19 firefighters killed

[bbjohn]

I loathe the 4th of July for precisely the reason you stated: The idiots that set off their own homemade versions. My roof almost caught on fire one year because of said idiots.

This would probably be why I'm sadistically gleeful on the 4ths where it rains.

That's one of the reasons I, as an American, always try to keep in mind what the holiday is all about: the events in Philadelphia in 1776. It helps me to appreciate the holiday in spite of the jerks who drive drunk, shoot off illegal fireworks and generally use the holiday as an excuse for causing mayhem.

I have to do the same thing with Christmas. I can sympathize with Charlie Brown becoming depressed with all the commercialism surrounding that holiday.

I also understand why cops, firefighters and other first responders hate holidays. It's no fun having to deal with the results of stupid and drunk people 'celebrating' a holiday.

God bless all first responders, and Happy Fourth of July everyone! Have a good time, but be smart about it and play it safe. You'll be glad you did.

-Big Bad John

[MadMax359]

great... now the news is the idiots of the Westboro Baptist Church see this as the latest sign of God's wrath and are considering doing their picketing at the funerals

[schlamm]

I hope they do, their demise will follow shortly thereafter....they will get hit with a sign all right, quite possibly a steel pipe kind of sign.
The people of AZ have enough hurt and anger bottled up to create a lightning bolt, give that a target like these asshats and that will do just fine for unleashing it.

[Mynock]

They're attention whores that just want to get on TV. Best thing you can do is ignore them.

[BSink42]

great... now the news is the idiots of the Westboro Baptist Church see this as the latest sign of God's wrath and are considering doing their picketing at the funerals

Can't they just protest the rainbow house across the street from them and leave innocent families mourning their lost loved ones alone?

I really really hate that the Supreme Court ruled that what they do is legal. I really do.

[bbjohn]

great... now the news is the idiots of the Westboro Baptist Church see this as the latest sign of God's wrath and are considering doing their picketing at the funerals

Ah, freedom of speech. I somehow get the impression these weren't the sort of folks the Founding Fathers had in mind when they created the First Amendment. It takes all kinds in this world, but there are some kinds I wonder if we could do without.

I know quite a few real Baptists who think these people (and I use that term loosely) are jerks and want nothing to do with them.

What would I do? I'm the sort who would act like they're not there for the most part. When I did make any contact, it would be to ask the if they'd like any water or Gatorade as it's so hot out. I would point out to them, depending on where they're standing, that it's cooler in the shade.

These folks are looking for a confrontation. They want to feel like they're being persecuted. I wouldn't give them that satisfaction. Letting them know they haven't angered me and I care about them is probably about as big an insult as I could deliver.

Another response would be to laugh at them. They're full of themselves, and there's nothing worse to that sort of person than to feel someone is making a fool out of them. As an example, there were many anti- Adolf Hitler films made during World War II. Do you know which one he hated the most? Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator." He hated it because Chaplin made him the object of laughter.

Ignoring these people or laughing at them is the best way to deal with them. They're not worth the effort of doing anything else.

- Big Bad John

[Mynock]

I know quite a few real Baptists who think these people (and I use that term loosely) are jerks and want nothing to do with them.

They are pretty much to Christianity what the Taliban is to Islam. A small sect of complete nutfuckers who are just completely off the deep end.