West Borough Baptist Church to picket Dio's funeral

[Muninn]

Yep,  we all know these guys are nuts and now they're going out of their way for this one I think! I somehow don't think metal fans are going to take kindly to this..

[Oniya]

Part of me wants to be there with a video camera.

Part of me hopes that Ronnie's family sets up a bank of concert speakers, blasting Holy Diver, The Last In Line, Sacred Heart, Hungry for Heaven, Egypt... 

Drown them out in a massive tribute.

(Hey, anyone else notice that the ZIP code they hail from is 66604?  *cackles madly*)

[Sabby]

*zips up his fire proof leotard, crosses his leg over an ATV and hefts a paintball gun on his shoulder* Well, I've got a funeral crash to crash.

[frost rose]

I would point out the irony that apparently Dio was fairly religious himself—or so I'm told, and haven't bothered to confirm it so take that as it is—but he was Catholic, so they probably would have picketed him anyway. Hell, he could have been a died in the wool evangelical fundamentalist as extreme as they are, and they still probably would have done that.

Because we all know that really Dio is right now rocking hard in Valhalla, and they're in principle against things that are as totally sweet and wicked as that.

[Oniya]

These guys would picket Jesus himself for having meals with prostitutes (and tax collectors).

[Sabby]

He's not dead. He's gone to the World of Metal, to help Eddie Riggs free the land from Doviculus.

[Muninn]

Part of me wants to be there with a video camera.

Part of me hopes that Ronnie's family sets up a bank of concert speakers, blasting Holy Diver, The Last In Line, Sacred Heart, Hungry for Heaven, Egypt... 

Drown them out in a massive tribute.

(Hey, anyone else notice that the ZIP code they hail from is 66604?  *cackles madly*)

^THIS
(and I totally never noticed that - that's awesome and somehow so suiting ;D)

Because we all know that really Dio is right now rocking hard in Valhalla, and they're in principle against things that are as totally sweet and wicked as that.

^ALSO THIS

I'm rather interested in seeing what will come of this...

[Wolfy]

We need to get in touch with those Hell's Angel guys that put their motorcycles in between WBC and the funeral.

[Lilias]

We need to get in touch with those Hell's Angel guys that put their motorcycles in between WBC and the funeral.

I'm willing to bet there will be a fair share of bikers there, considering Dio's audience.

[Sabby]

I know that they have a right to protest, and that disrupting them is as illegal as they stepping outside their designated area, but I hate to see this kind of thing permitted by the law :/ I know that I'd be running the risk of being arrested, but what these guys do is beyond disrespectful, and I'd probably actually go with the ATV + Paint Gun combo I suggested earlier >.<

A few friends, 3 ATV's, one drives, one shoots, do sweeping runs and give them some painful welts. Like I said, totally illegal, but these pricks have far worse coming to them.

[Muninn]

As my friend put it:

Where are all those '90s Scandinavian black metal church burners when you need them?

I'm pretty sure Dio's family and fans will know what to do to keep these whackos at bay and keep them mostly out of sight.

[Cherri Tart]

Some people just delight in being hateful asswipes and should be ignored - that's my take on this - if ANYone needs to be purged from the earth, it's these West Borough Baptists. 

[Sam]

This was posted to the official Ronnie James Dio Facebook page:

Ronnie hates prejudice and violence! We need to turn the other cheek on these people that only know how to hate someone they didn't know. We only know how to love someone we know!- Wendy Dio

[BlisteredBlood]

You know, part of me wants to bash these religious zealots over the head with a Gibson Flying V guitar yet the other part of me wants to debate their ethics in regards to their beliefs in God, asking the simple question of why would a group of people go out of their way to picket a dead man's funeral in another state. Ronnie hasn't been dead for more than a week and already there's a stink being raised the same way that's been done since Ozzy was in Black Sabbath 30 or 40 years ago!

I can only hope this will be a private funeral so they can keep these psychos at bay.

[Oniya]

@Sam - That's why I was thinking about the (admittedly passive-aggressive) idea of blasting Ronnie's own songs in tribute.  It would effectively drown out the protesters, if it didn't have them fleeing, and I specifically went for songs with a touch of message in the music.

Yeah, I'm one of those weird people that actually reads lyrics. ;)

[BlisteredBlood]

@Sam - That's why I was thinking about the (admittedly passive-aggressive) idea of blasting Ronnie's own songs in tribute.  It would effectively drown out the protesters, if it didn't have them fleeing, and I specifically went for songs with a touch of message in the music.

Yeah, I'm one of those weird people that actually reads lyrics. ;)

Guilty as charged too, Oni. Hell, I've even watched one certain music video that would scare the living daylights out of those people.

This one in particular.

Bible Black - Heaven and Hell [Official Music Video]

[Oniya]

I'll have to check that out later tonight, but I've seen enough of Bible Black to already be snickering and nodding.

[BlisteredBlood]

Kind of odd, though. I've scoured all over YouTube for an AMV of the anime that has this song and I had not seen a one! Sure someone would've figured it out by now!

[Sam]

@Sam - That's why I was thinking about the (admittedly passive-aggressive) idea of blasting Ronnie's own songs in tribute.

Let's hope that happens.  It's a public memorial service, so it might be just as raucous as a Dio concert.

And I know what you mean about lyrics.  Here's one piece of wisdom from "Lord of the Last Day":

Don't care which god you follow
Whose promises you swallow
Time and again
We must meet at the end

[Oniya]

I liked this one (didn't find it on the other lyrics site I visited)

We learn slowly
Mind control is holy
Stir don't shake it
Move too fast
you'll break it up
Incidental
God is heavy metal
So I know he must need me

[Sam]

Oh, and if you really want to piss off Westboro Baptist Church, donate to Ronnie James Dio's Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund.  There's a donation link at his website.  His widow, Wendy Dio, is asking for contributions in lieu of flowers and cards.  I did my part.

[RubySlippers]

The price of living in a free society is to have to also endure this sort of activity, after all the First Amendment is most vital when protecting speech that is very offensive.

[Muninn]

Oh, and if you really want to piss off Westboro Baptist Church, donate to Ronnie James Dio's Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund.  There's a donation link at his website.  His widow, Wendy Dio, is asking for contributions in lieu of flowers and cards.  I did my part.

^This, too.

I love the idea of blaring his heretical music to drown out their incessant badgering, I think his fans could also make a lovely barrier to keep the grieving family from seeing their hateful signs, as well.  Toss in someone accepting donations for Dio's Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund right in front of their noses and I think you've got enough to piss them off without resorting to violence.  If his wife doesn't have this idea I think someone should let her know.  Or if not her, the fans. ;)

The price of living in a free society is to have to also endure this sort of activity, after all the First Amendment is most vital when protecting speech that is very offensive.

I think you're preaching to the choir here. ;)

I hear some people are trying to organize and push for a law that prevents protesting at funerals. I'm all for the First Amendment but I sadly I think expressing it at the funeral of someone else you don't know is not expressing your right to Free Speech as it is for shock factor.  He wants attention and he's getting it.

[Serephino]

I think the best thing to do with these people is ignore them.  Attention is clearly what they want.  They'll get theirs in the end. 

[Wolfy]

I think the best thing to do with these people is ignore them.  Attention is clearly what they want.  They'll get theirs in the end. 

The problem is that you can't ignore them, at least not for long. They intrude where they have no right to intrude, and are protected by "Free Speech". They provoke you to your face, and have a lot of lawyers to back them up. That's where they get their money and funding from, from sueing people who interfere with them.

It's an evil organization. >_<

[TheGlyphstone]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Patriot Guard did show up in force, though they usually stick to military funerals. Though the idea of drowning them out with rock music is an even better idea, it should at least be proposed to people who could potentially make it happen.



As for the WBC themselves....the Ku Klux Klan has a disclaimer on its website disavowing the WBC and refusing any and all associations with them. That should serve as a pretty accurate evaluation of what scum these people are.

[Paladin]

*zips up his fire proof leotard, crosses his leg over an ATV and hefts a paintball gun on his shoulder* Well, I've got a funeral crash to crash.

Me too. Remember to partially freeze those painballs. make them hurt more.

[Serephino]

When they get in your face you say 'I am not God, therefore it is not my place to judge'.   My teacher taught me that phrase.  Easier said then done I know.  Believe me... I have a fiery temper....  But that phrase is basically using their own claims against them.  It does say in the Bible "Judge not lest ye be judged."  I think there are a bunch of other references too, but I can't remember them.  But using their own reasoning against them usually leaves people like that speechless because if they argue against their own book then they aren't true Christians are they?  It makes them look bad.   

[TheGlyphstone]

When they get in your face you say 'I am not God, therefore it is not my place to judge'.   My teacher taught me that phrase.  Easier said then done I know.  Believe me... I have a fiery temper....  But that phrase is basically using their own claims against them.  It does say in the Bible "Judge not lest ye be judged."  I think there are a bunch of other references too, but I can't remember them.  But using their own reasoning against them usually leaves people like that speechless because if they argue against their own book then they aren't true Christians are they?  It makes them look bad.   

It depends if they're the kind that's just zealotistically focused on their beliefs, or outright malicious. Being able to fight them on their own ground, so to speak, will at least trip up the former - the latter just decide you're an unbeliever, perverting the true meaning of the Bible and so they don't have to listen to you.

[Brandon]

Something I usually ask zealots is this: "How can you presume to know what god wants or does?"

[Shores]

I remember watching this youtube video. Was it from here? Basically, for every hour the WBC protests, people pledge to donate a certain amount to the people they are protesting against. So, the more they protest, the more money goes to the charity they would be against.

Ah, the sweet, sweet smell of passive aggressiveness.

[Tharic]

Damn.. I didn't even *know* Ronnie James Dio had died until I saw this thread..

I saw Dio back in concert before.. Good stuff, not only of my favorite 80's metal bands in concert (Yes I'm talking about you Iron Maiden) but still a good show..

[Zakharra]

 This is probably bad of me but...  Who is Ronnie James Dio?

[Sam]

This is probably bad of me but...  Who is Ronnie James Dio?

In brief: he was probably one of the most accomplished vocalists of the heavy metal world, fronting at different times Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell and his own band, Dio.

[Oniya]

This is probably bad of me but...  Who is Ronnie James Dio?

It's okay - I didn't discover his music until last summer.  He's got a strong sense of the mythic in his music, which appealed to me, as well as being more melodic than the common impression of 'heavy' metal (knew a lot more than three power chords - I'm talking to you, Angus Young!).

[Sam]

A link to the Ronnie James Dio Wikipedia page might be useful, too.  Just thought of that.  :p

[National Acrobat]

It's really worth checking Dio out chronologically from Elf in 1972 all the way through Heaven and Hell in 2009 to hear the evolution. 'Trying to Burn the Sun' by Elf, 'Rising' by Rainbow, 'Heaven and Hell' by Black Sabbath, 'Holy Diver' by Dio are what I consider to be the bright spots in his career. Rainbow was essentially two bands with totally different directions, the Dio era and the after Dio era where they were basically pop-AOR.

[MercyfulFate]

Anyone else want to commit heinous acts of violence against the Westboro idiots? I sure do.

Sorry, I was listening to Cannibal Corpse and metal makes me violent and want to appease Satan.  ;D

[National Acrobat]

Wendy Dio is advocating that Westboro be confronted with kindness.

Personally, I think they should be ignored, and the media should stop covering them, so they'll go away. When they were up here at Virginia Tech a few weeks ago, many students were telling the local news media to simply not cover them, and they would go away.

Of course, moth to a flame...

[Sam]

Well, the memorial service happened and it appears the Westboro folks made little to no impact.  So all ends well.

[Queen Be Damned Sheiba]

Okay that's just ridiculous...

[Sabby]

Broken link dude.

[Avi]

Forgive my ignorance, but who exactly is Dio?  ???  I've never heard of this person before, though I definitely think WBC takes things WAY too far.

[Oniya]

Ronnie James Dio was a heavy metal guitarist and vocalist.  He performed with Black Sabbath for a number of years, and is credited with popularizing the 'devil-horns' gesture made by heavy metal fans.

[Lord Drake]

I'm going to go with the "Ignore" thing actually. I would even end up advising against going with the paintball equipment against them.

Mark me, I dislike stupid zealotry but I am having the distinct idea that what this guys want is mainly publicity. Those kind of organizations need funding and fundamentalism, to be funded, HAS to appear somewhere. The more quietly this thing is take care of, the better.

As it seems, things have gone the right way.

;D

[Hunter]

One question: Who?

[Oniya]

West Borough Baptist Church is the group that pickets military funerals with the 'God hates fags' signs.

[Hunter]

No....who is the Dio person?

[Oniya]

*points back up the page*

[Ramael]

The best tonic would be letting them on a talkshow...with intelligent liberal Christians.

Watch them tear into their own kind as black, gay, and transexual Christians try to reason politely with their embarrassing, foaming-at-the-mouth, inbred, moron, white trash, scumbag "fellow" believers.

[HairyHeretic]

Yes, but to the WBC they wouldn't be 'real' christians, hence their viewpoints are invalid.

[Synecdoche17]

Yes, but to the WBC they wouldn't be 'real' christians, hence their viewpoints are invalid.

I think the real point of such a televised debate would be to influence the audience.

[HairyHeretic]

To what end? I think anyone who is aware of the WBC knows exactly what they're like already. I can't see a debate changing anyones view of them.

[Synecdoche17]

To what end? I think anyone who is aware of the WBC knows exactly what they're like already. I can't see a debate changing anyones view of them.

Perhaps not of the WBC specifically, but the WBC isn't an aberration in its beliefs, only in its actions. Plenty of fundamentalists exist in this country who believe that equality for LGBT folks will doom this country to burn in hellfire - you have only to check Pat Robertson's comments on 9/11 and Katrina to know that.

Honestly, I just want a forum for liberal Christians to air their views. You can't really get one on TV or in the news today; "Methodists fund homeless shelter" and "Catholics donate to charity" aren't headlines.

[Cheka Man]

Why would anyone picket a funeral ? Even if the person was genuinely a bad person, shouldn't their family be entitled to have a funeral for the one they loved without it being ruined?

[TheGlyphstone]

If you're at all familiar with the WBC, you'd have noticed that they...don't exactly operate on the same plane of reality that normal and rational human beings do.

[Cheka Man]

They are battier then a protected cave full of bats.

[TheGlyphstone]

Isn't that an insult to the bats? :D

[Cheka Man]

Yes. *says sorry to bats*

[Muninn]

Fruit bat is NOT amused.

[Sabby]

They believe that the soldier's who die in Iraq is God punishing society for accepting gay people. We at large have sinned, and so we lose our children to war as punishment. They picket the funerals of soldiers to spread this message. Dio is, as far as I know, the first exception to this pattern.

[Cheka Man]

Muninn, that bat looks so sweet. :)

[Muninn]

Muninn, that bat looks so sweet. :)

Oh, no, he is not sweet! He is viciously glaring at you for your insult of comparing he and his brethren to the WBC nutjobs! Can you not see that? /tease

((Yes, yes he is! I believe the species is called Mindoro stripe-faced fruit bat :) ))

[Cheka Man]

*gives him a strawberry and gently touches his wings*