WELL, THAT’S JUST SAD: Westboro Baptist Protesters Get Tires Slashed Following Protest Saturday.

UPDATE: Reader George Wilson writes:

I read about the Westboro tires and I was troubled. Their message is abhorrent even if constitutionally protected. When, however, does it become ‘fire in a crowded theatre’ I.e. An incitement to riot?

I’m not surprised about the counter protest but I am concerned about the tire slashing. It seems like a significant escalation. I wonder if this is a confluence of elite disregard for the feelings of the average American and the success of Muslim violence, threatened and real, in getting action. People learn by example.

Yes, when the authorities implicitly condone violence in causes that they support (or at least are afraid to oppose), it sends a more general message that violence works. I’ve warned about this incentive system in the past.