*sorry if this has already been posted, i looked CC and SB but didn't see anything*

I saw a video clip on the news this morning about townsfolk blocking protesters from a military funeral. If someone wants to link the video http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2010/11/07/exp.nr.blocking.funeral.protestors.cnn?iref=allsearch What caught my attention more then anything was the protesters signs saying "Thank God for dead soilders". They want to stand outside someone's funeral with these signs.... Really? And they are doing it across the country Gaining publicity through shock value is nothing new but this is a disgrace. I don't understand how, as an organization trying to promote their views, this is going to garner them a following or further their cause?


After reading a few other things I learned the dispute between families and the church has lead to a case in the supreme court. They are going to be weighing in on the issue between free speech and privacy. It seems like issues under the first amendment get dicey so aside from whatever disgust I have with the group's actions it's going to be an interesting to see their ruling.

Quote :

" Justices hear case of anti-gay protests at military funerals October 06, 2010|By Bill Mears, CNN Supreme Court Producer The Supreme Court struggled Wednesday to find a constitutional balance between free speech and privacy in a case involving provocative anti-homosexual protests by a small church at the funeral of a soldier who died in Iraq. Members of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church protested outside the court, while inside one of their members argued they have the right to promote what they call a broad-based message on public matters such as wars. But the lawyer for the fallen Marine's father argued those protests are an invasion of privacy and an intentional infliction of emotional distress. "[Justice] Brandeis said the right to be let alone was the most important, and so he must have been thinking there could be a tort [lawsuit] there for interference with privacy," said Justice Stephen Breyer, speaking for many of his colleagues. "And emotional injury, deliberately inflicted, could be one. ... But I see that in some instances that could be abused to prevent somebody from getting out a public message, and therefore, I'm looking for a line." At issue is a delicate test between the privacy rights of grieving families and the free speech rights of demonstrators, however disturbing and provocative their message. Several states have attempted to impose specific limits on when and where the church members can protest. The church, led by pastor Fred Phelps, believes God is punishing the United States for "the sin of homosexuality" through events including soldiers' deaths. Members have traveled the country shouting at grieving families at funerals and displaying such signs as "Thank God for dead soldiers," "God blew up the troops" and "AIDS cures fags." Westboro members had appeared outside the 2006 funeral for Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder in Westminster, Maryland, outside Baltimore. Snyder's family sued the church in 2007, alleging invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress and civil conspiracy. A jury awarded the family $2.9 million in compensatory damages plus $8 million in punitive damages, which were later reduced to $5 million. The church appealed the case in 2008 to the 4th District, which reversed the judgments a year later, siding with the church's allegations that its First Amendment rights were violated. Albert Snyder, Matthew's father, said his son was not gay and the protesters should not have been at the funeral. "I was just shocked that any individual could do this to another human being," Snyder told CNN. "I mean, it was inhuman." Church members say their broader message was aimed at the unspecified actions of the military and those who serve in it. They believe U.S. soldiers deserve to die because they fight for a country that tolerates homosexuality. During Wednesday's intense one-hour arguments, the attorney for the Snyder side -- Sean Summers -- told the court the pain Albert Snyder suffered occurred before, during and after the funeral. That included a posting on the Westboro website that offered what Summers said were more intense personal attacks on the Snyders than may have occurred at the burial service. "But it does not intrude upon the funeral," said Justice Antonin Scalia. "He doesn't have to watch them. They are just posted on the Internet." "Why does he have a claim?" asked Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The protest "was at considerable distance. There was no importuning anyone going to the funeral. It stopped before the funeral -- the service -- began." She added that the Westboro members stayed on public rights-of-way, had the permission of police to gather, and were not arrested. Summers, however, reiterated the church crossed the line. "I believe that the justices heard that and I hope that they realize that this isn't just a case about speech, it's about harassment, targeted harassment at a private person's funeral," Summers said afterward. In an unususal twist, the attorney representing the church before the Supreme Court is also a church member -- Margie Phelps, a daughter of the pastor. She held her own under sometimes withering questioning from several justices, especially over whether the church's "speech" is personal or public in nature. "Suppose someone believes that African-Americans are inherently inferior, and they are really a bad influence on this country," Justice Samuel Alito said. "And so a person comes up to an African-American and starts berating that person with racial hatred. Now is this just any old old African-American on the street? That's a matter of public concern?" Chief Justice John Roberts said, "Does it make a difference, which seems to me to be the case here, that Mr. Snyder was selected not because of who he was, but because it was a way to get maximum publicity for your client's particular message?" Margie Phelps countered her fellow congregants did not stalk or confront Snyder or his family. "The words that were at issue in this case were people from a church delivering a religious viewpoint," she said, "commenting not only on the broader public issues that the discussion was under way in this nation about dying soldiers, about the morals of the nation." Ginsburg jumped in, noting Westboro had picketed the Maryland state Capitol the same day, just before going to the Snyder funeral. "This is a case about exploiting a private family's grief," she said, "and the question is: Why should the First Amendment tolerate exploiting this Marine's family when you have so many other forums for getting across your message," such as standing in front of the Supreme Court. About a dozen congregants, including a couple of young children, did just that Wednesday, gathering in front of the court building to hold signs, sing hymns, and shout their message. They planned later to promote their message at nearby Arlington National Cemetery. They had been at the White House and other sites the day before. The Supreme Court has never addressed the specific issues of laws designed to protect the "sanctity and dignity of memorial and funeral services," as well as the privacy of family and friends of the deceased. But the high court has recognized the state's interest in protecting people from unwanted protests or communications while in their homes. The justices are being asked to address how far states and private entities like cemeteries and churches can go to justify picket-free zones and the use of "floating buffers" to silence or restrict the speech or movements of demonstrators exercising their constitutional rights in a funeral setting. A majority of states across the nation have responded to the protests with varying levels of control over the Westboro church protesters. In Wednesday's case, 48 states and dozens of members of Congress filed an amicus brief in support of the Snyders. Church members told the court they have a duty to protest and picket at certain events, including funerals, to promote their religious message: "That God's promise of love and heaven for those who obey him in this life is counterbalanced by God's wrath and hell for those who do not obey him." The congregation is made up mostly of Fred Phelps and his family. The pastor has 13 children, and at least 54 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He described himself as an "old-time" gospel preacher in a CNN interview in 2006, saying, "You can't preach the Bible without preaching the hatred of God." Church members have participated in several hundred protests across the country. Last year, the high court blocked Missouri's effort to enforce a specific law aimed at the Westboro church. Phelps, daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper and other church members had protested near the August 2005 funeral of a soldier in St. Joseph, Missouri. State lawmakers later passed the "Spc. Edward Lee Myers Law," criminalizing picketing "in front of or about" a funeral location or procession. The case heard Wednesday is Snyder v. Phelps (09-751). A ruling is expected in the next few months."

[Edited on November 8, 2010 at 11:33 AM. Reason : to much bold, sorry]

11/8/2010 11:31:26 AM

yeah this has been going on for years now. Westboro Church is filled with crazies

11/8/2010 11:32:55 AM

if its at the supreme court i figured it must be, it's just the first i've heard or perhaps noticed?

11/8/2010 11:36:16 AM

Where have you been

11/8/2010 11:37:17 AM

Quote :

"The group came into the national spotlight in 1998, when they were featured on CNN for picketing the funeral of Matthew Shepard, a young man from Wyoming who was beaten to death by two men because of his homosexuality.[28] Westboro has protested at the funerals of people ranging from Fred Rogers[29] to Coretta Scott King to Jerry Falwell. In July 2005 the Westboro Baptist Church declared its intention to picket the memorial service of Carrie French in Boise, Idaho. French, 19, was killed on June 5 in Kirkuk, Iraq, where she served as an ammunition specialist with the 116th Brigade Combat Team's 145th Support Battalion. Phelps Sr. was quoted as saying, "Our attitude toward what's happening with the war is [that] the Lord is punishing this evil nation for abandoning all moral imperatives that are worth a dime."["

11/8/2010 11:39:34 AM

I saw some of these assholes when I was in Kansas for a family wedding

my father activated the child locks on the rental car knowing that, if I saw them, I would try to get out of the car and confront them

11/8/2010 11:42:15 AM

The bible also says that shellfish are an abomination before God, yet I don't see them picketing Red Lobster.

11/8/2010 11:45:02 AM

Lobsters are more delicious than gays, therefore unworthy of their wrath.

11/8/2010 11:46:21 AM

You can put glitter on a lobster.

11/8/2010 11:47:13 AM

if you can assemble for the belief of homosexuality, then you can assemble for the disagreement with homosexuality.

11/8/2010 11:59:58 AM

Quote :

"my father activated the child locks on the rental car knowing that, if I saw them, I would try to get out of the car and confront them"

11/8/2010 12:05:31 PM

nah it is true
or possibly they were on already

I just know that, at a stop light, I tried the door and it wouldn't open

11/8/2010 12:07:51 PM

...right

11/8/2010 12:08:53 PM

Maybe it was an act of God meant to protect the true believers from your wrath.

11/8/2010 12:16:23 PM

protesting is fine.
protesting at funerals is not fine.

11/8/2010 12:31:36 PM

< would get arrested and convicted of assault if those dudes showed up at the funeral of anyone I know.

11/8/2010 12:33:40 PM

I'm hoping that they eventually get to the point where they believe nothing they do will ever help fix the world's abominations, and therefore they all commit ritual suicide.

11/8/2010 3:28:51 PM

yeah, they keep at it in getting on cnn front page for their shenanigans. It's sickening. Yeah... lets have them try that shit in a military town and survive... I don't understand how their shit isn't considered hate speech.

If I see these people, I would get a few friends with super soakers filled with rainbow colors and hose them down.

11/8/2010 4:24:18 PM

What about anti-military protests at gay funerals?

11/8/2010 5:56:02 PM

Quote :

"What about anti-military protests at gay funerals?"

I C what you did there.

11/8/2010 6:09:00 PM

A couple of years ago when my friend died (he was a Black Hawk pilot that died in Iraq) there was an entire biker gang standing guard alongside the cemetery in case douchebags like this decided to pull something.

I was partially disappointed they didn't cause I kinda wanted to see them get their asses handed to them. I don't know how people stop themselves from just beating the shit out of these guys when they do their protests. I've heard the rumors that they actually hope that people will beat them up so they can sue, but that would be one time where I'd be more than happy to give those guys exactly what they wanted.

11/8/2010 6:13:33 PM

if you just kill them all there wont be any left to sue you

11/8/2010 6:33:03 PM

these guys came to Charleston over the summer. (they were protesting libraries and Jewish centers) Our base was given orders not to go near them. I told my students if they somehow ended up near one of the protests to LEAVE immediately. Apparently one of the ways they make money is to sue people who try to fight them.

11/8/2010 6:34:36 PM

Quote :

"A couple of years ago when my friend died (he was a Black Hawk pilot that died in Iraq) there was an entire biker gang standing guard alongside the cemetery in case douchebags like this decided to pull something. "

They're called the Patriot Guard Riders.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Guard_Riders

They weren't going to hand anybody's asses to anybody. They take a nonviolent approach, which at the least shows extraordinary restraint. Normally they wave a lot of American flags to block the view of the Westboro fuckheads, and rev their engines to drown out any noises they make.

11/8/2010 10:38:33 PM

Quote :

"one of the ways they make money is to sue people who try to fight them"

They're such a fucked up group of people. I really can't fathom the thought process they have, nor how they serve any useful purpose in society.

11/8/2010 11:00:52 PM

^awesome

11/8/2010 11:01:32 PM

- aaaannnddd another win for modern Christianity

11/8/2010 11:46:27 PM

^^^ I wish I could get some legal immunity. I'd take a Westboro Baptist Church hunting vacation.

11/9/2010 12:01:00 AM

Quote :

"aaaannnddd another win for modern Christianity"

Fuck off. The overwhelming majority of the Christian community (and the conservative republican community, for that matter) would love to be rid of these assholes. We know when someone is giving us a bad name. Speaking as a Christian, I'd gladly join theDuke on his hunting trip.

We're talking about a hundred or so inbred fuckheads, compared to some 2+ billion Christians overall.

11/9/2010 12:23:38 AM

I'm waiting for some one to start shooting these fucks at one of their "protests."

The kids could probably be deprogrammed with some therapy, but the adults/leaders need to be sent to their lord.

11/9/2010 1:41:44 AM