This isn't going to be a popular decision, but 22 news organizations are siding with Fred Phelps and his homophobic Westboro Baptist Church in his legal battle with the father of a fallen Marine, according to Stars and Stripes.
This all stems from Albert Snyder suing Phelps and his church for
picketing
the 2006 funeral of his son, Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew
Snyder. Snyder won a $5 million judgment (the Phelpses won on
appeal with the court
ordering Snyder to pay Phelps $16,510 for court costs). The U.S.
Supreme Court has agreed to determine
whether the First Amendment protects Phelps' speech.
The
news groups -- don't worry, I'll name names here in sec -- didn't flat
out say they're down with the "God hates fags" group. But they did file a
of the court" brief on behalf of Westboro, arguing speech cannot be
declared too offensive to be protected by the First Amendment.
"Listeners'Ooh, I can feel theemotional reactions to
speech, however, cannot serve as a
justification for censorship," the brief said. "This Court has made
clear that citizens 'must tolerate insulting, and even outrageous,
speech in order to provide 'adequate 'breathing space' to the freedoms
protected by the First Amendment.'"
uproar coming.
The MSM added that the Supreme Court already
ruled that there is no standard to determining speech to be too
"outrageous" to be protected (see the Rev. Jerry Falwell's case
against Hustler magazine or the People vs. Larry Flynt).
The
news organizations apparently fear a rush of lawsuits over unflattering
coverage, should the court find in favor of Snyder.
"TheHere's the list of news organizations thatoutcome sought by the
Petitioner would subject a wide variety of
speech to the heckler's veto, where any private individual can claim to
have been targeted with offensive and outrageous speech," the brief
said.
conservatives are likely to start calling commies, if they aren't
already:
LLC
Press
LP
Company Inc.
Amendment Coalition
Hearst Corporation
Press Club
New York Times Company
Guild -CWA
Television Digital News Association
Journalists
brief, News Corp., parent company of Fox News.
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Anonymous says:
"Glad you tards aren't going to be in power after November."
Yeah me too, just knowing that more republicans will be voted OUT of office in November just warms my heart. But you go ahead and keep drinking the koolaid that Limbaugh and Beck piss in.
Anonymous says
"I'm poor and I'm a republican."
You're Poor because your republican
"Go big business! Don't tax the rich anymore b/c I want them to stay so I'll have a place to work"
I really hope your trying to be sarcastic...
Class party? I was born poor and will die poor b/c I'm a slacker like the rest of us that are poor. Don't hate the money makers of this country. They're the reason we live at the standard we do. I'm poor and I'm a republican. Go big business! Don't tax the rich anymore b/c I want them to stay so I'll have a place to work. Many of Obama's supporters don't work so they don't care for big business in America.
SPO101
Glad you tards aren't going to be in power after November....that is unless he makes all of the illegals legal and they get the chance to vote. You're fighting a losing battle. He's a disphit and everyone (well almost everyone) knows it already.
A SERIOUS MISALLOCATION OF RESOURCES
I think Conservatives are being played for fools by Multi-national corporate interests and their Republican Party flunkies. Spokespersons such as Rush Limbaugh/Sarah Palin/Glenn Beck have distracted weak-minded people from the TRUTH!
NOTE: The same people who like those TV commercials portraying American consumers as out of control, degenerate idiots compelled to buy something in many different colors. Conservative are pissed off because Progressives are the NEW and IMPROVED American citizens. lol
DID YOU KNOW?
�In 1979 the Federal Government funneled down tax revenue back to local governments equal to $64 per resident. BUT then Reagan/Bush FISCAL CONSERVATISM and trickle down economics came upon the American scene� By 1992, revenue had been reduced to only $29 per resident�� TIME magazine
Reagan took that savings and funneled it WHERE? SO WHAT DID REPUBLICANS DO with all that national wealth? How were those tax dollars allocated? That�s the QUESTION so-called Tea Party Movement should be asking.
But the Conservative wackos didn�t learn from that bad experience with Reaganomics, saving and loans scandals and union busting. They didn�t notice Bill Clinton spent most of his first term solving the problems of George H.W. Bush. The right-wing monkeys didn�t appreciate the surpluses and sound economy, Clinton/Gore Administration left the American PEOPLE�
NO, these geniuses thought it was a good idea to go ANOTHER WAY and elect George W. Bush, not once BUT TWO TIMES! COME ON? This is the same idiot son of a ***** that had a long string of business failures. The same GWB that would have been the Crawford, TX town drunk if W. hadn�t been constantly bailed out by the Saudi Royals� THINK ABOUT THAT NOW!
Can any Republican explain the Bush/Cheney disaster? Y�know� the reckless economics, foolhardy war policy and DEREGULATION that almost destroyed this great nation. A bunch of vain, self-serving, power mad, greed stricken, silver spoon CON artists ravaged and expatriated most of our nation�s wealth and resources. The greatest looting of national wealth in the history of mankind� WHERE WAS THIS SO-CALLED TEA PARTY THEN?
One must know their HISTORY SO THEY DON�T REPEAT MISTAKES OF THE PAST, right? Republicans are misleading those that support them. They�ve been lying to Conservatives for decades and want you to VOTE AGAINST YOUR OWN BEST INTERESTS! REALITY NOW! What leadership, character or morals have Republicans displayed since President Obama was elected?
I can�t even grasp the concept that there�s people in America STUPID enough to fall for this Republican Party scam. It�s hard to believe the USA produced people of such vile character, odd paranoia and low grade thought processes.
Let me get this straight� you want Democrats/Progressives to believe if only Conservatism had one more chance it can work? The very definition of insanity, isn�t IT? Over and over AGAIN! Just separate yourselves from Bush/Cheney� bull$#!~ MISINFORMED people into believing they�re part of a NEW Conservative Movement.
In OTHER WORDS Republican Party talking points are based on the ignorance of their constituents. They revise history and LIE because they CAN� because morons who vote for Republicans DON�T KNOW THEIR OWN HISTORY! This ain�t NO Tea Party� this is a CLASS WAR!
Do I miss George W. Bush? #*~/ NO!
What kind of humans beings could be so shameless, vicious and hypocritical as to blame the problems they created on the New Guy? When I hear Republicans blaming Obama for the failed economy, Gulf oil drilling disaster and flawed foreign policy I just want to b**** slap them down. COME ON, wake the #*~/ UP!
All your Conservative wacko, Fannie May, Freddie Mac, Socialism, Democrats taking over Congress in 2006... whiny ARGUMENTS are WRONG! The Republican Party has NO rational stance, NO ethics, NO responsibility, NO accountability, NO sound POLICY� just blame Obama/Democrats, RIGHT?
And if Republicans aren�t blaming President Obama then they stick to the old divide and conquer issues like the 2 million illegal immigrants or 2 Black Panthers, lol. Sure, blame foreigners and poor people for the problems Amerioca is facing. GOD forbid Republicans focus on the wealthy, elitist @$$***�s that got us here�
For GOD�s sake even Pat Robertson/700 Club is criticizing the regulatory reforms of Wall St. These whacked out, so-called Christians would have been in the Temple protecting the money changers from JESUS.
Republicans want to go back to the policies that got us in this huge mess. HOW STUPID does anyone have to be to want THAT? Democrats don�t want to spend MORE money� they want to spend tax revenues in a smarter way. Re-allocate in ways that will work for the /American PEOPLE, not just the top 2% of wealthy, well-connected aristocrats. WHY CAN�T YOU TOM FOOL, IMBECILES ON THE RIGHT UNDERSTAND THAT!
consciousmc.blogspot.com
I'm not qualified to comment on the legal specifics of this case because I am not a Constitutional law professor or an attorney. However, I am a combat veteran (a Navy Corpsman with the Marines in Vietnam) and a resident of the same Maryland town where Matt Synder grew up, so I understand what he went through on our behalf and I understand what his family is going through right now. If memory serves, the context in which the Amendments were drafted was to create a citzenry reasonably free from government interference in order to preserve a just and free (and I would add, civilized) society. In that context, all of the Amendments should be supported equally and no single individual or group "owns" any single Amendment. In shorthand, the First Amendment does not "belong" to the news media; it also belongs to Al Synder who was forced to enter his church through a side door to avoid a group of deranged lunatics trying to disrupt his son's funeral. Just as none of the Amendments are absolute, none of them are sacrosanct. When a case like this arises, everyone's rights must be considered equally.
I hate this sissy liberal website as much as I hate Fred Phelps. Why so one-sided you f'n dildos? I visit here only to be a thorn in the side of the dipshits that think it's ok for fags to hump each other and that it's okay to have a president that doesn't respect our flag.
Biggest bunch of retards....truly amazing in your cloud of pathetic judgment. Love and care for the worthless. Limit the strength of the companies that make our country strong. Let fags hold hands in public in front of our children, apparently hoping that babies of the future will come out of some homo's stretched sphincters. Keep attacking the producers of the country and supporting the worthless. One day we can live just like the trash in Africa and maybe the Europeans will feel sorry for us and help us rebuild.
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