ACLU Sues Over Law Banning Protests At Soldiers' Funerals

heh, I know certain small towns where Rev. Feltch, er... I mean Phelps, and his group wouldn't make it out alive.

Hear hear!

(Musuko's quote trimed for brevity purposes only.)

No they cannot. You cannot write ironclad law right out of the box, but that's why our system has court appeals and Congressional amendments. Laws are passed by Congress and then tested in the courts. Court precedent is the real definition of any law, and that's where any abuse of existing laws is challenged.

So I don't agree that these despicable bigots cannot be stopped by law. Yes, I agree that the law should be broad enough in concept to apply to more than just them, but your interpretation is exactly the kind of legal slam-dancing the Phelps' thrive on. All it does is let them continue to inflict emotional harm on the families of the deceased.

So you take one post of mine which doesn't say where I stand on this issue, and use it to say I'm for this law? I just found that particular phrase of reasoning from the ACLU quite amusing.

"I am very sorry folks but free speech means exactly that."

Free speech is the freedom to speak your mind, your beliefs, your thoughts. It is NOT the freedom to do this anywhere, anyhow, and to anywhom you please.

There always will be forums (not net forums. Forums in general) for you to speak. Freedom of speech does NOT mean "you can force everyone to listen to you, even when they don't want to".

This isn't about silencing them. This is about moving them away from people who don't particularly want to listen to them. If I want to listen to rock music, I'll go to a rock concert. I don't want to have it blasting out from giant speakers at me whilst I'm doing my daily thing, eating, sleeping, shopping, working. Likewise, if I want to hear bigots speak, I'll go to them and listen.

To grant them the right to come to me when I don't want them to would be to restrict my right to remain unbothered by them. Yes, you could say "if you don't like it, don't look/listen", but I'm sure a flasher could say the same thing as he whips open his trenchcoat in the middle of a primary school.

Want me to sum it all up?

Freedom of speech gives you the right to express yourself without limit on what you can say. It does not give you the right to use that freedom to distrupt people's lives.

Musuko.

I said nothing of the sort, actually, and I apologise if you took it that way.

Actually the adopt a protester idea was 1st used by abortion clinics and has been very sucessful in raiseing money as well and a enjoyable slap in teh face to the zealots outside

(I just hope there're some broken necks and blind policement at the next funeral protest the Phelps clan attends, s'all.)[/QUOTE]

at basically every military funeral there are alot of blind police around.

there are very few things held more sacred by soldiers then performing a funeral for a fallen brother, and many many policemen are ex-military (or reserve forces for that matter).

Something the protestors need to stop and think long and hard about is counter protesters being there to defend the family. and I do mean defend. I am currently in the US National guard, and a war veteran. one of the things I do is flag presentations at funerals. whenever we get word of a possible protest (and we usually have warning) we call the Vietnam Veteran's biker association, who then come and provide an "escort of honor" for the deceased. the VVBA is like the Hell's Angels with post traumatic stress disorder, these are not stable people. but they are very very dedicated, and have total police support for their activities. I have on several occasions seen them beat the living daylights of protestors who get too close to the proceedings, while the police watch. while it is true that the Bikers are not available for this duty all over the country, there is always the Marine Corps league or any National Guard unit.

Make no mistake, what the ACLU and even congress or the SJC say is largely irrelevant as far as these protestors are concerned.

I do support the right of free speach, having worked most of my adult life in defense of it. but with a right comes the responsibility to use that right appropriately. what is the point of protesting a funeral? you are not going to have any affect on the dead, and I can garuntee that you will have an affect on any living military present...but not the one you want. phelps and his ilk have the perfect right to protest the war, but it is NOT the soldiers and sailors who make the descisions. it is the politicians.

go protest them. or if you must protest the military, I will be glad to give you directions to Fort Benning, Fort Bragg, or Paris Island MCRD. they all have protest welcoming committees, who will be glad to assist you in your hospital visit.

Nitpick: Phelps et al aren't protesting the war, they're protesting the country that's involved with it.

Of course, that reinforces, not negates, the fact that the protests will do absolutely nothing to change anything in the way the WBC types wish.

http://www.break.com/index/hannityloon.html

Say what you want about Hannity...but he's dead-on here.

These people are truly not-jobs and someone needs to stand up & tell them that what they are doing is so far-removed from anything Christian-like it's not even funny!

"I have on several occasions seen them beat the living daylights of protestors who get too close to the proceedings, while the police watch."

You seem proud of servicemen violently attacking the very people they vowed to defend.

Musuko.

so if I come to your mother's/father's/brother's funeral and protest 10 feet away from you because you come from a family of hate filled bigots...you are fine with that?

Im leaving this thread before I have to SL completely.