Founder of Anti-Gay Westboro Baptist Church Dies

[jmenges]

Hello Dave,

The U.S. Supreme Court said that they have the right to turn up at funerals and express their views however hateful they may be. And if you were to assault them you would (sadly) be arrested.

c.d.

And, ironically, if you were ever in need of a top-notch defense attorney in the State of Kansas, you'd better have Jonathan and Margie Phelps on your speed dial.

JM

[Cogidubnus]

Hi cd

The U.S. Supreme Court said that they have the right to turn up at funerals and express their views however hateful they may be. And if you were to assault them you would (sadly) be arrested

.

But I do believe a few thousand motor bike riders hold a contrary view and in practise generally get their freedoms in first?

(The US Supreme Court sound to be about as much use as the EU Court of Human Rights - **** all in short)

All the best

Dave

[jmenges]

But I do believe a few thousand motor bike riders hold a contrary view and in practise generally get their freedoms in first?

What do you mean by the Patriot Guard getting their freedoms in first?

JM

[Robert]

I could put forward arguments using the distinction between exercising freedom of speech and exercising it in a situation where the victim cannot escape it, e.g. following someone down the street while shouting at him, or hurling abuse during a funeral ceremony which has to be carried out come what may. But at the end of the day systems of morality are not based on mathematical logic and there is a role for the discretion of commonsense. The judges should have exercised their commonsense here and banned the funeral demonstrations.

[GUT]

G'day Robert

A Judge's job is to apply the law, not exercise common sense, Judges often have to make rulings that they personally find appalling, because the law says that is what should happen.

[jmenges]

Many states (before the Sup decision) instituted a protest buffer zone around military funerals, just as they've erected "free-speech zones" at political conventions for demonstrations. When my uncle's funeral was picketed by the Phelpses back in 2002 there were no laws distancing Westboro from the funeral, and not a single biker in sight. The picketers were virtually on top of us, and my uncle was a police officer so there were many cops amongst the mourners. All that could be done is try to ignore them.

JM

[GUT]

G'day jmenges

I don't know a lot about the US Constitution, but don't see how a buffer zone could offend free speech.

If you don't mind me asking, and feel free not to answer, what dd they have against your uncle?

[Tom_Wescott]

Many states (before the Sup decision) instituted a protest buffer zone around military funerals, just as they've erected "free-speech zones" at political conventions for demonstrations. When my uncle's funeral was picketed by the Phelpses back in 2002 there were no laws distancing Westboro from the funeral, and not a single biker in sight. The picketers were virtually on top of us, and my uncle was a police officer so there were many cops amongst the mourners. All that could be done is try to ignore them.

JM

All I can say is that if I were at a relative's funeral, and that relative was a hero...or even not...and peeps were picketing him, I'd tell everyone to pack a lunch and some shovels because more graves would need to be dug.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[jmenges]

My uncle was a former high-ranking police officer, retired. My father was a municipal court judge who ruled on many cases brought locally against Westboro, hence them picketing in front of his house.

JM

[GUT]

That's all it took.


They love to picket.

I've seen dudes picket Courts here, usually the Family Court, because they don't like a decision, do they really think it will change the Court's mind.

[Robert]

GUT, if the judges' hands are tied by the law, then change the law.

[RivkahChaya]

They can be kept off private property, and some cemeteries in the US are private property. Also, churches and shuls are generally regarded as public in the same sense that businesses are, but that actually isn't quite true; I'm not really sure about churches, but shuls (synagogues) usually have a dues paying membership, and have control over who can be on the property. We could legally prevent them from being on shul property, including the parking lot and the yard. We'd have to do the policing ourselves, though, unless we obtained some kind of order of protection, which would require a prior act or threat.

Most cemeteries are public property, albeit, they have hours they are open and closed, like public parks.

[GUT]

G'day Robert

Exactly.

But who can change the law?

The Government.

Who can make the Government change the law?

The people of the Country in question.

So blame yourself for not changing the law, not the people who take advantage of it or the Judges who apply it.

[Robert]

Well GUT, I'm not American, but as for your general point, I don't vote precisely because I know that whichever party is elected, we will get the same pisspoor useless stupid lazy ignorant creeps that we have always had.

[RivkahChaya]

Well GUT, I'm not American, but as for your general point, I don't vote precisely because I know that whichever party is elected, we will get the same pisspoor useless stupid lazy ignorant creeps that we have always had.

Yeah. Obama is exactly as big a idiot shmuck as Bush, fils.

If that Mormon had gotten elected, I was going to movie to Canada, no kidding.