Some opponents are going after the Westboro Baptist Church in a new way -- hacking into their twitter accounts and changing their message. One 15 year old whiz kid, who goes by the online name of "Cosmo the God," managed to take over the twitter account of Shirley Lynn Phelps-Roper, daughter of Fred Phelps and spokesperson for the group.
Cosmo changed her background to a message that said "Pray for Newtown" and edited her profile information. Someone else tweeted out her telephone number and started an online petition to the White House to have the WBC declared a hate organization. Other cyberattack groups have also been active in causing mischief for other members of WBC.
The Westboro Baptist Church is listed as an anti-Semitic and homophobic hate group by the Anti-Defamation League and, I believe, by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which exposes and works to counter-act hate groups.
Unfortunately for young Cosmo, this act of countering a hate group may cause him some trouble. He wound up in juvenile court for several other cyberattacks in 2012: taking down the NASDAQ site and some government site, including CIA.gov. His probated sentence banned him from the internet until he turns 21. So will probably be a probation violation for him.
Is this a good thing? I must admit that my moral position on it gets sort of fuzzy when the victim is such a despicable group in which I can find absolutely no redeeming features. So, I am torn. However, I also agree with the ACLU principle of defending freedom of speech, even when it's a message they deplore. But shouldn't there be some limits? -- like the funerals of innocent people who have absolutely nothing to do with what you're protesting, and the only rationale of the protesters is the publicity they will get?
Ralph
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