The protests are disgusting and offensive, but they have to be allowed. I don’t like it, but to infringe on their First Amendment right to protest is to spit on the very freedoms that these young men died for.
Not popular, I know, but right and popular aren’t always the same.
I do agree that the funeral protests should not be made illegal.
But I would like to see states and communities pass a law that makes the the maximum punishment for kicking those peoples’ asses is a $10 fine.
phelps and his crew are not people they are demons.
Of course if they protested at Muhammad Atta’s funeral it would not be protected free speech; it would probably be prosecuted as a hate crime.
Phelps is not practicing a Freedom of Speech he and his cohorts are practicing a blame game to inflict mental anguish on a family. The family was supportive of their child going into war as a soldier, sailor, airman. because the individaul was killed, the soldier becomes a public enemy that can be humilitated and scorned for their service to a country’s punishment by God. God does not like war, god also grieves with the families whom are grieving..
phelps is making a political statement at a funeral. He is not exercising any type of Freedom Of Speech - but to exercise a freedom to inflect harm and to humilitate a family. freedom od Speech does not warrant a person to speak ill of someone whom has given freely of oneself in service of a country. A funeral is a private affair.
this could fall under hate speech and be punished in the court at an exorbanant amount. This church should be disbanded.
How is this behavior any different from yelling “fire” in a crowded theatre (or any other crowded venue) when there is no fire?
Forty years ago the Supreme Court finds a right of privacy in the Constitution which leads to a right of abortion - even though neither is mentioned.
Now an absolute right privacy guarantees the right of a parent to murder a child...
yet no right of privacy exists for a parent to bury a child.
The right of a brain dead group of jackasses to exercise their “first amendment right” must be guaranteed at all costs...
yet there is no right for parents to peacefully bury a son that has died for our country.
Argue any Constitutional grounds you want - it will still be wrong no matter what the argument offered.
“Westboro Baptist Church, a fundamentalist Christian church”
WRONG.
“Time and place” speech regulations are fully Constitutional. They should be allowed to say whatever they want ... elsewhere. Leave the family in peace.
SnakeDoc
I pastor a very conservative SBC and detest the sin of homosexuality. I also detest the actions of Westboro Baptist Church. There actions of protest at the funerals of soldiers cannot be Scripturally justified by any means. God’s favor is not upon them!
Too many grownups just can’t handle religion just like too many folks just can’t handle alcohol.
I keep thinking that some time, there will be a parent of a dead soldier, that has a terminal illness, that is willing to step up to the plate.