Westboro Baptist Church will picket funeral of "911 girl" killed in Arizona (page 4)

journey-on

I think they should just softly sing something beautiful.
Hundreds of people humming something like "Amazing Grace" would be awesome. But, the unified silence might be equally awesome.
Either way, this is something beautiful.

Get over it, Simon. Like it or not, America IS different. We'll work it out, carefully and within the Constitution, and it will be an American solution....which means it will be debated and argued over till the cows come home.

And, YEAH....our free speech is ever so precious.

it's been subverted by the legal system to mean anything and everything because a litigious nation makes for good profit.

Everything you say about America is always in a negative hateful demeaning tone. The above statement is made through those eyes because that's how you see it....in black and white.

designs

The Fundamentalists were out in Force yesterday in Fountain Valley, Ca.. Standing at all four corners of the intersection at Brookhurst and Slater they held huge signs that screamed at the passersby -

SINNERS EXPECT THE WRATH OF GOD REPENT AND ACCECPT JESUS AS LORD

Lovely people, I want to join- Not.

Gerard

Having pissed off so many military men, I would not be surprised if a sharp-shooter does some "justice" on his own.

journey-on

I understand what you're saying, Gerard, but I don't think it would be a military man that does that. He would have too much honor and respect for the family of that slain child to create that kind of scene. He would instinctively KNOW that that's exactly what WBC would like, so they could draw even more attention to their idiotic agenda.

james_woods

Having pissed off so many military men, I would not be surprised if a sharp-shooter does some "justice" on his own.

Careful - that is the kind of free speech that caused the shooting in Tucson in the first place - according to the U.S. political left. Despite the fact that the shooter was crazy in the first place and thought it up all on his own.

Simon

The above statement is made through those eyes because that's how you see it....in black and white.

I think the WBC is a pretty black-and-white example of what should and shouldn't be covered by 'free-speech'. I challenge anyone to argue why reasonable people should put up with their behavior or why it should be covered by some bizarre 'sure, say whatever you want' free-speech nonsense.

Only in America ...

sd-7

This church spouts an ideology that seems a lot like a Christian version of al-Qaeda, seems to me. I would think Homeland Security needs to take a closer look at them. A much closer look.

But it's good that people are planning a peaceful response to this bizarre hate group. At least that's something.

--sd-7

Band on the Run

This is precisely political speech. If anything were prized more highly than politcal speech, it was religious speech. Pricniples can be messy. The examples in Europe of elite groups defining permissible speech were horrendous. The slaughter of the Hugeunots, executions of those who translated the Bible into the vernacular, heavy penalties of those who were not members of the Established religion. The Pilgrims, Puritans and Quakers were considered just as idious and wack jobs by the culture of their day. Facts have not changed. Our perspective has changed. Society placed extremely high value on adhesion. People were not exposed to other points of view.

The Founders and the public will of 1789 was that a majority can bring tyranny. We were founded by wack jobs in the eyes of their world. I've specialized in the Establishment Clause, which is called separation of church and state as a shorthand. Each group was concerned another group was going to hurt their interests when they were the minority. Most states had Established churches after the constitution was ratified since it only appllied to the federal government then.

Free speech means free speech from governmental intrusion into content. The counterdemo sounds great. I can't argue that they have any moral merit at all. Once lines are drawn, you may be complicit in drawing the line that defeats you. If the media would ingore them, they would disappear guaranteed. The publicity is the very air to them. Our discussion a group of about twenty members is comical in some respects. They are being so outrageous not b/c of principle but to get publicity. The pastor is such a marginal figure. The following is nonexistent. Here we are, captives to their hatred and lunacy. He guarantees ratings. When the Koran was going to be burned, high government officials pleaded with him to stop. They kowtowed to him. Censure him. Shun him. This must be the appropriate case to shun.

If their rights are denied, others will lose their rights as a consequence. Rather than start down the slippery state, cut off his air. He is just a sick celebrity. I notice that despite their strong beliefs, they abide by the law. They aren't willing to do prison time. First Amendment law gets fuzzy where AZ is right now. Don't take the schoolyard bully's bait. We are playing his game according to his rules. I don't think that is wise.

keyser soze

I think Simon has a point, actually. It is somewhat telling that we place a higher value on the rights of a person to express even the most vile and hateful sentiment than those of a grieving family to bury their child in peace.

Westboro Baptist Church will picket funeral of "911 girl" killed in Arizona

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