posted on Advocate.com  October 06, 2010
Supreme Court Hears Phelps Case
By Kerry Eleveld

http://advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/10/06/Supreme_Court_Hears_Phelps_Case/

The United States Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in an emotionally charged free speech case prompted when members of Westboro Baptist Church protested the funeral of a Marine killed while serving in Iraq.

On March 3, 2006, Fred Phelps, who founded Westboro in Topeka, Kan., stood with six of his parishioners outside the entrance of St. John's Catholic Church in Westminster, Md., with signs reading "God Hates the USA," "F-- Troops," "Thank God for IEDs," "God Hates F--s," and "God Hates You," among others.

This wacko is going to cause major problems.  He needs to be tried for treason and sent to max-prison.

Quote from: Janet Lynn on October 06, 2010, 11:00:18 PM
This wacko is going to cause major problems.  He needs to be tried for treason and sent to max-prison.

While there is no doubt, for almost anyone, that this guy is a publicity seeking pain, how could he be tried for treason?

As things stand, in the US, he doesn't appear to have broken any laws. The unfettered nature of the US Constitution would seem to grant him the right to say what he does.

My opinion only:

This so called church has every right in the world to preach what ever they wish to. No matter how hateful. They can say the most outlandish remarks and they'll still be covered by the first amendment. So long as they do not cross the line of which as I see it, they may have in at least two key areas.

First: They cannot slander nor liable any private individual. So, if they say or make statements about an individual person that are erroneous or untrue, and end up being damaging to that persons ability to make a living or cause that person to lose a contingency of monetary value; there can be culpability and accountability.

Second: If statements or actions are made in which it can be shown to be of great enough emotional strain on another individual and directly affect that persons ability to continue functioning in a"normal" manner, i.e. depression, anxiety, suicide etc. Then there can be remedial actions taken and granted to recompense the damaged person or family.

People and groups abuse free speech on a regular basis. But, when speech is used against another and is as harmful as throwing a punch to the nose, it's no longer free!

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. I just play one in my mind.


Dawn

I think the line that is crossed is when one person's exercise of free speech interferes with another's rights, namely, burying your child. It would also seem that such protests could be seen as interrupting a religious service, unless a military funeral does not qualify. 

Personally, I think Phelps is wicked and some of our freedoms in the US bite us in the hind end, but that's just my personal opinion.  I would not object to outlawing hate speech like some countries have done.

Frankly I think they should just be ignored. It's all the attention they get that's motivating them to do this. If they are interrupting a funeral, the police should be called so they can be arrested and taken away for disturbing the peace or something like that, and that's that. If they're protesting outside of a funeral, just leave them be. They thrive in the attention they get.

I'm a supporter of freedom of speech, so whatever they want to preach they can preach. However, I have to say there is a difference between saying your opinions in your church, and going to a funeral and trying to spread your hate to a mourning family.

And if they really want to spread a message, why not try and convert the living, instead of just saying dead people are in hell? Then again, I guess in some regards it's good that they act the way they do, as it means people are far less likely to be drawn into the church, so they will always remain a minority.

By the way, has anyone seen Louis Theroux's documentary "The most hated family in America"? It's where he goes and lives with the church for a short while to learn about them. It really made me feel sorry for the younger generation in the church.

I really hope none of the Phelps kids is/will be gay.

Even if that kid broke free from the family pressure, it could never live in peace as that family's become too (in)famous.

Westboro Baptist Church is vile, despicable, revolting, and so forth. 

Freedom of speech protects idiots so that we may places like this forum, open political discourse
in the US, and the rare buffoons. 

Best way I have seen to deal with would to counter them with actions like The Patriot Guard Riders who show up to support the soldiers and insulate the family from the Phelps folks.  They are online at a .org sight and I am walking the line on how to not link to such organizations.   -mS

I think they should ban them from every country except Saudi Arabia and all of the other close-minded countries.