Posted on 07/28/2015 6:49:45 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) - Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal gave a stern warning to Westboro Baptist Church members who had reportedly threatened to protest the funerals of the Lafayette movie theater victims.
“Let me be very clear, if they come here to Louisiana and they try to disrupt those funerals, we're going to lock them up,” said Jindal.
The funerals for Mayci Breaux and Jillian Johnson were held on Monday.
Before that, Jindal issued an executive order asking police to enforce a Louisiana State law that protects against disturbing the peace at funerals.
But, it did not have to be enforced because no church members arrived.
“If they were in fact deterred from coming because of the threat to arrest them, that indicates how unlawful his executive order was,” said Louisiana ACLU Director Marjorie Esman.
The ACLU of Louisiana while not in support of Westboro Baptist Church, raises the question: Were their first amendment rights violated?
Jonathon Phelps, an attorney and one of the church’s elders says the reason they did not show up had nothing to do with Governor Jindal’s threat. He said church members had other places to go.
Joel Pearce, a Shreveport attorney who is no stranger to defending people's first amendment rights, believes Governor Jindal was on solid legal ground.
“It's not unreasonable to say that you can't shout fire in a crowded theater,” said Pearce.
Pearce believes the chance of a clash between protestors and residents of Louisiana was high.
“These people are burying their loved ones, and to have these idiots show up and threaten to hijack all of this stuff is just a prelude to violence,” said Pearce.
(Excerpt) Read more at ksla.com ...
It is disgusting be we have the First Amendment and they have the right to free speech.
Amazing how this group of 20 people keep getting international attention. They ‘fit the narrative’ of marginalizing Christians.
I’d just put them up the bayou without paddles.
Beat their a$$es enough and they’ll stop showing up...
“We shall not allow opposing voices!! We shall shut them down and burn their books’ Adolf Hitler 1936. Go to hell ET.
You're probably onto this, but there's no way the Founders intended "freedom of speech" to include, say, assault, pornography, disrupting a funeral, or other obvious breaches of public order.
They have a history ... a precedent setting history .. of being obstructive and disruptive ... those can be crimes worthy of arrest
breaches of public order.
BANG Bullseye!
Put the dogs on them.Don’t want to get bitten?Stay in the car.
Yup, they have the right to free speech, but nothing says they have that right to do it where and when they want. Nothing says the law can’t let them have their free speech five miles from the funeral.
This is exactly what they want. I can’t believe that hardly anyone understands these people.
They make their living off settlements from state and local governments that violate their First Amendment rights.
Jindal just played right into their hand.
Phelps daughter is an attorney. This is what they do.
You are wrong. They count on playing on weak minded people’s emotions and just beg for trouble. As soon as the local law moves them or arrests them they make big bank.
I still can’t believe how few people understand their gig.
The Westboro Baptists decided they didn’t want to swim with the ‘gators.
The best way to handle the Phelps tribe is to bring every big burly biker you can find and ask them to help “guard” them. The more the better.
I have it on trusted sources that when a local soldier had his funeral in our area...these morons were going to protest. The family asked the chief of police to do something and he said he couldn’t. Sheriff as well. I heard that some folks met them on a ‘country road’ during their travels. They turned around and went back home.
“Nothing says the law can’t let them have their free speech five miles from the funeral.”
I think the Westboro Baptist people are the scum of the Earth, but please think this through. Disturbing the peace and disrupting a funeral are illegal acts which can legitimately be prosecuted. Speech, however repulsive, is not illegal and must never be.
I can’t believe anyone on FR is anxious to have any precedent set for limiting the free speech rights of any religious organization. Have you considered that if you believe in the Biblical sanctity of marriage your views are every bit as offensive to many Americans as the Westboro Baptist’s views are?
Remember the “free speech zones’ at the Bundy Ranch? No thank you.
God Bless Gov. Jindal!
As far as I am concerned, they can keep their 1st amendments rights right up to the point they lose consciousness.
There's no problem that can't be solved with high explosives.
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