Westboro: My encounter with people who hold signs that read “God Hates Jews”

Last week, a crowd gathered outside of my office building to gawk and shout at -- and be shocked by -- the posse of Midwesterners holding signs that said "God hates fags" and "Jews killed Jesus."

Ah, Westboro Baptist Church. These are the people from Fred Phelps' Topeka, Kan. church who think they're doing God's work by protesting at soldiers' funerals and shouting hate speech about gays, Jews, blacks — anyone who doesn't look like they grew up on a white bread shelf at a Fareway market. They're so crazy but they think they're totally sane, and this makes them appear even more crazy! They really believe that the hateful words they shout at crowds and print on signs are words divined from God. (Even though they're classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.)

Anyway, I decided to approach one of the young women protesting in front of our offices last week. She (I later found out it was the church founder's granddaughter Megan) told me they all work full-time jobs "so that we can do this around the country." While in the Bay Area, they visited day schools, synagogues, the Contemporary Jewish Museum and Stanford Hillel. It's almost laughable that they've dedicated so much time and money to traveling around the country holding such inflammatory signs that insult so many Americans and human brings in general. In speaking with Megan, I was surprised by how normal she appears, until you listen closely to what she's saying and realize she's out of her head. Oh my. What. Are. They. Thinking.

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