Free Republic

Fred Phelps, a former street preacher who led a family ministry that raged against what he perceived as a morally bankrupt society, died Thursday. His legacy of picketing funerals of military veterans and disaster victims, promoting coarse language to condemn conduct he viewed as amoral, and waging legal battles that protected his actions under the First Amendment, earned him an international reputation of a man’s whose absolute conviction was never swayed in the face of widespread contempt. “The level of his vitriol, the savageness of his comments, were just unmatched anywhere. His rhetoric was such he united people both on...

The way anti-gunners have handled of the Connecticut shooting has been one of the most disturbing things ever. Within hours of the tragedy they turned it into what they hope is their opportunity to finally pass another gun control law. The tweets of Michael Moore, the press releases of Mayors Bloomberg, Menino, and public statements of Democrat Reps bear witness to this. But perverted attempt to make gains from the Connecticut shooting became even more pronounced when Westboro Baptist Church announced they will picket the funerals of those killed on Friday. Why? -- because doing so gives them the opportunity...

Today the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in Snyder v. Phelps, a case about the nature and scope of basic rights -- those of free speech vs. those of privacy. But this case is fundamentally about wrongs and the law's imperfect ability to redress them. The facts of the case are well known. Matthew Snyder, a Marine lance corporal from Westminster, Md., was killed in the line of duty in Iraq in 2006. The Rev. Fred Phelps and members of his Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church traveled more than 1,000 miles to Maryland to picket his funeral and draw attention...