Vibrant Nation

news & politics

sunflower1912's avatar
from
sunflower…
Speaking of religious idiots
posted 03/08/2010, 06:04PM new!

These people should be ashamed of themselves!!  God has nothing to do with this!!  I hope that the court respects these fallen soldiers and their families enough to do the RIGHT thing.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/08/homosexuality.protest/?hpt=Sbin

 

responses (12)

dillin257's avatar dillin257
dillin257 said to sunflower1912 03/08/2010, 06:04PM new!

I wish this Westboro group, could be shut down!! I truly hate THEM!

sunflower1912's avatar sunflower…
sunflower1912 said to dillin257 03/08/2010, 06:04PM new!

It's really disgusting what they do.  Why do they have freedom of speech but the families of these heroes do not....It's terrible!

Olga's avatar Olga
Olga said to sunflower1912 03/08/2010, 06:04PM new!

I wish I knew what drives fanaticism.....of any kind.

1 member loves this!
sunflower1912's avatar sunflower…
sunflower1912 said to Olga 03/08/2010, 06:04PM new!

God only knows Olga.

watruw8ing4's avatar watruw8in…
watruw8ing4 said to sunflower1912 03/08/2010, 06:04PM new!

They've been back here several times (we live close to York, PA). Now we have the Patriot Bikers. They are a group of bikers that go to Phelps' military funeral protests and, with other volunteers, form a wall of bikes and flags in front of the jerks, so the funeral attendees do not have to see them.  I was really hoping the judgement would stick, so they'd run out of money and crawl back into the rock they came out of.

They also go to gay and Jewish events. Oh, and today he was in Chicago at the DNC, Israeli consulate and another event. Love him or hate him, Michael Moore followed him around with a few of the gayest guys he could find in a pink bus, the "Sodomobile", and actually managed to chase him away and make him look like the a$$ that he is.(google fred phelps michael moore for video) 

Problem is, Phelps and his family have broken no laws when protesting, If you believe in free speech, you have to let them do their thing, no matter how despicible. But I'm hoping the court upholds the pain and suffering judgement.

 

Olga's avatar Olga
Olga said to watruw8ing4 03/08/2010, 06:04PM new!

Good point re free speech. Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:

If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all. -Noam Chomsky

And that free speech also carries the consequences of such actions.........which in this case could be the pain and suffering judgement. That's how it should be. Consequences for actions.

AngelLady's avatar AngelLady
AngelLady said to sunflower1912 03/08/2010, 06:04PM new!

I'd imagine that states ought to be able to craft laws defining how near an event protestors can go.  It's one thing to protest someone/something in the public eye, like a visit from a politician, etc - someone who expects fame, so to speak.  Protesting and driving public attention to private citizens, though, who are just living their lives and holding a funeral for a dear departed...I can see the value of making such services off-limits for protests. 

watruw8ing4's avatar watruw8in…
watruw8ing4 said to AngelLady 03/08/2010, 06:04PM new!

Over 10 states did enact laws for that. Depending on what the Supreme Court determines, all those laws are in jeopardy of being overturned.

AngelLady's avatar AngelLady
AngelLady said to watruw8ing4 03/08/2010, 06:04PM new!

Now that frustrates me tremendously.  Free speech, fine - print up all the ugly leaflets you want and stand on street corners, but don't we have a right NOT to be held captive by someone exercising that right?  Don't we have the right to be free of someone else's free speech unless we CHOOSE to listen or view? 

I know they are protesting, but the deceased serviceman or servicewoman is NOT the person/place/situation they are protesting; they are protesting the government's response to abortion and gay rights.  Seems to me the proper venue for their protests would be government installations, recruiting stations, etc. - NOT the funeral of someone who was only doing the best they could to serve the nation.

By their reasoning, they could protest the house of anyone who filed a tax return since they are supporting the government.

Perhaps the states should look not at protecting funerals but specifying how, when, and where protests can be carried out.  I believe voting sites have buffer zones in which no politicking can take place; perhaps protests - whatever they are - should have similar guidelines.

SeaWriter's avatar SeaWriter
SeaWriter said to sunflower1912 03/08/2010, 06:04PM new!

These people have been to Seattle on various occasions. Their rhetoric is disgusting. Yes, our country's laws protect their right of free speech, but I object to their lack of compassion for everyone who doesn't agree with them. What kind of god do they serve that promotes their rancor and hatefulness? It's not the God I know.

One time the news camera held a closeup of one of the women as she shouted and raised her placard. I have never seen such dead eyes as I saw on that woman. It was terrifying to me. I will never forget it.

If the press would stop covering their "events," perhaps they would weaken. Giving them attention seems as sick as what they're doing in my opinion.

cal mimi 's avatar cal mimi
cal mimi said to sunflower1912 03/08/2010, 06:04PM new!

In our world we also have the right to refuse service to any one in our establishment or on our property.  We have a right to have them removed from our property.  I also know that includes cemetery's and funeral homes....privately owned.

They can bar the enterance to anyone they choose to and they can be legally removed with the assistance from our law enforcement agencies....it's what we pay them for.  So no....we can't stop the a$$ holes from talking their spew but we can stop them from doing it in our presence.

I love that a group of cyclist are taking up the charge.  I know in our area Hells Angles are very "pro hero".  I know a few of them from my gym and if anyone of them saw a protest at a funeral for a fallen hero the protester will be the next to fall.  Scary I know but what a great way of showing them we "are mad as hell and we aren't going to take it any more"

Laying to rest our loved ones has nothing to do with religion.  It is our right to say good by regardless of how or where they die.  They fought a war our past president got them involved in, they committed their life to our military and they did the job they were told to do.  They didn't start the war, just do what was asked of them....lay down their life for our freedom. 

How dare ANYONE use any of their funerals to give themselves a voice against our country.  It's because of these young people giving up their lives that jerk has the right to do what he did.

Talk about irony!

KGrandma's avatar KGrandma
KGrandma said to sunflower1912 03/08/2010, 06:04PM new!

Isn't there something really wonderful coming out of all their rabid and ignorant hate, though? In looking at them, don't lots of regular, normal, average believers pull back (or run) from the teachings of the anti-gay movement? The more we see hate for what it really is, the more we see any of these radical fringe groups for what they are (just an exaggeration of mainstream society beliefs), the more we can move toward sanity, equality, and love of our fellow men. They quote the Bible. I always wanted to teach a Bible class for heathens, showing (among many other things) that the prohibitions these people throw around so freely are in the same list as the kosher laws. Now, I am more than willing to assume that they keep kosher, that they follow all the other laws and regulations . . .

Pure and Natural