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Originally Posted by Original Position
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Originally Posted by 13ball
This. Phelp's estranged son talked about how the church was just a way for him to vent his rage and that he was an abusive father and husband.
I would agree that Westboro actually believes what their preaching, but as for not making money off of it, the
Southern Poverty Law Center, which actually fights the Westboro Baptist Church in court and witnesses what happens, begs to disagree.
His estranged son also mentioned how Fred Phelps made a lot of money suing by using the civil rights statutes. What they do would be an extension of that.
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Also, getting punched seems like a bad way to go about suing people. You have to think that most people aren't going to be able to pay for a big judgement.
That's why they don't just sue the person who threw the punch, although they could sue and settle for cheap like $50k paid over years or something. They also secure permits for protest and sue the city and the state for failing to secure their right of assembly when such incidents occur, and settle for less than the cost of the city's defense since many people in the church are civil rights lawyers and can do it for free. That, plus abusing the tax free nature of establishing a church makes it all worthwhile.
Big scores are not necessary when you protest as often as Westboro.