Supreme Court: Westboro Baptist Church Funeral Protests Are Protected Speech (http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/supreme-court-westboro-baptist-church-funeral-protests-are-protected-speech/)


8 to 1 decision. Outrageous for our military and their families. This decision was made inside a bubble. I get their interpretation, but there comes a time when you have to stuff this, so that it ended before coming to the SC. Not what the founding fathers were envisioning... I believe there will be bloody consequences from this decision...

When they showed up here at Piper's funeral, they were assigned an area where they could protest. Mounted police units were placed directly in front of them.....

if they showed up at one of my family's or friends funeral there is no way i would'nt go after them...

these guys get it...Our Mission (http://www.patriotguard.org/Home/OurMission/tabid/60/Default.aspx)

They're protesting at the funerals of people who died to give them the right to Protest at their funerals....that's Effed up

although i firmly believe in the first amendment
this is along the same LINES as allowing
child pornography ....

it totally crosses the LINE

my eyes BEG for the video of their church Burning

This use to be a great country and now it is only a good country and deteriorating every day. The country has its thumb up its arse.

The freedom of speech should not even play into this, it should come under Respect for the fallen.

Not that I am a constitutional lawyer... My take on this is that if you take away the freedom of any group to protest you start down the slippery slope of banning any and all protests who don't agree with your point fo view...

That being said, I am glad we have brave patriots like the Patriot Guard Riders who also use thier First Ammendment rights to protest the Westboro Baptists...

outrageous!

what reason would anyone have to protest a war at a funeral?, they are using it as a tool to get what the spoiled brats wish:smash: If you are against the war, protest the government who got us into it not the soldiers sent there to protect our freedom :hs:

unbelievable

what judge would allow this to go on?:wall:

Not that I am a constitutional lawyer... My take on this is that if you take away the freedom of any group to protest you start down the slippery slope of banning any and all protests who don't agree with your point fo view...

That being said, I am glad we have brave patriots like the Patriot Guard Riders who also use thier First Ammendment rights to protest the Westboro Baptists...

I agree.
IMHO, they have the right. they make me want to puke, but its a free country and we have the right to assemble and to free speech.
As far as this country going down hill, this is a very, very, very small group that is getting media attention, just like the guy wanted to burn the korans or the code pink libs. It doesnt reflect on the state of this country or our values.

The more attention and/or press they get the more they get what they want. I prefer to just ignore these crackpots and treat them as a non-entity.

Maybe if nobody pays any attention to them they might just go away

The more attention and/or press they get the more they get what they want. I prefer to just ignore these crackpots and treat them as a non-entity.

Maybe if nobody pays any attention to them they might just go away
I agree! I don't like their message but I like that they have the right to speakout.

That ruling does not pertain to just military funerals, it effects all funerals.

They're protesting at the funerals of people who died to give them the right to Protest at their funerals....that's Effed up


Your right TFD.

Sad, very sad, lack of respect for all human decency. :(

I think this about sums it up.....

YouTube - I hate Illinois Nazis (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv5RXPHEn5c&feature=related)

I have to begin this post with a firm announcement that I do not in any way condone the tastless group of rotten pig swill that conduct these protests. However, the facts seem to be left out in the discussion. The funeral in question was held just up the road from me. The protesters were placed 1000 feet from the entrance and the funeral procession used an alternate entrance into the cemetery. They never saw the protesters.

Thus the decision. There was no personal harm to anyone. If the police had allowed the procession to witness the protesters the decision woudl probably have been different as there may have been a good display of harm (hurtful words directed at an individual).

As a veteran I can live knowing that the very freedom my brothers in arms protected is safe...even as repulsive as the message is to me. The Westboro Church will get what is coming to them...Kharma is a b.....

The real problem I have is the countersuit that the church placed against Mr. Snyder. I lost track of it.

If I went into an airport and cried out that God has put bombs in the airport, or cried out in a theater that there would be a fire, would the Supreme Court see that as my freedom of speech? I think not.... My azz would be in jail.






You know this fires me up if I'm in this forum........

If I went into an airport and cried out that God has put bombs in the airport, or cried out in a theater that there would be a fire, would the Supreme Court see that as my freedom of speech? I think not.... My azz would be in jail.
Exercising your rights cannot violate the rights of another person. In this case, exercising your right to free speech would violate the right of life (Not to be injured or abused) of everyone who is in the theater or airport.

I have to agree with Chesapeake Bill. The people from WBC are disgusting, vile "human beings". However, this judgment was the correct interpretation of their Constitutional right to protest.

The Bill of Rights was not drafted with clauses that state we have specific freedoms "as long as we don't offend anyone" or "unless your views are unpopular." I think this judgment falls right in line with what our Founding Fathers would have wanted. Even though their (the WBC) words and actions are disgusting, ungrateful, hate-filled and offensive, it is within their right to say whatever they choose.

As soon as we allow the government to limit, through case law or other methods, any of our Constitutional Rights, we open the doors wide open for a whole world of hurt and the inevitable destruction of all the principles for which the best country on Earth was founded on. We have already allowed our right to Privacy to be thrown away through laws like the Patriot Act and the unopposed actions of the FBI, CIA and Homeland Security. Let's not allow the government to erode yet another one of our rights.

Exercising your rights cannot violate the rights of another person. In this case, exercising your right to free speech would violate the right of life (Not to be injured or abused) of everyone who is in the theater or airport.

I have to agree with Chesapeake Bill. The people from WBC are disgusting, vile "human beings". However, this judgment was the correct interpretation of their Constitutional right to protest.

.

I don't particularly like it, but I have to agree. Unfortunately in this case, free speech is not limited to "inoffensive" speech.

These jerks are not protesting the war, as someone posted. They are protesting the fact that our nation does not persecute homosexuals. Somehow, they have concluded that God is killing these servicemen in retaliation for the fact that we don't persecute homosexuals. Don't ask me to explain in, I'm just repeating it.

I don't think much needs to be said about their actions.

Someone compared this to a Klan rally. But it's different. Because if the Klan hold a rally, say, at a town park, you can choose to stay away from that park if you are offended. The families in this case do not have that choice. They have to be at that cemetary, at that particular time.

It says a lot about our tolerance, I think, that these people have not yet been beaten to a pulp.

And when the leader of this church dies, I hope the defense department sponsors a circus across the street from his funeral.

It says a lot about our tolerance, I think, that these people have not yet been beaten to a pulp.

And when the leader of this church dies, I hope the defense department sponsors a circus across the street from his funeral.
I've always wondered how long it will be until someone opens fire on one of their rallies.

Being in some of the VAs, I've seen first-hand some of the mental health issues our servicemen and women can be left to deal with when they come back. I have to imagine if a close friend died while standing next to me in a firefight that it would take every ounce of my strength and willpower not to become homicidal on those WBC scum.

I've always wondered how long it will be until someone opens fire on one of their rallies.

Being in some of the VAs, I've seen first-hand some of the mental health issues our servicemen and women can be left to deal with when they come back. I have to imagine if a close friend died while standing next to me in a firefight that it would take every ounce of my strength and willpower not to become homicidal on those WBC scum.

I lost 2 kids under my command in Iraq, I made it back home for one of the funerals. It was tough, you're obviously suffering from indescribable grief, and the family felt 10 times worse than I did. I cannot imagine the torture infliced by these people.

I read the Supreme Court's decision, and I do feel they may have made one mistake. The Supreme Court said that the kooks were not targeting specific individuals. I'm not sure about that. Thos kooks pick specific cemetaries at specific times, when they know that specific funerals are takingt place. Seems to me you could make a case that individuals are being targeted, although the messages on the signs are not specific to the individual.

Freedom is tough, as they say. Having to tolerate these people pushes your tolerance right up to the limit, I'd say.

Soooooo, if they can interrupt a religious ceremony with their misguided mission would it be OK if I visited their Sunday Services and caused a scene? A loud protest against high gas prices? I'd have to say YES!

I agree.
IMHO, they have the right. they make me want to puke, but its a free country and we have the right to assemble and to free speech.
As far as this country going down hill, this is a very, very, very small group that is getting media attention, just like the guy wanted to burn the korans or the code pink libs. It doesnt reflect on the state of this country or our values.

I agree, but go to planned parenthood, and see the lines drawn on the sidewalk and people always there. The 1st amendment allows all the freedom to speak, unlike many countries.

But the right to bear arms should allow you to SHOOT the bastards

Soooooo, if they can interrupt a religious ceremony with their misguided mission would it be OK if I visited their Sunday Services and caused a scene? A loud protest against high gas prices? I'd have to say YES!

As long as you aren't on their private property, yes.

I think it is all so wrong, but it is the First Amendment which these fine young men and women honored and that the Westboro retches can hide behind. Their day will come when they can't hide behind the law.

In the meantime, you can donate some to the legal defense fund: Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder (http://www.matthewsnyder.org/) The lawyers are supposedly doing the work pro-bono and the balance of legal costs is probably more than paid for by donations. The big slap is that the father is to pay the legal costs of the westborobastards. The legal fund / donations should at least remove that burden.

Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder (http://www.matthewsnyder.org/)

Christian Veterans Protect the Funeral of a Fallen Soldier (http://www.godvine.com/Christian-Veterans-Protect-the-Funeral-of-a-Fallen-Soldier-278.html)

hopefully, more groups like this, will step up, and counteract the other so called "religous" group... the WTF, should be directed as...WTF god do they worship...??? yikes... the devil looks good after those aholes view of god.

I can't imagine being so miserable that you would think of hurting someone you don't know that much. I feel sorry for their kids being brainwashed into that cult. I think its all basically one family.

Christian Veterans Protect the Funeral of a Fallen Soldier (http://www.godvine.com/Christian-Veterans-Protect-the-Funeral-of-a-Fallen-Soldier-278.html)

...WTF god do they worship...??? yikes...

It's certainly not a God of love and the Golden Rule.

I was just saying this yesterday:

A day after the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed Westboro Baptist Church's right to protest against homosexuality at military funerals, the fallen Marine's father, who unsuccessfully sued the controversial Kansas congregation, warned that the church's protests will eventually spark violence.

"Something is going to happen," Albert Snyder told CNN Thursday. "Somebody is going to get hurt."

"You have too many soldiers and Marines coming back with post-traumatic stress syndrome, and they (the Westboro protesters) are going to go to the wrong funeral and the guns are going to go off."
Fallen Marine's father says anti-gay pickets will draw gunfire - CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/03/03/us.westboro.father/index.html?hpt=C2)

that will only bring them more attention

Which is what they want.....

that will only bring them more attention
These people could be made irrelevant in 1 month's time if all media outlets refused to give them any coverage at all. Stop posting news stories, stop running radio/tv interviews.

These people could be made irrelevant in 1 month's time if all media outlets refused to give them any coverage at all. Stop posting news stories, stop running radio/tv interviews.

agreed. its a small group.