How do you feel about, a federal court of appeals recently threw out a jury verdict in favor of a father, Albert Snyder, who had sued protesters at his son Matthew's funeral for intentional infliction of emotional distress?

I think it’s terrible. Those people should’ve been kept away from that funeral

I believe they threw it out on a technicality, wrong jurisdiction or some such. What those people are doing is beyond the normal free speech, but I guess they can get away with it.

Some folks think it is quite alright. You know freedom of speech. But just how far does that go? Maybe until we lose it.

As a military member, I think the actions of this group is totally disgraceful and despicable. I recognize that they have the freedom of speech through the 1st Amendment but making these types of statements when servicemen and servicewomen are dying overseas is abhorrent. And I’m sorry the verdict was thrown out in this case. I think the father deserves a little justice in this instance.

Wow, I hadn’t heard of this. This is what I mean when I speak of people presuming to speak in the name of god to serve their own agenda. I’d like for a Monty Python hand to have come down out of the heavens and ZZZZZZAAAAPPP! them.
Road trip anyone?~

This group is just an embarassment to humanity.

As disgusting as they are, members of the Westboro Baptist Church have as much of a right to free speech as anyone else. And yeah, they make me want to puke. Personally I think people from that “church” should be banned from protesting at funerals. I guess in some areas they can’t protest within a certain distance from a funeral, but not all places have those laws. :(

One of the downsides sometimes to freedom of speech is having to put up with people who use that freedom to express distasteful views.

@Trillian Road trip is a good idea! There are motorcycle groups who travel around to funerals this “church” is protesting and then rev their engines loudly so their chants can’t be heard. They call themselves the Patriot Guard Riders. I like to think that groups like the Westboro Baptist Church exist solely to help bring out in the best in others, like the Riders, so the rest of us can see that humanity isn’t a total waste.

These protests have been going on for a while now. I think they’re terrible. I wouldn’t make a judgment on the judge’s call without knowing the facts of the case but there certainly should be a way to stop them.

@MissAusten I like it!

They have a legal right to protest and while I think what they did was awful, I don’t think they’re right to protest in a non-violent fashion should be taken away.

However, ethically, what they did was despicable. May they rot in hell while that young marine is smiling down from their heaven.

I call it the shitty side of free speech.

I hate you and your disgusting mouth, but I’ll fight to let you speak your mind.

Those idiots were here, in WV, with signs saying that the miners that died in the mining accident deserved to die. I’m not sure what the reasoning was behind that protest because I turned the TV off when the news came on, not wanting to give them their 15 minutes of fame. They hurt people, and if that is what free speech is about, then their type of free speech is nothing I want anything to do with.

Freedom of speech does not include the disruption of a funeral. At the very least, it is disrespect to the dead. Reprehensible and should be punishable by a gauntlet of the mourners holding spiked bats.

‘I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,’ was his attitude now.
S. G. Tallentyre, referring to Voltaire.

You don’t want to know what I think about this, or how I feel about it.

Thanks darling @PandoraBoxx – I forgot who I was paraphrasing.

@CaptainHarley Probably not. =P

@janbb LMAO!

I think the WBC are lunatics and am glad that when they recently showed up on Long Island, queer high school kids and allies stood in a counter-demonstration that outnumbered the crazies by thousands. And the teachers dismissed them from school early so that this can be done.

@Simone_De_Beauvoir GA. My only concern is that these things have a tendency to become violent. I’d hate for a kid to get hurt because of some stupid, intolerant hick.

@Trillian You can’t prevent that either way – it is a ray of hope to see youth be this active.

I think they should be arrested and sentenced to a month in prison and 6 months community service.
Violating a funeral cannot be tolerated in civilized society.

I say “fuck the rights of the WBC”.

@YARNLADY I went on the internet, and after reading here and there, I couldn’t find anything about a technicality. This is all I could find in respect to the decision, so far.

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals noticed that the cult’s malicious signs contained words, and that words are “speech” ... which is protected by the First Amendment! (Or was it the Seventh?) Anyway, that was basically the end of the court’s analysis.

@Simone_De_Beauvoir I adore that!

@Rangie I didn’t look up the article I was thinking of, it was apparently a faulty memory.

At the very least intruding on a funeral would be trespass. It’s sickening to see children exploited this way.

@liminal :)

I am a member of the Patriot Guard Riders. Our organization was formed to act as a barrier between these people who want to add to the grief of the families of deceased soldiers and the families and other morners. We don’t do anything except form a human barricade between them so that the families don’t have to endure the protestor’s taunts, provide motorcycle escorts, and honor fallen veterans. It seems to work. The WBC tries to avoid letting us find out when and where they intend to protest. I am proud to do this.

@CaptainHarley I am proud to know you because of this.

: ))

@CaptainHarley Maybe you could hang something on your tailpipes and blow it at them.
Cheers to you. :):):)

I second @liminal‘s remark.

@CaptainHarley Oh – good for you!

It’s just a way for us old veterans to help the families of these young men and women who gave their lives for us. Thank you for the accolades, but it’s an honor and a privilege to do so.

@CaptainHarley Bravo Zulu!

: D

I believe this is the first Q, where all of us seem to be in agreement. I love that we are all standing up for the right thing to do. Kudos to all of us.

@Rangie

Seem to be that way, yes. : ))