Posted on 03/30/2010 3:01:27 PM PDT by Mrs. Frogjerk
The father of a Marine killed in Iraq whose funeral was picketed by anti-gay protesters told Fox News he will defy a court order and not pay the protesters' appeal costs.
Albert Snyder, of York, Pa., told Fox News he does not intend to pay $16,510 to Fred Phelps, the leader of Kansas' Westboro Baptist Church, which held protests at Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder's funeral in 2006.
"I don't think I'm going to be writing a check until I hear from the Supreme Court," Snyder told Fox News on Tuesday. "I'm not about to pay them anything."
The Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ordered Snyder on Friday to pay Phelps. A two-page decision supplied by his attorneys offered no details on how the court came to its decision.
The decision adds "insult to injury," said Sean Summers, one of Snyder's attorneys.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
The decision adds "insult to injury," said Sean Summers, one of Snyder's attorneys..."
They DO need a 'legal' behind whoopin. To be administered by the Court. Unfortunately, the court decided to take their side instead. Why is this group getting away with this? They were harrassing this family on the day they buried their son. They're rewarded monitarily after the fact. All common sense has been thrown out by this court! That's what the courts are supposed to do, protect the innocent. I still can't believe that this father is being put through this.
“I can’t argue against the Phelps clan’s right to their freedom of speech”
Freedom of speech does not include disturbing the peace.
You got that right. Sho got that right.
I can’t believe I’m seeing this heroic Marine’s family’s grief, pain and suffering reduced in the minds of some freepers to merely being “offended,” as though his family were no more than spectators, with no rights of their own.
I am sure many Marines & would love to to take this family down but they use the control they were taught & just stand there. Many of the bikers would gladly kick the cr@p out of these kooks too & go to jail. But if you do a PGR ride you have to respect their wishes & rules. What really bothers me is that the WBC calls ahead when they plan one of their protests & demand police protection. They disgust the police too. I've talked to a few police while at funerals & they aren't happy about the WBC at all.
Bingo ,we have a winner.
I understand all that . Just saying I think eventually someone is going to clean this guys clock but good.
There has to be 100 legal ways to keep these asshole away from military funerals. Harassment , provocation , disturbing the peace? I’ve seen cops chase people for a lot less.
Tort law (which is the area of law applicable to this case) does not permit one to sue for emotional pain or suffering unless it is a result of some physical harm.
In most jurisdictions, stalking is a statutory offense which arises after a court order prohibiting the conduct is entered. In other words, the plaintiff would have to have a prior protective order in place before stalking can occur.
You would think that there are 100 legal ways to stop this band of kooks. Some states have made them stand down the road. It is very sad for the families of our soldiers. If Fred Phelps & the wbc says America is damned then he & his family ought to leave. They spew hate & nothing else. IMHO is just about money & lawsuits.
Actually, Phelps violates the Biblical admonishment from Paul not to sue other Christians. It is rumored that Fred Phelps has gay leanings, too...
The “logical solution” can’t be discussed in an open forum.
That said, I’d dance in the street and pass out candy if this whole Westboro cult got “disappeared”, no matter how, nor by what/whom.
I really don’t care whether some whackier-than-them nutjob waxes their gilded asses in “church” or if The Almighty himself drops a frackin’ asteroid on their heads.
One way or another though; be comforted in this: Hell will be waiting.
“Come on, folks. There’s got to be plenty of people who’d donate a few rolls of pennies each.”
Paying this judgement by chariity is the wrong approach. Thw whole country nede to stand up and yell “Screw you!”in unison at this stupid judge. It’s not even a left/right issue, like the health bill. Nobody likes Phelps or his cult.
You are more than welcome to open your mouth, but when you're politely asked to take it somewhere else, I firmly believe that it is the best idea to close that mouth and take it somewhere else rather than subject one's self to a knuckle sandwich with a side of molars.
Besides, we're in the new age of ObamaCare - getting your jaw wired back up could require a committee review and be subject to budgetary cutbacks.
I don’t see why municipalities could just pass local laws that nobody is permitted to demonstrate within say a mile radius of a funeral for any reason during the funeral.
That is not the kind of restriction of free speech that violates the First Amendment. Anyone who wants to have their say can simply say it somewhere else AT THAT TIME. They can have their say at that location SOME OTHER TIME.
That is not telling them they can’t express their opinion ever, just not at a time that other citizens need and deserve THEIR rights to privacy and liberty.
The First Amendment was not put in place for deranged nutjobs to hold the rest of the citizenry hostage to their aberrant behavior.
Under that logic, anti-abortion protestors can simply protest on the other side of town, right? Why do they have to stand in front of a clinic where it might upset the staff?
Telling people where they can protest is, in essence, limiting their ability to protest.
You are saying, you can have your protest....but just not anyplace where anyone might see it.
On top of that, what you are proposing is a prior restraint on free speech which is almost always deeemed unconstitutional in any context.
What rock have you been living under?
Abortion protesters have been restricted in their ability to protest for years. There's a local pastor in CNY who went to jail for a month because of his Operation Rescue activities.
There was a thread just recently about a guy who was put in jail for 9 days because he dared to pray silently at a gay rally in a public park. He was told that he could not attend and pray.
If those kinds of activities are not labeled as unConstitutional, when they happen outside a commercial establishment or on public property which allows public access to anyone who wants, then restricting someone from protesting for a couple hours during a funeral at a funeral, is not.
Luke 6:31 "Do to others as you would have them do to you."
The WBC ought to read the Bible & practice what they preach. Would you want them at someone you loved funeral? I wouldn't. Have you seen them? I have & they are evil.
People already have to get permits to protest. Towns can deny them.
They should for all funerals as well, no questions asked. nobody has any business protesting or picketing at an event like that.
The government could at least do one thing right and protect the citizens it claims to represent from the attacks of other citizens.
Exactly & some towns will do just that. The ones that aren’t afraid of the WBC’s bs lawsuits. I believe in freedom of speech but there are just somethings you don’t do. You respect a person’s funeral. I think if the WBC wants protection for their protests then they ought to have to pay for it out of their own pockets. As a taxpayer I don’t want to pay for them to be protected. Our police have better things to do then protect a bunch of loonie tunes.
Towns cannot deny them for content-based reasons.
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