Justices to hear case over protests at military funerals

[babsbunny]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/08/homosexuality.protest/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn

By Bill Mears, CNN Supreme Court Producer
March 8, 2010 11:20 a.m. EST

Washington (CNN) -- A small Kansas church that has gained nationwide attention for protesting loudly at funerals of U.S. service members will receive a Supreme Court hearing over free speech rights.

The justices Monday accepted an appeal from the father of a U.S. Marine killed in Iraq over efforts to keep members of the Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church from demonstrating near memorial services and burials.

[ThomWV]

1. Tough call, to have to defend the reprehensible, but free speech is free speech

[Caliman73]

5. Agreed. Those people are total scum, but have a right to protest.

I was alarmed to hear many people (including the radio host)of the SF Bay Area radio station, supporting ways to limit free speech beyond the limits already imposed now in order to stop the Phelps' from protesting. They are scum, but if we start passing laws because of things that offend us, then we are going to have to pass a great many laws and ultimately will give up the remaining little freedom we have.

[ManiacJoe]

6. Freedom of speech vs freedom of religion.

When two groups want to use the same facilities at the same time, a scheduling conflict needs to be resolved. The funeral requires the use of the cemetery; the "protest" does not. Also, the purpose of the "protest" is to interrupt the funeral. In this case, and all like it, common sense says the "protest" needs to be held somewhere else or at another time. Unfortunately, common sense stopped being common a long time ago.

[alp227]

2. Good. Never should anyone disrupt a funeral like WBC.

WBC is free to post as much hate towards gays, liberals, Jews, etc. as it wants on its own website, but it cannot shove hate into people's tearful faces during funerals.

[HillbillyBob]

4. They have been doing it for years and when anyone tries to stop

them they sue.
One day someone is gonna do something drastic , then it will be such a tragedy.
I really despise these creatures they have been to many funerals of my friends in Fla.
I ll leave off now because I may say something stupid and actionable.
Of course where I live now they have never been and are not likely to, and I live up in a tract of woods. They are the worst sort of kkkreestian.

[Tesha]

7. Why? (NT)

[Archae]

3. Quit calling them "protests" !!!

These are not "protests."

These are childish temper tantrums by a phony "church" just to create trouble.
Then the "protestors" can sue anyone and everyone.