If This Doesn't Make Your Blood Boil, Nothing Will

[SwoopSJ]

Washington – A father of a Marine killed in Iraq says he won't pay the legal fees of a protest group who picketed at his son's funeral in 2006 – at least not until he hears from the US Supreme Court on the matter.

Albert Snyder, whose son, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, was killed in Iraq, learned Friday that a federal appeals court is requiring him to pay more than $16,000 in legal fees to the Westboro Baptist Church, a Christian fundamentalist group that demonstrates during military funerals to gain attention for its antigovernment, antihomosexual message. The group rallied at Matthew Snyder’s funeral in March 2006 in Westminster, Md., chanting antigay slogans and carrying signs such as “Thank God for dead soldiers,” says Albert Snyder’s attorney, Sean Summers.

The group was protesting about 30 feet from the church’s main entrance, and Mr. Snyder had to enter through a separate entrance, Mr. Summers says.

Snyder subsequently sued the Westboro group for emotional distress and won a $5 million judgment. But on appeal, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed, finding in favor of protecting the protesters' free-speech rights. About three weeks ago, the Supreme Court agreed to take the case and is expected to hear it in the fall. (Last year, the high court had declined to take up the issue.) Meanwhile, the circuit court has ordered Snyder, a salesman, to pay the church’s court expenses.

Snyder, of York, Pa., told Fox News on Tuesday that he would not pay the Westboro Baptist Church "until I hear from the Supreme Court."

“It’s fair to say that they are not getting any Christmas cards from Mr. Snyder,” adds Summers, in a phone interview. “He obviously thinks they are despicable and doesn’t understand why they would target him.”

The Westboro group has been protesting at military members’ funerals for years. The church leader, Fred Phelps, preaches that American deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan are punishment for the nation’s tolerance of homosexuality. (He was among those banned from Britain last year for fostering hatred or extremism.) The protests have nothing to do with the fallen service members' sexual orientation, and the church says its protests are held within a “lawful distance” of the funerals.

Ultimately, say some, the church protests are a matter of constitutionally protected free speech.

“I really don’t see that [the protest] was a violation of the First Amendment [principles]. It was a violation of decorum and good taste and all sorts of other things, but not a violation of the First Amendment,” says Charles Gittins, a civilian lawyer in Virginia.

But Summers argues that his client’s right to peaceful assembly and freedom of religion were infringed by the protests and that, unlike at a public park where people are free to express themselves, a funeral setting draws a “captive audience” that requires attendees to be in a particular location – they can’t simply walk away.

Westboro Baptist Church, which is based in Kansas, plans to protest in Florida on Wednesday, outside a funeral for a Marine killed in Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan on March 22.

“Military funerals have become pagan orgies of idolatrous blasphemy, where they pray to the dunghill gods of Sodom and play taps to a fallen fool,” states a press release posted on the church’s website, announcing the rally at a memorial service for Lance Cpl. Justin Wilson. At the bottom of the press release are printed the words “Thank God for IEDs,” referring to the roadside bombs that have killed thousands of troops in both wars.



I am a Christian, and while I believe that homosexuality is a sin, these people seem to be forgetting an extremely important facet of Christianity... "Judge not lest ye be judged".  I use the term "people" loosely, as their humanity is most definitely suspect.  According to the Bible that I read, based on their actions, it is also a stretch of epic proportions for them to consider themselves Christians.  It still wouldn't be right, but it might be slightly different if the fallen soldier had been gay.  This, however, is absolutely ridiculous and I pity these fools when they meet God, whom they claim to serve.

Swoop





 

[JC5123]

This should help your blood pressure a little.


http://www.downrange.tv/forum/index.php?topic=11988.0

[garand4life]

I may draw some flak for this but, I wish the next time one of this Church's members drop dead someone would protest their funeral. I'm tired of the "play nice, be nice" bull####. These people are the farthest thing from Christian you can be without being a lib, and even then.... These assclowns should learn the meaning of respect at the end of a checkbook in the sum of $5 million.

[Solus]

I may draw some flak for this but, I wish the next time one of this Church's members drop dead someone would protest their funeral. I'm tired of the "play nice, be nice" bull####. These people are the farthest thing from Christian you can be without being a lib, and even then.... These assclowns should learn the meaning of respect at the end of a checkbook in the sum of $5 million.

I was thinking the same thing, G4L....at the next funeral, be there with signs saying they died as God's punishment for the Churches treatment of others. 

But I could never be so heartless as to do that to folks as they grieve their lost loved one...even if they do deserve it.

[garand4life]

Like I said I may take flak for it but I believe that anyone willing to ATTACK perfect strangers, forget the fact these strangers are soldiers defending the rights of these morons, has given up their right to being treated with any form of decency. But, I am one who would rather blast of some steam than actually dignify there sick beliefs by stooping to their level. However I am willing to walk up to one of them while they are protesting and punch them square upside there dumbass head. Again blowing steam.... Oh and as so not to get smacked for the lib comment in my previous post that was meant to be a haha moment... No offense to the "libs" on this site.

[Sponsor]

[fightingquaker13]

These guys are scum, led by a typical ideological Scum bag. Fred Phelps started out as a Civil Rights guy in the sixties. He was a whacko. He then became a right winger, and was a whacko. He's kind of like like Michael Horowitiz. Fanatical lefty, then fantaical conservative. Some people seem to have a disorder that requires them to give themselves wholly to a cause. Left, right, religious, secular, it doesn't matter. They can't face life on their own and need the label to give them identity. Their fatal (and dagerous) problem, is that they think they are as good as what what they believe in. Therefore everything is justified if its "for the cause". This is where we get suicide bombers. What really got me about this guy was that a few years back he tried to sue a Kansas school board for refusing to give a grandkid "community service" extra credit for picketing the funerals of AIDS patients. There's some family values for you. I don't care what you think about gays, anyone who thinks its ok to visit pain on the family of the dead is so much a stranger to God that they have to make an international call to be given a snowball's chance to redeem themselves. Picketing our soldiers funerals? Permission to lead the honor guard sir! 21 rounds should do it.
FQ13

[tombogan03884]

No printable comment .

[SwoopSJ]

Upon rereading my initial post, I felt it necessary to clarify one of my statements.  I previously said that although I thought it still wouldn't be right, it might be slightly different if the soldier had been gay.  I didn't mean it to come across as if he were gay, he deserved any less respect than a straight man, just in case I was misunderstood.  As I also said in my original post, the Bible says, "Judge not lest ye be judged.", which is a teaching that I try to live by.  Lord knows I've committed my fair share of sins over the years, so I most definitely am not fit to cast the first stone.  The absence of that issue, however, leaves this groups horrid behavior based solely on the fact that he died in the honorable defense of his country, which is the point I was unsuccessfully trying to convey.  If sacrificing one's life for others is such a terrible thing, we should all hope for such ridicule upon our passing.

Swoop

[fightingquaker13]

 If sacrificing one's life for others is such a terrible thing, we should all hope for such ridicule upon our passing.

Swoop

And there you have it. Calumny or acclaim, it doesn't matter. You died for duty, honor, country and the guy in the next foxhole. If they don't get that, whether it be lefty anti-war types or right wing extremists, f..k them. I will honor your grave and piss on theirs and its just that simple.
FQ13

[crusader rabbit]

Heard last night that Bill O'Riley from Fox Cable News has stroked a check to cover this outrageous injustice.  I don't think all that much of Bill, but this is certainly a good thing to do.

Crusader