Get ready for the gloating. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Westboro Baptist Church's right to picket funerals under the First Amendment. The news is one of the top stories on CNN.com right now.
"Speech is powerful," the court's decision read. "It can stir people to
action, move them to tears of both joy and sorrow, and -- as it did here
-- inflict great pain. On the facts before us, we cannot react to that
pain by punishing the speaker."
The highest court in the land just handed Fred Phelps' clan a victory on an 8-1 vote (Justice Samuel Alito was the lone dissenter), upholding a ruling by an appeals court that threw out a $5 million judgment in favor of Albert Snyder, the father of a Marine whose funeral the Phelps family picketed in Baltimore.
In October, Margie Phelps argued that her family's "church" couldn't be sued for civil damages for
protesting the funeral of Snyder's son, who was killed in
Iraq in 2006, arguing that he was a public figure, thus fair game.
The decision seemed to be foreshadowed by comments made by the justices during oral arguments. Justice Stephen Breyer reportedly noted that Snyder hadn't seen the
protesters during the
funeral procession -- he saw them later on TV. However, Justice Ruth Bader
Ginsburg wondered, "Why should the First Amendment tolerate exploiting
this
Marine's family
when you have so many other forums for getting across your message?"
After the hearing, Phelps' daughters sang their parody of Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" to reporters:
"You're going straight to hell on your crazy train!"
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Why do you lump all organized religion in with these crazies. Most of (over 90%) of American colleges and Universities were started by organized religion. Same thing is true of hospitals and social programs to benefit the poor. These people need to be stopped but they do not represent any organized Baptist group. Stnad up to them when they come to your area. I was living in a city where they were planning on protesting. When they came to town they couldn't find a hotel within an hours drive, when they drove up for the actual funeral procession, the streets were "full" of citizens who had came out early to make sure they couldn't get near the precession. When their amplification system started up, louder systems drowned them out with music to show respect to the young man and his family. Stand in their way and shout them down.
IT'S FUNNY THAT THE SHOOTERS ALWAYS PICK THE WRONG TARGETS !!!!!>>>>MAYBE SOME CRAZED MOM OR DAD OF A SOLDIER WHO HAS DIED, WILL SPRAY THE freddie phelps westboro bastards WITH A MACHINE GUN FULL OF HOLLOW POINT BULLETS !!!! I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR THAT NEWS STORY !!!!...However, since the U.S. Supreme Court has banged the gavel in approval of hurtful and HATE speech, perhaps it is time for ALL OF US to voice our protest concerning the sorry, sloth and corrupt-satanic westboro baptist church along with the seething maggot, freddie phelps,(if you can call that gang of vipers a church) and carry signs that depict DEAD BAPTIST MINISTERS and DEAD BAPTIST FOLLOWERS; this along with signs that say GOD HATES BAPTIST and GOD HATES FREDDIE PHELPS !!!! However, all that aside, the real way to DESTROY these workers of Satan, is to IGNORE THEM COMPLETELY !!! All they really want is ATTENTION......Personally, I would not urinate, spit or drop feces from my rectum on a sorry sloth baptist, if they were on fire in front of me, screaming and writhing in agonizing pain, to put out their raging flames !!!........Maybe some gasoline or a hydrogen bomb would help !!! Organized religion will be the very cause of the end of our planet, I promise you that......!!!!!
SIN-cerely, in CHRISTIAN LOVE,
EDOFCHATTANOOGATN
EDOFCHATTANOOGATN 0 minutes ago
Since the U.S. Supreme Court has banged the gavel in approval of hurtful and HATE speech, perhaps it is time for ALL OF US to voice our protest concerning the sorry, sloth and corrupt-satanic westboro baptist church along with the seething maggot, freddie phelps,(if you can call that gang of vipers a church) and carry signs that depict DEAD BAPTIST MINISTERS and DEAD BAPTIST FOLLOWERS; this along with signs that say GOD HATES BAPTIST and GOD HATES FREDDIE PHELPS !!!! However, all that aside, the real way to DESTROY these workers of Satan, is to IGNORE THEM COMPLETELY !!! All they really want is ATTENTION......Personally, I would not urinate, spit or drop feces from my rectum on a sorry sloth baptist, if they were on fire in front of me, screaming and writhing in agonizing pain, to put out their raging flames !!!........Maybe some gasoline or a hydrogen bomb would help !!! Organized religion will be the very cause of the end of our planet, I promise you that......!!!!!
SIN-cerely, in CHRISTIAN LOVE,
EDOFCHATTANOOGATN
This is clearly a hate crime in the name of GOD and he will punishish those people. We should consider the supreme court to up hold this ruling as first amendment is a crock, they legally gave this satanic group the right to verbally abuse the gay community american citizens who are followers of GOD knows he is a father of love not hate. It is our right and duty to refuse service to these sadistic creatures and let them know they are not welcomed anywhere. Shame on Kansas for contributing to these satan worshipers.
Go ahead. That "pushing and shoving" is called "assault" in the legal system, which where you'll wind up when the Phelps family - you do know they're all lawyers, right? - gets finished with you. Do you understand how much advantage they have over you, just from being able to represent themselves and avoid incurring huge legal bills? You wouldn't stand a chance.
As the original owner of the godhatesfred.com domain, I'm second to none in my disdain for the Phelps clan. But the Supremes, for once in their miserable lives, made the right decision.
Let those that are without sin cst the first stone. Shame on you Fred Phelps, mr. minister, of what? Christ preached loved and patience. Not hatred. Remember love thy neighbor? Don't come to my neighborhood.
When is this worlds population going to grow up. Our children don't have heros to look up to anymore, only idiots like this man. Tsk Tsk Tsk.
Well think of it this way man. When Phelps kicks, you can protest his funeral!
Actually, that'd be pretty awesome.
Justin,
We're ready for our invite to be a guest columnist any time! ;)
Yay! We're so thankful - God is faithful!
I don't need to worry about my free speech needing protection. I don't tell gay people that they are fags and God hates them. I also don't tell family members of dead soldiers that it's a good thing their sons died.
But keep living in that liberal fantasy world thinking we are on the verge of "1984" if we tell a few people to shut their damn mouths.
Someone needs to get the prince of darkness on the phone and sue those dip shits for copy right infringement
To quote Larry Flynt, if the First Amendment will protect scumbags like them it'll protect you too.
Can I use this opportunity to tell everyone about an event I organize near the WBC's physical location in Topeka? We gather a few hundred people each year and go protest them (not a counterprotest as is usually done). The Supreme Court just upheld the "right to protest." Might as well use it against Westboro.
If you'd would like to join in, there's info at http://www.themfm.com.
I would shoot them all if I were the dad of a child that was killed in combat in defense of his country. They are "hell-bound" and they are NOT Christian.
Well, if we can't stop them legally, guess we have to stop them socially. If we can't shoot them, or spraypaint their faces or put sugar in their gas tanks, we will just have to outnumber them and exercise OUR first amendment rights and shout them down. And put a wall of patriots in front of them and do a little pushing and shoving.
Lets.
Can I use this opportunity to tell everyone about an event I organize near the WBC's physical location in Topeka? We gather a few hundred people each year and go protest them (not a counterprotest as is usually done). If you'd would like to join in, there's info at http://www.themfm.com, or on facebook at http://rsvp.themfm.com.
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