User:Bmyers015/sandbox

First Draft of Article Edit (10/15)

Westboro Baptist Church

(Under "Church Views")

The religious practices of the Westboro Baptist Church are similar to many other Christian groups. Membership in the Church involves attending weekly service, and it is comprised of a parishioners that describe themselves as "very religious." Additionally, members believe in the Calvanist theology of predestination which includes believing that all disasters and catastrophes come at the hand of God. The public acts of the Church have cast a political spotlight on the group that have given them vast attention for only having approximately eighty members. In particular, the religious connection to active political hate speech has led to much controversy.

(Under "Barack Obama")

On January 20, 2013, picketers of the Westboro Baptist Church protested the Second Inauguration of President Obama. The protesters had a legal permit and used signs with homophobic messages as well as referring the President Obama as the Antichrist. Although Obama was unable to officially label the group as a hate group, he later condemned their actions after they began protesting military funerals. He enacted a law to prevent such disturbances.

(Under "Protesting")

The group has protested a number of high profile events such as the funerals of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting and the West Nickel Amish School Shootings. Yet, despite protesting these high profile events, the Church protests many local low profile events. While the messages are not always conventional, they always ensure their protests are legal in nature. Through keeping the protests non-violent and acquiring the proper permits, the Church avoids legal trouble. However, it is the protesting of military funerals that led to the Westboro Baptist Church receiving much attention.

(Under "Homosexuality")

The Westboro Baptist Church first began protesting homosexuality in 1989 after the discovery of what they referred to as a "tearoom," which is a public lavatory used for homosexual encounters. Since then, the Church has protested funerals of those killed from HIV/AIDS, LGBQT pride events, and more. The groups homophobic outlooks also have led them to blame homosexuals for tragedies such as the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

(Under "Laws Limiting Funeral Protests")

On March 29, 2006, the Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act was introduced by Mike Rogers, a republican member of the House. The bipartisan bill received a 408-3 vote in the House, after 21 representatives chose not to vote. The senate unanimously voted in approval of the law. On May 29, 2006, President George W. Bush, with great symbolic significance, signed the bill into law at a Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Ceremony. The bill prohibits protests within 300 feet (100 m) of the entrance of any cemetery under control of the National Cemetery Administration from 60 minutes before to 60 minutes after a funeral. Failing to adhere to this law can lead to a substantial fine of up to $100,000 or up to a year in prison.

The group responded to the new law with a series of tweets condemning the restrictions.

(Under "Former Members")

Zach Phelps-Roper is the grandson of Fred Phelps and the fourth sibling of the Phelps-Roper family to leave the Westboro Baptist Church. After attempting to leave the Church five times previously, he finally left in 2014 after his views began to change. He now preaches about a life of empathy and unconditional love.

Article to Edit:


 * "Plant Cognition"
 * Possible Sources:
 * John, E., Soldati, F., Burman, O., Wilkinson, A., & Pike, T. (n.d.). Plant ecology meets animal cognition: impacts of animal memory on seed dispersal. Plant Ecology, 217(11), 1441–1456. doi:10.1007/s11258-016-0652-3
 * Calvo Garzón, P., & Keijzer, F. (n.d.). Plants: Adaptive behavior, root-brains, and minimal cognition. Adaptive Behavior, 19(3), 155–171. doi:10.1177/1059712311409446

Article on Harlem Riot:


 * There is a typo in the second paragraph. "Stret" instead of "Street"
 * Weak background information in historical context section. Fails to give reader an understanding of situation. Potentially some statistics on poverty in Harlem during the era would help.
 * Last section on historical implications seems inaccurate. The last sentence about all future race riots resembling the Harlem Race Riot in that they are one race riots with no clashing between races is not true. There are many other riots in the civil rights movement era and in the LA riots that were clashes between races.  However, if I am incorrect, there should be examples and a citation to prove the editor's view point.

Peer editing: By Odette -you do a good job in crediting your sources when you cite something. Your article edit is done well because it does not use a bias. I also like how, when you are adding new information, you add it not just to the overall topic of the wikipedia page, but also to the subsections like when you say "Under 'Homosexuality' ". Overall your work is really good and organized!