Group protests funerals of soldiers and gays... should they be stopped?

[BlueAwards]

EDIT: COPYRIGHT--PLEASE POST ONLY FOUR OR FIVE
PARAGRAPHS FROM THE COPYRIGHTED NEWS SOURCE
PER DU RULES.
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Anti-gay group targeting military funerals sparks free-speech fight.

For disciples of the Westboro Baptist Church, the Bible and free speech go hand-in-hand.

Proclaiming “God hates fags” and “Thank God for dead soldiers,” the small band of evangelicals from Topeka, Kan., has ignited a firestorm by spreading its gospel of damnation at the funerals of AIDS victims and slain soldiers.

Calling the protests an affront to grieving families, lawmakers in dozens of states are seeking new anti-picketing regulations.

Westboro has challenged such efforts before, forcing changes to Kansas laws and collecting more than $200,000 in legal fees. Faced with a growing backlash, Westboro may be headed back to court.

It’s familiar territory for the church and its leader.

Long before the Rev. Fred Phelps Sr. and his "old-school” ministry hit the streets, he was championing the cause of blacks as a civil rights attorney.



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12071434/

So the question remains, SHOULD WE BAN OR LIMIT FUNERAL PICKETING?

[Atman]

1. Let 'em stand out there until the rapture

They're a good advertisement for the lunatic right.

[BlueAwards]

2. They are against the war too...

I don't really consider them conservative, just crazy (but I guess those go hand and hand).

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. "Congress shall make no law...."

et cetera.

[Coexist]

4. keep the lunatic out front where we can keep an eye on them

make them keep spending their money on travel fees.

Wear earplugs going into the service, and point and laugh at them, or better yet, ignore them. Wouldn't that just piss them off.

[leftyladyfrommo]

6. They have a right to say what they want and believe what

they want.

They do not have a right to picket funerals. And be totally obnoxious to those poor grieving people.

We live with good ole Fred here and he is just such an embarrassment to the people from his home town.

[Ignacio Upton]

5. I chose option number 2

I don't believe that we should go and outright ban them, BUT they should be kept from the actual site. I know this sounds similar to the "Free Speech Zone" practices employed at the Republican and Democratic Conventions, but in this case these people are hateful bastards protesting people who fought and died for this country. In the case of the conventions, you have people standing up for their rights, protesting against a douchebag in the White House.

[BR_Parkway]

7. No, they are free to say what they want - I wish they got more media

coverage personally - and that they were identified as "pro-family Christians" every single time they showed up - because they and their message are absolutely no different than Falwell, Dobson, AFA, CWA and the rest of these groups that constantly use us for campaign donations and political influence.

The fancier groups just hide behind a more acceptable mask of civility (mostly). But it's the same hate, the same reasons, the same 'Biblical' justification.

[sui generis]

8. A funeral is a private affair

The cavalcade gets a police escort, regular citizens in most places can get a ticket for interrupting a procession.

These people are protesting not based on freedom of speech, but on freedom of religion. Furthermore, they are protesting a dead person, for all the good that does.

Freedom of speech should also mean freedom FROM speech, just as freedom of religion does.

The appropriate balance comes in licensing a protest - if I were petty dictator of a city I would ban protests at all weddings and funerals. Free speech does not trump the rights of private citizens to be free from speech at those events.

[Jai4WKC08]

10. Agreed with one quibble

I voted option #2, but I'd really prefer their protests be limited to much farther from the ceremonies than a few hundred feet. Let them march down the city street, or rent a hall, or wherever. But the grieving family should not have to deal with them.

My quibble is that I don't think they're protesting the dead person. They aren't picking out the funerals of gay/lesbian people to picket, but all service members. They are protesting against US culture and law, and using the deceased service member and his/her family to get media attention. The family has a right not be used in such a manner, imo.

[Poll_Blind]

9. Free Speech is meant to protect unpopular expression.

If we support the stifiling of Free Speech, even at a funeral it will set a precedent which the conservatives will happily use to justify their utterly unconstitutional "Free Speech Zones". It will also be used to limit protests against Bush and other members of the government.

Promotion of unConstitutional laws, regardless of the remedy they appear to provide in the short term, set a precedent which may be used unfairly against us. And will.

I say, let them make asses of themselves just as the American Nazis do when they march- it irritates us into questioning (and ultimately reaffirming) our beliefs.

Let them picket every funeral. Let them show their faces. Let them become known to us and reviled universally. But they deserve the right to their odious beliefs. The same Constitution that protects them also protects us. If we dismantle it for some, we endanger dismantling it for all.

Liberty is like Chinese food- the best of it is sweet and sour. ;)

PB

[cboy4]

11. For my 1,000th post, I've already said this 1,000 times about hate,

but I suppose I'll mention it again. LOL

The sooner everyone ignores this horrible, horrible group of "people," I bet the sooner they will give up and go away!

Phelps just thrives on the publicity his protests generate when newspaper, radio and TV news crews show up!....it's his crack cocaine, it's his crystal meth.

Have you seen their website (godhatesfags)? It looks like something an angry 3rd grader slapped together in three minutes!

So despite how vicious and hurtful they are protesting the funerals of brave U.S. causalities and indeed gay people as well, that disgusting excuse of a human being (Phelps) has a right to picket

One of these days an angry mother is going to grab one of those signs and crack the heavy stick portion over Phelps' head. Gee, that would be, ummm, terrible.

[bunkerbuster1]

12. I went with "No," although I'm all for disrupting them.

If it's a public space, I guess they have as much right as I do to make noise and upset people. If you really believe in free speech, then you believe the Nazis have a right to march in Skokie, and you believe these delusional outcasts have the right to picket soldiers' funerals.

[TheLeftyMom]

13. Yep, others in my state have taken that tactic

There is a brigade of motorcycle riding veterns who show up and take the space right next to the church (like the sidewalk) and they park, wave huge flags to hide the signs from mourners and rev their bikes to drown out the protestors chants. I think it's a pretty good way of fighting it.

Although I'm surprised with, as angry as those vets are, that someone hasn't taken the looney out. www.kansas.com had a real complete look into Phelps and his nutty family/church a week or so ago. Click on over and search for him and have a read. He really is certifiable.

[rocktivity]

14. Only if the funeral were held at a church

becuase they would be arrested if they were distruptping a church service.

But the real cure is to protest back. If people started showing up with signs saying "God Hates Homophobes," or "God Hates Religious Fanatics," they'd be more likely to back off.

:headbang:
rocknation

[BlueAwards]

15. They generally go by the rules...

They typically protest on public property, not private.

[cboy4]

19. No, believe me, they would NOT be more likely to back off.

They welcome it because it draws attention.

Check out their website and look at all of the links to newspaper and TV stories about their protests.

They get off on it.

[CBHagman]

16. Allow for security perimeter, at least.

We can let them demonstrate, but that doesn't mean we're going to invite them to attend a funeral. Funerals are, as far as I know, controlled by the family and the institution hosting it.

[MrSlayer]

17. I think someone should beat the piss out of these people.

I'm all for free speech but there are some things you can say that merit you getting punched in the face. These people qualify for that. If I had a family member killed and these assholes showed up saying they deserved it for whatever reason I'd have no choice but to wade into them with a lead pipe. I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet.

[erpowers]

18. Do Not Like It

I do not think people should protest at the funeral of a soldier. I am all for free speech; however, a family is greiving for their family member. They should be left alone. So where is the media on this story? If this group had included Martin Sheen or Cindy Sheenan it would be all over the news.