Westboro Chuch restricted

[Genivaria]

Congress Passes Restrictions On Military Funeral Protests, Delivers Blow To Westboro Baptist Church

Westboro Baptist Church protesters will soon be severely limited in their ability to disrupt military funerals, after Congress passed a sweeping veterans bill this week that includes restrictions on such demonstrations.

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.

This aspect of the legislation was introduced by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), who, at the urging of a teenage constituent, proposed new limitations on military funeral demonstrations as a response to a 2011 Supreme Court case that ruled such actions were protected under the First Amendment.

In the wake of that decision, many have turned to counter-protest efforts to block Westboro Baptist Church's disruptive and insensitive displays, which frequently suggest that U.S. soldiers have been killed as God's vengeance for gay tolerance.

Thousands turned out in Missouri last month, forming a "human wall" around a church where the service for a fallen soldier was being held.

Earlier in July, hundreds of Texas A&M students showed up in a similar effort, joining together to create a barrier between Westboro Baptist Church members and a military funeral.

And while not at a specific service, a group of demonstrators dressed as zombies gathered at a military base in Washington last month, far outnumbering and overshadowing followers of the far-right congregation.

The bill also contains a variety of measures meant to address veterans health, benefits, housing and education. Obama is expected to sign to the legislation later this month.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/0 ... 33080.html

I'm sure I don't have to tell you who the WBBC is.
I personally support a restriction on their actions, although I am aware that an argument could be made against this bill for reasons of Free Speech.
What do ya'll think of this NS?

[Wamitoria]

Are they allowed to do that?

[Nadkor]

I fail to see why military funerals should be protected ahead of the funerals of the countless other people that Westboro Baptist feels the need to picket.

[Genivaria]

Are they allowed to do that?

The government? Apparently so.

[Crumlark]

The soldiers deserve respect... but acting this childishly is an insult to their memory. Instead, they should be breathing that free air those cold bodies earned them, feel the basic human rights they have acquired through those soldiers' sacrifice, but this infringement on the first amendment to silence their foul words... it disgusts me.

[Hydesland]

I fail to see why military funerals should be protected ahead of the funerals of the countless other people that Westboro Baptist feels the need to picket.

Countless? I think the overwhelming majority is military funerals, the rest are the odd celebrity like Michael Jackson.

[Nadkor]

I fail to see why military funerals should be protected ahead of the funerals of the countless other people that Westboro Baptist feels the need to picket.

Countless? I think the overwhelming majority is military funerals, the rest are the odd celebrity like Michael Jackson.

Countless may have been an exaggeration.

[Trotskylvania]

It will probably be struck down.

[Rubiconic Crossings V2 rev 1f]

plays nicely into WBC's hands....I'm sure they will enjoy their time in court.

[Dainer]

Those guys love litigation. It validates their persecution complex. Many of Fred Phelps' children are also lawyers.

It doesn't make them any less wrong and stupid, though.

[Shard_Head]

I fail to see why military funerals should be protected ahead of the funerals of the countless other people that Westboro Baptist feels the need to picket.

My thoughts too.

[Inky Noodles]

Chuch?
Whats a Chuch?
If you mean WBC... they really need to... ummm.
Thinkkkkiinnggg... oh!
They need to shut up!

[Mavorpen]

*sigh* Not a good plan.

[Occupied Deutschland]

I can't say I'm in favor of this and I frankly think it's unconstitutional (hell, for once when I say that I even have some court backing on it since they (the Supreme Court) said this was a constitutional exercise of free speech as well).
The WBC is pathetic, disgusting, attention-hogging bigots with no grounding in anything being able to be graciously considered a rational thought, but I think they should have the right to express their disturbed opinion. If for no other reason than seeing the counter-protestors show up to drown the idiots out fills me with some sense of hope for the human race. THAT is how this should be handled, not by Congress passing a law saying citizens can't say things because of how offensive/inappropriate/ill-timed/whatever that speech is.

Edit: Clarified who 'they' were

[The Republic of Lanos]

Doesn't this make you wish WBC would just go the fuck away...

[Swith Witherward]

I fail to see why military funerals should be protected ahead of the funerals of the countless other people that Westboro Baptist feels the need to picket.

They target military funerals in order to get exposure. Their protests are horrid; children do not need to see a bunch of assholes holding signs telling them that their mommy or daddy died because God hates America, etc. It's pretty uncommon for them to target any other funeral unless the deceased can gain them some media attention.

The one good thing to come out of all this would be the various groups joining together to shield the families. Hardcore bikers lock arms with prim grannies and passive college students.

[Yammata]

I fail to see why military funerals should be protected ahead of the funerals of the countless other people that Westboro Baptist feels the need to picket.

Countless? I think the overwhelming majority is military funerals, the rest are the odd celebrity like Michael Jackson.

And steve jobs, the colorado theater victims, the kids who's dad killed them and then burnt the house down, and many other tragedies.

[Norjagen]

I think this law is the only thing keeping the westboro baptists from eventually going too far and getting beaten down wholesale by an angry mob.

[Nadkor]

I fail to see why military funerals should be protected ahead of the funerals of the countless other people that Westboro Baptist feels the need to picket.

They target military funerals in order to get exposure. Their protests are horrid; children do not need to see a bunch of assholes holding signs telling them that their mommy or daddy died because God hates America, etc. It's pretty uncommon for them to target any other funeral unless the deceased can gain them some media attention.

They have admitted to, for example, picketing the funeral of a Muslim man's wife because he had admonished them for burning a Quran a week beforehand.

While this may be a relatively isolated example, I fail to see why military funerals should have protections that that man's wife's funeral would not.

[Silent Majority]

I doubt this will stand up in court.

[Nadkor]

If for no other reason than seeing the counter-protestors show up to drown the idiots out fills me with some sense of hope for the human race.

Yeah, I'm sure that's just what people want when they're burying their relatives - two groups of people who hate each other kicking off, regardless of how ridiculously in the wrong one of those sides is.

[Yammata]

America's laws prevent us from doing the right thing to WBC.

[Wamitoria]

America's laws prevent us from doing the right thing to WBC.

Sending them to North Korea?

[Occupied Deutschland]

If for no other reason than seeing the counter-protestors show up to drown the idiots out fills me with some sense of hope for the human race.

Yeah, I'm sure that's just what people want when they're burying their relatives - two groups of people who hate each other kicking off, regardless of how ridiculously in the wrong one of those sides is.

Eh, don't know if people who showed up to 'counter-protest' the WBC would necessarily be doing it because they hate the WBC. It might be part of it, but I assume the predominant feeling is one of protecting the family that is doing the burying from having to deal with the WBC BS. *shrug*

[Galborg]

When wbc disrupts funerals, they violate Freedom of Worship: sue them for every dollar they got.

When wbc murders gays, hang them for incitement to felony.

If wbc preached, "when gays die, Gaad sends them to Hell" they got both Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Worship on their side. I can't see what crime we could charge them with?