Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

  • Brainspore

    I’m not sure I get the “keep back 200 feet” line on the back of his shirt. Is it a bomb threat? A bullshit legal warning to keep counter-protesters away? An admission of personal hygiene as vile as his public discourse?

    • http://profiles.google.com/marc.k.mielke Marc Mielke

      I was wondering that too. Is keeping back 200 feet EVEN POSSIBLE in Times Square? Or anywhere in NYC? 
      Maybe the 200 foot warning refers to the immense power of the man’s farts. Still, they can’t possibly smell as bad as the effluent coming out of his mouth.

      • Brainspore

        Perhaps he believes himself to be a fire truck?

        • http://twitter.com/fossilfuels Funk Daddy

          It would surprise no one.

        • http://www.youtube.com/user/Freethinkersanon Christopher

          It would be no more crazy than believing he’s a minister.

        • Casey Fluffbutt

          More like a Trying Fuck..

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_GVKHNINUD55NXFN4TRNHMBRDB4 Alexandros

    Bravo New Yorkers!

  • seyo

    Shopped. I can tell from some of the pixels.

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/Freethinkersanon Christopher

    Hey, I love Terry Jones. The Life Of Brian is one of my favorite movies, and I think he’s hosted some really wonderful documentaries about the Crusades and the Romans and…oh, wait…it’s not that Terry Jones…

    • Felton / Moderator

      I’d love to see Terry Jones (former Python member) interview Terry Jones (hateful bastard).

      • Brainspore

        I like to imagine such an interview would go a little like this:

    • Antinous / Moderator

      Hmm. Looks like my doctor friend with that name is now going by Terrence.

  • http://www.nathanhornby.com/ Nathan Hornby

    “Everything I need to know about Islam I learned on 9/11″.

    Let’s be fair here…

    “Everything I need to know about [Pick an organised religion] I learned on [Pick an atrocity]“

    • Brainspore

      Heck, why even limit it to organized religions? It’s a handy formula for avoiding critical thinking for all kinds of topics!

    • jimh

      How about:
      Everything I need to know about the Mayan calendar I’ll learn on December 21st, 2012!

    • http://profiles.google.com/marc.k.mielke Marc Mielke

      Everything I need to know about The Chantry I learned on the day they cast The Rite of Annulment. 

    • blendergasket

      Totally. I prefer the dewy innocence of Stalinism to the hell religions impose on those they come into contact with.

      • http://www.nathanhornby.com/ Nathan Hornby

        I had more choices than that at the character creation screen.

        • blendergasket

          Maybe I was being a little straw mannish but I’ve just seen so many people arguing lately to the tune of “if we could just get rid of religion we’ll be free of bigoted genocidal systems of thought control” and (not saying you here) so often the argument goes as far as sympathizing with some sort of justification for the forcible eradication of religion, demonization of people with non-biomaterialist/scientistic belief systems. It just seems to me like once we choose an enemy to declare war with we become the same evil we war against.

          I like the way you put that BTW.

          • http://www.nathanhornby.com/ Nathan Hornby

            I totally understand why someone might believe in a higher power. Cults aren’t are a positive way to reinforce that belief.

            But no, for what it’s worth I’m mostly happy for people to do as they please assuming it doesn’t harm others – every religion, like almost every group of people will have some good eggs, and some rotten ones.

            It’s people that suck.

          • Antinous / Moderator

            A little? Why so modest?

    • Raum187

      Everything I need to know about an [organised religion] I learned by reading their [holy texts].

      More terrifying than the subsequent interpretations of groups or individuals; it’s the basis.  

  • http://twitter.com/dantobias dantobias

    I could do without all the sorts of organized religion myself.

  • Cowicide

    I love New York.  Especially the “dat nut” brother at 1:30.

  • http://www.facebook.com/miriam.anixter Miriam Anixter

    Perhaps that is what the counter-protestors could do to Phelps et al. There are a number of requiems that are quite beautiful, and can be sung by a large group (with their backs to the Phelpians). Perhaps “all you need is love” was a good pick (whether or not it happened)– we should go all yellow submarine and fight hate with music.

    • http://2012diaries.blogspot.com/ tristan eldritch

      I would like to sing “YMCA” at a Phelps funeral.

    • IronEdithKidd

      You Can’t Always Get What You Want?

      • http://www.youtube.com/user/Freethinkersanon Christopher

        If we’re going with the Stones, why not Sympathy For The Devil?

        • IronEdithKidd

          Jones isn’t demonic, he’s willfully ignorant.  I wouldn’t want to give the lout a promotion.

        • Boundegar

          Rock songs are usually terrible for crowd singing, and this video, as sweet as it is, is an example.  Much more powerful and effective would be something like Amazing Grace.  Of course, the anti-religion cohort might get angry, but old hymns and spirituals have a long history of use as protest songs.

          • http://www.facebook.com/miriam.anixter Miriam Anixter

            I’ve always liked “a german requiem”.  Of course, Dona Nobis Pacem would be beautiful with a crowd.

          • http://www.facebook.com/miriam.anixter Miriam Anixter

            (I’m going to go blind replying to myself) There are some nice fortissimo parts of A German Requiem that would be very gratifying to sing at a protest– And, yet! The lord’s word endureth forevermore! The redeemed of the lord shall return again and come rejoicing… talk about taking back the bible from those who would misuse it for hate. Our choral conductor in college also conducted the Gay men’s choir and I can only imagine them belting this out.

          • Boundegar

            Not many random passersby know that off the top of their heads, even in New York where all is awesome.

          • http://profiles.google.com/marc.k.mielke Marc Mielke

            “You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ sounds great as a crowd song. 
            But if you REALLY want to taunt the old bastard go with “I Will Survive”. 

          • http://lemoutan.blogspot.com/ Lemoutan

            Stockhausen’s ‘Gruppen’ might set off a protest nicely.

    • Antinous / Moderator

      I probably would have just belted out Rudolph The Big-Dicked Reindeer.

  • http://www.facebook.com/pshultz Peter Shultz

    I know its minor, but Boingboing would be improved by the use of traditional quote marks. 

    • IronEdithKidd

      The grammar pedant thread was last week.  And totally OT.

      • http://www.facebook.com/pshultz Peter Shultz

        The comment pendant thread was last week. And totally OT.

        • Antinous / Moderator

          I know you are but what is she?

    • Jonathan Roberts

      I know it’s minor. FTFY.

  • http://twitter.com/DrLearnALot DrLearnALot

    Pure awesomeness on the part of the peopleness.

  • http://lemoutan.blogspot.com/ Lemoutan

    I do wish they hadn’t “improved” it by fading into the commercial recording though. Kinda undermined it.

  • http://twitter.com/manooshi Manel

    I really want to marry the “All You Need Is Love” singer dude.  Swoon.  What a badass.  

  • http://www.facebook.com/khal.shariff Khal Shariff

    Well thanks for that, whoever started singing, You made my day, probably my decade. Peace.

    • Jonathan Roberts

      He looks like a slightly younger Mark Frauenfelder to me.

      • Antinous / Moderator

        Yeah, I thought so, too.

  • That_Anonymous_Coward

    No what he said is wrong, because he assumes everyone who is a Muslim holds these to be the truth.
    Trying to use your single post history to spin the narrative will not work.
    He is a bigot who is using a tragedy to forward his beliefs of hating someone.  I seem to remember talk of some Christ dude who said love one another, not burn their holy books and be an extremist dickwad.

    He is a racist, a bigot, and a failed human being.  He has every right to spew forth his vile crap, but you don’t have the right to try and make people think he is just misunderstood.  If you insert a race into his speech he could be a Grand Dragon of the KKK.
    Rather that look for solutions and make the world a better place, he has assigned blame for all of the ills of society on 1 group.
    He fears “Sharia Law” because I sense a deep seated fear that he doesn’t want it competing with his own version of “Holy Law” he wants to inflict on others.

    We are stupid because we give any coverage to this bigoted little moron.
    He and his tiny church represent the views of a small extremist group, like the small group he claims represents all of Islam.

    In closing, your not very good at this so stop.
    He has the right to be a foul bigot, but don’t pretend it isn’t what it is.

    Oh and…
    Christ what an asshole.