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**Breevereurl** · 02-03-2011, 03:21 PM

High Court Rules in Favor of Funeral Protesters - WSJ.com

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the First Amendment protects a fringe religious group that protested at the funeral of a U.S. Marine killed in Iraq.

The court, on an 8-1 vote, ruled that the soldier's father couldn't sue Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., for celebrating his son's death with vulgar funeral pickets and an online attack.

"As a nation we have chosen...to protect even hurtful speech on public issues to ensure that we do not stifle public debate," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court. "That choice requires that we shield Westboro from tort liability for its picketing in this case."

The Westboro church believes that any misfortune America suffers is divine punishment for the nation's failure to follow the sect's doctrine, which condemns gays, Catholics, Jews and others. The tiny church, whose membership largely consists of the founder's family, pickets military funerals to get attention for its message.

In March 2006, the church's leader, Fred W. Phelps Sr., and several of his relatives selected the funeral of Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq, at St. John's Catholic Church in Westminster, Md., as a vehicle for their cause. And I agree. As long as you are on public land (or your own private land), the govt cant stop you from assembling and speaking. Freedom means all viewpoints are free, not just the ones we agree with. Compare this to countrys with hate speech laws. That is not freedom.

02-03-2011, 03:21 PM	#3
Breevereurl Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 427 Senior Member	High Court Rules in Favor of Funeral Protesters - WSJ.com WASHINGTON—The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the First Amendment protects a fringe religious group that protested at the funeral of a U.S. Marine killed in Iraq. The court, on an 8-1 vote, ruled that the soldier's father couldn't sue Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., for celebrating his son's death with vulgar funeral pickets and an online attack. "As a nation we have chosen...to protect even hurtful speech on public issues to ensure that we do not stifle public debate," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court. "That choice requires that we shield Westboro from tort liability for its picketing in this case." The Westboro church believes that any misfortune America suffers is divine punishment for the nation's failure to follow the sect's doctrine, which condemns gays, Catholics, Jews and others. The tiny church, whose membership largely consists of the founder's family, pickets military funerals to get attention for its message. In March 2006, the church's leader, Fred W. Phelps Sr., and several of his relatives selected the funeral of Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq, at St. John's Catholic Church in Westminster, Md., as a vehicle for their cause. And I agree. As long as you are on public land (or your own private land), the govt cant stop you from assembling and speaking. Freedom means all viewpoints are free, not just the ones we agree with. Compare this to countrys with hate speech laws. That is not freedom.
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