Mashable reports that the hacker activist group Anonymous has issued a warning to the Westboro Baptist church. The Westboro Baptist church are the people who protest at soldiers' funerals. Anonymous claims that they will impart damage from which the Westboro Baptist church "will never recover."

Anonymous is feeling its power.

It's a shift in the balance of power in mass media. The "church" is using primarily old mass media venues. The activists are savvy in new media in a way that gives them power. But they miss the mark with Westboro. Taking down their website will not deter them. As long as the media covers their activities, they will have achieved their goals. That is something the activists are not understanding. Besides, I think Westboro is apocalyptic. The attack wouldn't stop them - their signs are handmade - it would only feed their world vision. If Anonymous really wanted to hurt Westboro, they would give mild problems to any media outlet that covered them. That would hurt them in their main venue of communication.