US Supreme Court Sides with The Westboro Baptist Church

You don't have a right not to be offended.

 

If it doesn't directly lead to violence, you shouldn't censor it.

 

What their doing is no different than if I go in front of an elementary school and shout "Santa is a lie" - "God is a Lie". Well except that it's more truthful than what WBC members say. I'm still abusing 'freedom of speech' to hurt people because I'm a hateful fuckhead.

If you can't use your freedoms responsibly and with common sense then you should loose those freedoms you are abusing. Shouting mindless, hateful, hurtful, derogatory insults is not what 'freedom of speech' was indented for.

 

Christ it's exactly that it's intended for, to allow for any opinion no matter how controversial. There's no damn point in guaranteeing freedom of speech if you're not going to protect the controversial speech.

 

you'd think it'd be a criminal harassment issue.

if you wanna protest the military, protest in front of a military base or government building. don't harass grieving families.

 

It'd be harassment if they were actually going up to the family members or breaking their permit rules.

 

what?

 

In most places you have to have a permit to stage any kind of protest if there are more than a few people attending. The permit comes with rules that must be followed to the letter or they will be run out by the cops. I've been run out by the DC police at least once because the scientologists found some obscure rule violation from the permit.

The WBC usually has to stay 1000 feet (or is it yards) away from the church or other building they are protesting. The family is filled with scumbag lawyers who keep them just within the rules both in distance and in their actions and sue if they are run out without cause.

 

i'll agree that not allowing these wbc nutjobs to picket funerals might set a dangerous precedent when it comes to what i'd view as more legitimate protests. but i think looking solely at this issue: the presence of maniacal protesters defaming dead soldiers at their own funerals...or anyone for that matter, is ludicrous to justify. if the people being buried were gay and the protesters were saying the same shit, it'd be called harassment. a family should have the right to bury its own with dignity, protected by law from those who would maliciously disturb a proper burial.

someone should go picket in front of the westboro baptist church. have muslim religious services and mock gay weddings at their front door. that'd be awesome

some of these are kinda funny: http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/the-3o-best-anti-westboro-baptist-church-protest-s

 

They plan to protest Elizabeth Taylor's funeral! Is there no limit to how fucked up they can get?!