Respect for grieving families

[BajaOklahoma]

My son was on the way to the game earlier today when he called to ask why there were police & sheriff cars at every intersection on 380, the highway between McKinney and Denton. Turns out it was for the funeral of a local soldier.
Want to guess who decided to come down and protest? Those bat*ss crazy folks from ******** (I refuse to give them any further publicity). The local law is going to do their best to make sure that only respect is shown for the soldier's family and friends.

The children should be removed from the ******** compound due to the dangerous situation their parents have put them in.

[Leroy Lizard]

This is America. Here, you have the freedom to be an ***-hole. (I am proof of that.)

[GottaHavePride]

Yes. And they also have the freedom to get their asses beat by ex-Marines for being ***-holes.

[SouthCarolinaSooner]

This is sick, perverted, horrible, etc and a father of one of the dead Marines is suing Westboro in the Supreme Court, i think the case was heard last wednesday or is being heard this wednesday. Honestly...I don't see how they will rule against Westboro and I hope they don't. While I'm not condoning what they do, a ruling against Westboro could be used as a precedent in the future against any speech a particular person finds "offensive". Its just a dangerous ruling.

[Leroy Lizard]

This is sick, perverted, horrible, etc and a father of one of the dead Marines is suing Westboro in the Supreme Court, i think the case was heard last wednesday or is being heard this wednesday. Honestly...I don't see how they will rule against Westboro and I hope they don't. While I'm not condoning what they do, a ruling against Westboro could be used as a precedent in the future against any speech a particular person finds "offensive".

If they decide to ban speech that *I* find offensive, that would be pretty cool.

[GottaHavePride]

True, but if they somehow tie what Westboro is doing to an invasion of privacy and slap them down that way I'd be OK with it.

[SouthCarolinaSooner]

True, but if they somehow tie what Westboro is doing to an invasion of privacy and slap them down that way I'd be OK with it.Maybe some sort of buffer zone around a cemetery would be nice

[OnlyOneOklahoma]

True, but if they somehow tie what Westboro is doing to an invasion of privacy and slap them down that way I'd be OK with it.

Any ruling against Westboro hopefully comes from this line of thinking.

Personally I don't like that church, but I will defend their right to voice their backwards and hateful opinions.

[OnlyOneOklahoma]

Maybe some sort of buffer zone around a cemetery would be nice

Kind of like the *No Muslim Zone* in New York City?
;)

[GottaHavePride]

Any ruling against Westboro hopefully comes from this line of thinking.

Personally I don't like that church, but I will defend their right to voice their backwards and hateful opinions.


Yes. And I will defend the right of grieving people to fly off the handle and beat the ever-living **** out of those ****ers.

[Leroy Lizard]

Yes. And I will defend the right of grieving people to fly off the handle and beat the ever-living **** out of those ****ers.

I won't support their right.

But I might look the other way.

[OUthunder]

If that's my kid in the casket, we're dancing! Don't people like these have anything better to do? IMHO, this is unforgivable and outright disrespectful.

[Crucifax Autumn]

But they are saving us from eternal damnation after being turned into homosexuals by a recruiting squad made up of tranny hookers wielding giant swords.

[OnlyOneOklahoma]

If that's my kid in the casket, we're dancing!

I agree.

But I have to hope the Supreme Court does not take away their right to free speech, no matter how offensive.

[Crucifax Autumn]

If a few people had flipped out and shot a bunch of those bastards on several occasions, the court might be able to issue a ruling similar to the "fire in a crowded theater" example, but I would be very much against that as it produces an extremely slippery slope with which I'm not at all comfortable as an American.

[BajaOklahoma]

I haven't heard anything yet about the motorcycle groups showing up, thought they usually do.

I am okay with limiting freedom of speech during a funeral, out of respect for the grieving family. Limit the area to a zone around the site of the service, the funeral route and the burial site. Make it for everyone, not just soldiers.

During the Pledge and National Anthem, I am okay with you not participating if you stand quietly as a sign of respect for my beliefs. I am not Muslim, but consider it right to be quiet during their prayer time, as a sign of respect.

[StoopTroup]

Any ruling against Westboro hopefully comes from this line of thinking.

Personally I don't like that church, but I will defend their right to voice their backwards and hateful opinions.

Every dollar they spend on these road trips they go on should be taxable IMO.

[SanJoaquinSooner]

During the Pledge and National Anthem, I am okay with you not participating if you stand quietly as a sign of respect for my beliefs.

Not sure what you mean by "I am okay". Do you mean the law should require everybody to stand?


On the bigger issue, I expect the supreme court to say local ordinances can authorize reasonable buffer zones, allowing protesters to do their protesting outside the buffer zone.


I don't know how to define "reasonable" in this situation, but I know it when I see it.

[Sooner5030]

Where are the protest? In the church or at the cemetary? It's not all about free speech because you only have right in public places. If i pay $6,000 for a burial service you shouldn't be able to interrupt or disturb that experience anymore than if I purchase a movie ticket. Are churches public property?

If an abortion clinic can get a buffer zone then so should a burial service.

[SouthCarolinaSooner]

Every dollar they spend on these road trips they go on should be taxable IMO.
what?

[yermom]

If that's my kid in the casket, we're dancing! Don't people like these have anything better to do? IMHO, this is unforgivable and outright disrespectful.

unforgivable and disrespectful don't mean illegal though

personally, i think they should start protesting gang members and drug dealers ;)

i like the idea of removing their children though, since they could be viewed as using them as human shields

[stoopified]

A bunch of familys of our fallen military should start showing up at their church to protest against their message of hate.EVERY SUNDAY until they get the message.

[Serge Ibaka]

A bunch of familys of our fallen military should start showing up at their church to protest against their message of hate.EVERY SUNDAY until they get the message.

Good idea.

I think they'd enjoy the attention too much though.

It's time to start ignoring the fu**erz until they go away.

[SoSooner]

Good point about the abortion clinic buffer zone. Why not funerals? Same right to privacy.

PC is killing this country. The protesters are an abomination.

[StoopTroup]

I'd like to see a law that stopped abortion and one for folks who go outside our Country for adoption. If once they have exhausted their search for an American Child that was saved from Abortion...then they could be granted the ability to go outside the US. Over the years I've seen time and time again Women who would had the abortion that later wished they had put the child up for adoption instead of terminating the pregnancy.

I think the term abortion is right up there with the "N" word and should be banned. We have a great Country and by the amount of stories you see of people who would give everything they own to raise a child in need...it's ashame we can't legislate a way for them to pass the unwanted child to folks who are prepared to raise the child. The stigma of Women feeling they have ruined their lives by getting pregnant needs to end IMO. God gave you this gift to deliver babies into our World and abortion is like giving God the finger for the gift he gave you. If it's to save the life of the Mother...she should have the right to figure a way to legally terminate...even if it takes a Doctor and a Staff of folks at a Hospital to approve it in 15 minutes to save the Womans life...we should have legislation to get that done and then we can later deal with the loss.

I know a very nice Family that found out their child in the womb had Downs Syndrome. They thought for awhile about terminating the pregnancy. Today I see that child every week in Church with the Family and although they have to work hard to help him on a daily basis....the child has brought many more blessings than the Family ever thought was possible. It makes my heart warm every time I see him. What a tragedy it would have been if he hadn't been born and instead terminated.

[SoonerLVZ]

Why hasn't there anyone going after the ****ing idiots at this "church".
Not attacking them, but protesting them, they places they work, their neighbor hoods etc. Not that any of that is OK, but if they have a right to protest at funerals, then why hasn't a group formed up to protest them in their rights (I know of some protest at their church and the biker groups)