congress-puts kibosh on westboros-military-funeral-protests

[paulitician]

Most will cheer this, but keep in mind Big Brother will now use this as a weapon against protest in the future. I know the temptation is so strong to come down on depicable assholes like this, but this will come back to haunt Citizens at some point. That's why our Founding Fathers fought so hard for Freedom. They understood it was best to resist these types of temptations.

 

[JoeB131]

This is very good. I still cannot wrap my head around the concept of those people. What an absolutely hateful group of people!

The problem is, this is probably unconstitutional. I think the Congressmen know this, but they know that someone like the ACLU is going to have to get into the mud and fight this law.

Phelps and his bunch are hateful, but they are also very clever. They make their money from doing this agit-prop nonsense, and then sue anyone who stops them. They've made a lot of money when the insurance companies decide paying them off is cheaper than litigating.

This makes Congress look good, the ACLU look bad. Everyone wins, right?

I think everyone gets something they want out of it. Congress gets to look like they are doing something about a situation most folks consider awful. The ACLU once again gets to look like they are the champions of constituational rights when they win.

I'm old enough to remember when the Nazis wanted to march in Skokie, IL. Politiicans tried to pass laws to stop them, and the ACLU fought them. Eventually, the ACLU won the legal thing, the Nazis got to march not in Skokie, but in Marquette Park which is where they really wanted to march, anyway.

Then their leader got caught taking nude pictures of teenage boys and went to prison.

Columnist Mike Royko suggested that the solution was to let them march and let the chips fall where they may. Which would have been with the residents of Skokie putting the Nazis in traction.

Sorry, I'm old, and sometimes I tend to ramble.

 

[Seawytch]

Congress Puts Kibosh On Westboro's Military Funeral Protests| News | Towleroad)


Hateful Westboro Baptist Church's protests at military funerals may soon be a thing of the past. The Senate today passed an "Honoring America's Veterans" bill that includes an amendment barring protests two hours before and two hours after military funerals.

The Huffington Post offers more details:

According to "The Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012," which is now headed to President Barack Obama's desk, demonstrators will no longer be allowed to picket military funerals two hours before or after a service. The bill also requires protestors to be at least 300 feet away from grieving family members



View attachment 20304 What a piece of shit....

I hope the President sides with the Constitution and doesn't sign this bill.

But let's be honest, he probably will. Come on, Veteran's Funerals. Legal issues aside, it hits all the emotional buttons. Even folks who chowed down on Chik-Fil-A Wednesday think this is going too far.

Same reason Bush-41 signed flag burning laws and Clinton signed DOMA. They knew damned well those things were unconstitutional, but figured the Judiciary would take the heat for them.

Agreed. There is no way, politically, that President couldn't sign this stupid bill. It's also part of a larger Veterans Bill that I'm sure the President DOES want to sign.

What I don't get is how they think this bill will pass Constitutional muster? This issue has already been to the SCOTUS once.

 

[paulitician]

Our Founding Fathers really were brave geniuses. They knew how vital it was to avoid temptations like this. Big Brother will twist and use this against all Protest in the future. That's his History. So i wouldn't be so quick to cheerlead for this.

 

[JoeB131]

Our Founding Fathers really were brave geniuses. They knew how vital it was to avoid temptations like this. Big Brother will twist and use this against all Protest in the future. That's his History. So i wouldn't be so quick to cheerlead for this.

Meh, not so much.

If someone did this sort of thing in the Founder's Day, the outraged community would have tarred and feathered them, if they were feeling benevolent that day. And you wouldn't have had a bunch of lawsuits or such.

Political rallies were barely distinguishable from riots back in the oldy days, and it didn't help that the politicians often served alcohol to work up the crowd.

 

[9thIDdoc]

I'm all for free speech. Those soldiers died protecting that right. I think the Constitution protects our right to bury them with respect and dignity.

 

[California Girl]

I'm all for free speech. Those soldiers died protecting that right. I think the Constitution protects our right to bury them with respect and dignity.

I don't disagree... which is why I support the public getting out and forming a protective ring around the funeral of any military.... but we cannot give quarter on free speech - otherwise where does that quarter end? With your free speech? With mine? With anyone who doesn't like what you say? Where?

Unpalatable as it may be, we cannot allow the government the power to curb free speech, regardless of who is speaking and what they are saying.

 

[JoeB131]

I'm all for free speech. Those soldiers died protecting that right. I think the Constitution protects our right to bury them with respect and dignity.

I don't disagree... which is why I support the public getting out and forming a protective ring around the funeral of any military.... but we cannot give quarter on free speech - otherwise where does that quarter end? With your free speech? With mine? With anyone who doesn't like what you say? Where?

Unpalatable as it may be, we cannot allow the government the power to curb free speech, regardless of who is speaking and what they are saying.

Wow. I actually agree with you on this one.

 

[WillowTree]

I hope the President sides with the Constitution and doesn't sign this bill.

That would be a the first time.

 

[JoeB131]

I'm all for free speech. Those soldiers died protecting that right. I think the Constitution protects our right to bury them with respect and dignity.

But you really do run the risk of a slippery slope here when you try to put an asterisk behind the First Amendment.

Okay, let's all stipulate. Showing up at a dead soldier's funeral with a "God hates F**s" sign and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" is beyond reprehensible and crazy.

What about a demonstration a mile down the street that is respectful of the soldier but protests the foolishness of the war? Do we disallow that because the family of a slain soldier might find that disrespectful?

 

[9thIDdoc]

I'm all for free speech. Those soldiers died protecting that right. I think the Constitution protects our right to bury them with respect and dignity.

I don't disagree... which is why I support the public getting out and forming a protective ring around the funeral of any military.... but we cannot give quarter on free speech - otherwise where does that quarter end? With your free speech? With mine? With anyone who doesn't like what you say? Where?

Unpalatable as it may be, we cannot allow the government the power to curb free speech, regardless of who is speaking and what they are saying.

I don't believe that what they do is protected by the Constitution. And the law doesn't stop them from demonstrating and saying whatever they in any case. All rights have some reasonable limits and rightly so.

 

[DontBeStupid]

I'm surprised so many of you are looking at this as some type of attack on the free speech of a hate group. I don't see it that way. I believe the families have a right to bury their family members in peace and quiet, as protected under the First Amendment's Freedom of Religion. WBC is infringing on that right.

This protects the families. It doesn't attack the hate group.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Speech is not absolute in its protection. No true political purpose is served by permitting Westboro to disturb funerals. I hope SCOTUS upholds this law.

 

[there4eyeM]

Repressing freedom of expression is a form of fear and weakness.

 

[JakeStarkey]

You would not defend someone yelling "fire" or "mass murder attack" in a theater, would you?

 

[there4eyeM]

If it were part of the film, would you attack it?

 

[blackhawk]

Congress Puts Kibosh On Westboro's Military Funeral Protests| News | Towleroad)


Hateful Westboro Baptist Church's protests at military funerals may soon be a thing of the past. The Senate today passed an "Honoring America's Veterans" bill that includes an amendment barring protests two hours before and two hours after military funerals.

The Huffington Post offers more details:

According to "The Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012," which is now headed to President Barack Obama's desk, demonstrators will no longer be allowed to picket military funerals two hours before or after a service. The bill also requires protestors to be at least 300 feet away from grieving family members



View attachment 20304 What a piece of shit....

Good these people could not be bigger assholes.

 

[there4eyeM]

Let's make assholes unconstitutional!

 

[bobcollum]

The WBC is a textbook case of how honor systems don't work.

For every right there are people that can't use it with any tact.

 

[there4eyeM]

Anything we approve can be expressed, but what we don't like should be restricted.

Simple.