ultimate disrespect to the uniform he once wore. A soldier fights to protect our freedoms – he should be the very last one to stomp all over them.
Realitycheck
Free speech protection doesn’t equate harassing people at a funeral, possibly their
weakest moment in life.
It is unbelievable that not one judge in the entire USA has ordered these hate mongers
forcefully removed.
Realitycheck
@billjones: Nonsense, the man is human and has limits,
it is a simple as that, make no mistake, he did what most people do not have the guts to do.
He is the hero here 100%
José Ramón Chavira
I hate stories like this. While the WBC is a disgusting organization, they still have a right to free speech and this includes dragging the American flag across the ground. It pisses me off beyond belief when ex-military people believe they have a duty to “protect the flag.”
billjones
@Realitycheck:
They’ve never entered an actual funeral. That certainly wouldn’t be covered under free speech. Their protests have always been in the public square (generally a sidewalk).
Merv
@AtticusBennett: In 1980, a theater in Ontario was charged with Blasphemous Libel for showing Monty Python’s Life of Brian. They were saved from prosecution only by the intervention of the Ontario AG.
In 1927, an atheist was jailed and then deported for insulting Christianity by calling God “an irate old party who thunders imprecations” in his magazine the Christian Inquirer, which was similar to Charlie Hebdo.
That blasphemy law, which is a form of hate speech law, is still on the books. Still think it’s a good idea?
Xzamilio
@Ummmm Yeah: Yeah, isn’t that a nice fantasy? Just ignore them and they’ll go away… yeah, it was a bullshit expression when I was a kid, and it still is. They don’t go away… they still go around spreading the same hateful bullshit as usual, but if we don’t see it, I guess we can pretend that it doesn’t exist. Kind of like how we do with ISIS… how’s ignoring them working?
jud
you cannot be “pummeled” by coffee
Richard Holaday
Hopefully it wasn’t #Starbucks, that would have been a waste of good coffee ð??? lol
Creighton Nicholas Brown
This former Marine is neither brave nor heroic. What he achieved by throwing a cup of hot coffee at Westboro Baptist Church protesters, who were desecrating an American flag, was an act of cowardice and dishonor. Supposedly, this former Marine (and most other formerly and currently serving men and women in our Armed Forces) fought to protect “our freedoms,” one of which is the freedom of speech. While I do not condone the actions of Westboro Baptist Church, their actions are protected under the First Amendment of the Constitution and affirmed by the Supreme Court in Texas v. Johnson (1989). This former Marine has tarnished his record of service and should not be lionized.
Stache99
@billjones: Reminds me of the incident where the guy throws the pie in the face of Anita Bryant. Was it smart. Probably not. However, it sent a very powerful message and was shown to be a very good thing.
Dakotahgeo
I so enjoy the natterings and silliness of people like bill jones! My eternal thanks for people like Pierce and my only uncle who died in World War II. Maybe we can immolate bill jones and pray for a strong wind to sweep him away. And the first and second amendment up his ass for good measure!
mab
How did this happen on June 26th??
jwtraveler
@jud: Yeah. I was wondering if the cup had grown arms and fists to pummel the WBC members with.
Derek de Koff
@mab: Fixed.
VampDC
Good for him! Siding with the marine on this one.
Gregory Howell
Way to speak up!
Realitycheck
Finally a legally done counter offense to the WBC.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/anonymous-target-westboro-baptist-church-charleston-article-1.2267413
@billjones:
True, but often the procession with the casket has to go through that public road or square and grieving friends and relatives look at these monsters.
Giancarlo85
@billjones: The way you attack the man who threw the coffee is despicable. while freedom of speech is important it isn’t unlimited. Not even in America. The WBC preaches hate speech and a great deal of which could present an imminent danger and threat to others. Hate speech is restricted and for good reason.
Kenneth Fallows
Although perceived as deserved, let’s take the higher ground and be more civil.
Arcamenel
The rhetoric these people spew has surely caused some queer kid to kill themselves and you are actually trying to say someone who throws coffee on them are just as bad? What kind of false equivalency teas…
JessPH
I hope it was scalding hot.
martinbakman
@Stache99: A pie in the face would be much more apropos for these clowns. The Bryant incident happened in Des Moines and there were no arrests. Gotta love Iowa 🙂
Travis Halleman
Hmmm… Being a bully to counter someone who’s a bully is not make him a better person. Ugh.
Tony Lee Churchill
Just a cup?
billjones
@JessPH:
Not only scalding, I hope it was filled with bullets and ejected from an assault rifle. Violent assault is the only way to confront offensive speech.
GayEGO
Did the coffee spill on WBC’s lap? They might try to sue, but they will lose, along with their other losses of members.
AtticusBennett
@Merv: neither of those had anything to do with Canada’s existing hate speech legislations. but i understand how this is confusing to you.
bigbear21
He did what he swore to do and that was to defend his country from enemies foreign and domestic and he defended his flag.these people are abusing their rights for which many of them have not fought for.he also has his right to free speech and he gave his free-speech in his actions
Giancarlo85
@billjones: Except this wasn’t a violent assault. Get a grip please. The histrionics are not building your argument.
Cee
@José Ramón Chavira: I love stories like this. Hope the coffee was real hot.
billjones
@Giancarlo85:
My apologies. It was a violent battery, not assault.
Giancarlo85
More histrionics…
ChgoReason
Wow. As distasteful and disrespectful Westboro behaves their actions are acceptable in this country. They are protesting in public avenues, and that does not merit some dude bashing their inalienable rights.
Bob LaBlah
My sincerest hope is that the next person(s) who decided to do the right thing will do so with a high pressure hose on these bastards. There is such a thing called freedom of speech and there is also a thing called going over board. I ask you, where are the young “roofs” when they really are…………..
tusgold
What is amazing is this church has like 36 in the congregation and they get all this press