Fred Phelps claims god hates fags, but the Supreme Court loves a good free speech case. This morning the Court will hear the case of Phelps and his cadre of everybody-hating paste-eaters protesting Maryland marine Matthew Snyder's funeral in 2006, and whether their speech is protected or not.
The case began when Snyder's father, Albert, sued Phelps for displaying placards with Westboro Baptist Church classic slogans like "God Hates Fags," "Semper Fi Fags," and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" during the marine's funeral. Snyder was initially successful in his crusade against the life-ruining church, and was awarded $5 million for putting up with WBC's shit.
But a Maryland appeals court overturned that ruling, citing the pesky
Constitution that protects free speech. The three-judge panel also
delivered a symbolic slap to Snyder's face by ordering him to fork
over $16,510 for the church's legal bills. Snyder, reasonably scoffed at
the idea of paying these jackals, and decided to take his chances with an appeal to the right-leaning Supreme Court.
The justices now face the
unenviable decision of protecting speech -- as the ALCU and almost all
major media companies filed a friend of the court brief
in support of -- and offering grieving families some protection from
sign-toting lunatics.
Of course, as with most Phelps scenes, a
circus has sprouted up at the Court with protesters on both sides of the issue. The Washington Post reports
Jacob Phelps, Fred's grandson, got into a verbal slap fight with
college students protesting the WBC. Then, the paper
reports, a George Washington University freshman -- taking the whole
thing very seriously -- disrupted the scene wearing nothing but skin-tight skivvies and carrying a sign reading "Fred Phelps wishes he was hot like me!"
It's good to see civil discourse still has a place in society.
In
much more amusing Phelps news, esteemed store-centric film director Kevin
Smith released
a photo from the set of his upcoming horror movie Red State
about some kids that find a psychopath preacher based on Phelps. The photo
doesn't give away much about the film, but it's enough to whet the
appetite of Phelps haters everywhere.
Showing 1-6 of 6
Jacob; He who doth protest too much.
.
OK Jacob, we get it, and your grandfather gets it...you are straight. really, you are straight.
.
Now you can go back home and continue to spend excessive time and energy thinking about homosexuality.
What of the Snyder�s family religious and private citizen rights? That the Phelps group violated.
When has one of our most cherished and guarded freedoms gone too far?
Common sense in this case, and in my humble opinion, this is an issue that does not concern constitutional law on whither or not Phelps and his group has the protection of freedom of speech; and never should have been taken as thus.
It is an issue that has violated the privacy of a grieving family, one of premeditated slander and harassment, an act of malice.
It is an issue that has violated a time ordered unwritten code of our society of a free people. The one unwritten code that allows our citizens to bury their dead and grieve in peace. A code that respects the privacy of a family; and one of which does not allow biased hatred and unfounded lies to be posted in the media of not only a fallen solider, son, but of a person that the Phelps and Westboro Church group did not even know.
As a long time anti-war protester, and pro-choice advocate, I believe the Westboro church led by Fred Phelps did cross the line of moral and human decency; by violating this unwritten time honored code in our society. It is my opinion this group not only targeted this grieving family, they slandered the name of the dead son with their unfounded sign about his sexual preference and internet web posts. A generalization they claim in the name of God. Yet, a premeditated one they chose to evoke causing undue stress and harm upon not only this family, but other families as well. It seems the act may border on a hate crime by desecration.
In looking at this issue I have to ask: Did any member of the group personally know the deceased? The answer is no. Did anyone of them have first hand knowledge of the deceased sexual preferences? No. Did they respect the privacy of his grieving family? Once again the answer is no. What did they gain by these acts of malice against a dead son and family? Or did they just want their fifteen minutes of fame?
While I defend the freedom of speech we hold so dear, (and the right of the individual one to have verbal opinions that may be so far out that they make the group or person look mentally imbalanced), this particular group crossed the line, and it was in all accounts, premeditated malice.
As a citizen of the greatest country in the world I have no argument with the Phelps beliefs or the use of their freedom of speech.
However, in my fifty-three years I have never witnessed, anything but support from my community of any grieving family.
My heart goes out to the Snyder family and to all of our brave men and women serving in the armed forces and to their families that have to endure such hate groups. I can only pray that common sense prevails and that the hate group led by Phelps is held accountable for their actions.
DON�T KILL THE MESSENGER!
Sermon from Lloyd the Baptist
Matthew 24:35-36
�Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth NO MAN, no, not the angels of heaven, but my FATHER ONLY�
Matthew 25:13
�Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the SON of man cometh�
REMEMBER those two Bible quotes. I�ll get back to THAT later�
I give thanks and praise to the Almighty GOD, the SON JESUS, and HOLY SPIRIT� I�ve just come back from my yearly Christmas pilgrimage into the Blood of Christ mountains. I walked out of the Sangre de Cristos with a MESSAGE from the SON. The LORD GOD ALMIGHTY is NOT happy�
Search your hearts and minds for the faith to BELIEVE what I tell you is TRUE. The WRATH of GOD is about to come down on those that displease the LORD. I�m bring a WARNING for CHRISTIANS, heed the WORD of the LORD or be punished for your ignorance�
I was baptized in HOLY SPIRIT and tell you NOW� the HOLY TRINITY is in NO WAY associated with ANY of the paranoid, delusional right-wing, moralists that congregate in America�s Evangelical Christian community. An angel of GOD, surrounded with the Holy Spirit, appeared to me near the mountain top at the Holy Hot Spring.
A terrifying vision was revealed to me� the suffering and degradation of a whole generation of good Christians who were led astray by FALSE PROPHETS. Ohhh can one even imagine the PAINFUL scene of so many Christians being cast into HELL?
(Lloyd weeping)
Basically decent, hardworking Americans who were convinced that GOD was their good friend and JESUS their personal savior. Only to find out� to REALIZE they were supporting policies that came from satan himself. Holy delusions that actually fooled millions of church goers into a belief system that PRAYS FOR WAR while PRAYING AGAINST HEALTH CARE for fellow Americans and the least of their Brothers/Sisters. 47 million of them� JESUS was a healer, right?
Christians allowed themselves to be turned away from Nature and this precious environment GOD created to meet ALL our needs. While their Corporate Masters used the air and water as SEWERS and ground to bury TOXIC WASTE� Pastors were taught to demonize or make fun of cultures that cherish Nature or the Sun. Science is sent to the back of the bus. So lost in their right-wing Christian vanity� they consider themselves more intelligent than the world�s top climate scientists.
Instead of feeding the starving human beings of the world� Christians allowed their tax dollars to be used to PROVIDE WEAPONS instead. How dare you BELIEVE that JESUS was on the same side as the WAR PROFITEERS, ARMS DEALERS!
JESUS says ��satan thrives on hatred, chaos, suffering, conflict, war, destroying nature, etc. and those who PROFIT from THAT are his followers�
Back in the USA 40+MILLION Americans are struggling below the poverty level but Conservative Christian priorities are about tax cuts for the RICH and tax deductible status for churches connected to their Evangelical Associations. Listening to Pat Robertson speak out against Wall St. reform and regulation, one could get the idea these type Christians would have defended the �money changers� from JESUS.
Charity is NOT for love�s sake but a MISSION to spread their warped belief system and hatred of gays/lesbians to the poor peoples of the world.
JESUS says Christians are not using the good brain cells the FATHER blessed them with. They ignored Bible quotes above, while listening to authors of the FICTIONAL �Left Behind� books (OR John Nelson Darby) ARE YOU MORoNS CRAZY? Jumping for joy that the end is near and JESUS is on his way to take them to paradise in the clouds.
The LORD GOD ALMIGHTY says Christians will be STOPPED before they give the Neo-Cons/Republican Party enough wealth and power to hurry along Armageddon. Only GOD knows the time of Revelations prophecies, those that tell you different are false prophets leading you on the PATH TO HELL! The WRATH of GOD will soon be upon you unless YOU REPENT! Show humility and ask forgiveness for your FOOLISHNESS, LOW GRADE THOUGHT PROCESSES and SINS of the past.
After December 27, 2009 if you do not turn from the wicked ways� the very words from Christian mouths will be a plague on their daily lives. If they cast stones, they will be shown and exposed as hypocrites� If they curse their fellow man/woman the curse will come back at them. If they fail to look out for the poor, jobless, homeless, starving, physically/mentally ill or any other of the least of your brothers/sisters then fortunes will be lost and your children will know of these afflictions. If you teach hatred you shall become what you hate� (right Bishop Eddie Long)
In the name of father GOD, JESUS and the HOLY SPIRIT� So it is written, so shall it be DONE! Through the blessed mercy of JESUS CHRIST you been given this WARNING and last chance� What you do with it is up to YOU!
AMEN�
End transmission:
as posted on jinnbad.blogspot.com
Indeed I hope the "Supream" Court doesn't ream the parties too hard with their questioning.
that is right thank god for the westboro baptist church, they have the right to free speech, and preach the bible as they see fit you pervs out there always seem to make your big fat mark in the society, so why can others make theres, it is about time that good old christians stand for there civil rights, being threatened by the gay people, gay people always think that they are right, I hope and pray that the westboro baptist church wins there court case with the supream court,
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