Supreme Court will hear case involving anti-gay church protesters

Any church that spews hate is not a real church; Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas falls into that category. They may have freedom of speech, but they don't have the right to interrupt funeral services of grieving families. Hope the Supreme Court upholds the First Amendment but rules against this imposter church's infringement upon the rights of a family to privacy during a funeral.

Whatever with the 5 conservative activist judges do?!!?

While they certainly do no want to discourage any anti-gay behavior as that sort of hate ALWAYS falls under the f1st Amendment, but alas,, as this involves military personnel, specifically funerals, certainly puts them in an awkward catch 22.

Sure would be nice if all had 9 judges that would leave their politics and religion at the door and did their job according to the US Constitution. Wishful thinking I'm sure.

Spike wrote:

Whatever with the 5 conservative activist judges do?!!?
While they certainly do no want to discourage any anti-gay behavior as that sort of hate ALWAYS falls under the f1st Amendment, but alas,, as this involves military personnel, specifically funerals, certainly puts them in an awkward catch 22.
Sure would be nice if all had 9 judges that would leave their politics and religion at the door and did their job according to the US Constitution. Wishful thinking I'm sure.

Spike:
All Conservatives don't Hate Gays any more than we all know Liberals actually do anything of substance for Gays except promise us the moon.

The subject at hand is not a Gay issue. It is a Military issue.

dane thorsen wrote:

<quoted text>
Spike:
All Conservatives don't Hate Gays any more than we all know Liberals actually do anything of substance for Gays except promise us the moon.
The subject at hand is not a Gay issue. It is a Military issue.

If you believe that, I have some swamp land in Florida to sell you.

LOL!

It's like saying, "not all white men wearing white hoods and belong to the KKK hate blacks."

LOL!

I don't see this as either a gay or military issue. I see this as an invasion of privacy issue. Those families holding funerals and burials for their loved ones, military or not, should have a reasonable right to privacy. And this moron idiotic, American Taliban version of the Christian Religion should be in prison for their violations.

Their visit to Long Beach had the opposite effect they intended. I've never seen so many different people all pull together in Long Beach and stand together. I was very proud.

I bet these people vote republican.

More clear: I bet those religious bigots vote republican.

just saying wrote:

More clear: I bet those religious bigots vote republican.

with zero exceptions religious bigots are Republican right wing extremists. They're as dangerous to America as the Taliban. Probably more so.

I am not sure if they can read the ballots. I think they have to have somebody less illiterate write their signs.

just saying wrote:

More clear: I bet those religious bigots vote republican.

Robert wrote:

<quoted text>
with zero exceptions religious bigots are Republican right wing extremists. They're as dangerous to America as the Taliban. Probably more so.

When was the last time Republican right wing extremists beheaded those who disagreed with their faith or slammed a jetliner into a high rise, moron?

Friends don't let friends post without thinking. You apparently have no friends.

Robert wrote:

I don't see this as either a gay or military issue. I see this as an invasion of privacy issue. Those families holding funerals and burials for their loved ones, military or not, should have a reasonable right to privacy. And this moron idiotic, American Taliban version of the Christian Religion should be in prison for their violations.

I agree with you totally. It's harassment and emotional assault.
I'm all for free speech, but is nothing sacred? Those people are mourning, paying their respects. They shouldn't have to look at a bunch of idiots used the deceased as part of a political spectacle.

Those asshole protesters should be sent to a mental hospital for an evaluation.

One extreme invites another. If queers had done something about their life cowardice twenty years ago, these things wouldn't be happening.

Sigil of Morning wrote:

<quoted text>
I agree with you totally. It's harassment and emotional assault.
I'm all for free speech, but is nothing sacred? Those people are mourning, paying their respects. They shouldn't have to look at a bunch of idiots used the deceased as part of a political spectacle.
Those asshole protesters should be sent to a mental hospital for an evaluation.

Many states have passed laws that require a certain distance between the funeral ceremony and the protesters. I am unaware of any of these laws being overturned.

As in all such cases, one must refer to the Constitution. These people have the right to protest, and to put out their insane opinions. However, the public certainly has the right to counterprotest, as was done so successfully here in Long Beach. I was quite proud of the public response. Mourning families should certainly have the right to keep these nutcases at a respectful distance during a religious ceremony as they bury their honored dead. Some of the commenters here seem to be just as far off the wall as the misguided religious zealots and nutcases from Kansas. Fortunately, in this country, we are entitled to express our opinions, just as they are. One further interesting note, I don't see any comments here regarding the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence appearing at a religious service at Saint Mary's Cathedral, and committing what the congregation surely felt was blasphemy and sacrelege, expecting to take communion, the holiest of Christian sacraments, from the ArchBishop. Was that any worse or better than the funeral protests? It was certainly unacceptable behavior, just as the funeral protests are.

Greater Circle Area wrote:

Their visit to Long Beach had the opposite effect they intended. I've never seen so many different people all pull together in Long Beach and stand together. I was very proud.

I'm a little lost here. Was this hate group in Long Beach recently?

Tom wrote:

<quoted text>
When was the last time Republican right wing extremists beheaded those who disagreed with their faith or slammed a jetliner into a high rise,****?
Friends don't let friends post without thinking. You apparently have no friends.

Well let's recap shall we? Right wing extremism is responsible for more than 3,500 deaths and more than 31,000 wounded (25,000 of those maimed) in Iraq. Shall we begin to count the lies to sell Iraq to the American public.

I do believe more have now been affected negatively by right wing extremism due to the Iraq War unjustified war than those negatively affected Sept. 11.

Next?

It's so clear the left, including homosexuals do not believe in the US Constitution nor the Bill of Rights.

Since the beginning of the war more than six years ago, 4,373 U.S. military members have died -- 3,477 from hostilities and 898 in non-combat incidents.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/01/01/ira...

9/11 by the Numbers

Death, destruction, charity, salvation, war, money, real estate, spouses, babies, and other September 11 statistics.

The initial numbers are indelible: 8:46 a.m. and 9:02 a.m. Time the burning towers stood: 56 minutes and 102 minutes. Time they took to fall: 12 seconds. From there, they ripple out.

• Total number killed in attacks (official figure as of 9/5/02): 2,819
• Number of firefighters and paramedics killed: 343
• Number of NYPD officers: 23
• Number of Port Authority police officers: 37
• Number of WTC companies that lost people: 60
• Number of employees who died in Tower One: 1,402
• Number of employees who died in Tower Two: 614
• Number of employees lost at Cantor Fitzgerald: 658
• Number of U.S. troops killed in Operation Enduring Freedom: 22
• Number of nations whose citizens were killed in attacks: 115
• Ratio of men to women who died: 3:1
• Age of the greatest number who died: between 35 and 39
• Bodies found "intact": 289
• Body parts found: 19,858
• Number of families who got no remains: 1,717
• Estimated units of blood donated to the New York Blood Center: 36,000
• Total units of donated blood actually used: 258
• Number of people who lost a spouse or partner in the attacks: 1,609
• Estimated number of children who lost a parent: 3,051
• Percentage of Americans who knew someone hurt or killed in the attacks: 20
• FDNY retirements, January–July 2001: 274
• FDNY retirements, January–July 2002: 661
• Number of firefighters on leave for respiratory problems by January 2002: 300
• Number of funerals attended by Rudy Giuliani in 2001: 200
• Number of FDNY vehicles destroyed: 98
• Tons of debris removed from site: 1,506,124
• Days fires continued to burn after the attack: 99
• Jobs lost in New York owing to the attacks: 146,100
• Days the New York Stock Exchange was closed: 6
• Point drop in the Dow Jones industrial average when the NYSE reopened: 684.81
• Days after 9/11 that the U.S. began bombing Afghanistan: 26
• Total number of hate crimes reported to the Council on American-Islamic Relations nationwide since 9/11: 1,714
• Economic loss to New York in month following the attacks:$105 billion
• Estimated cost of cleanup:$600 million
• Total FEMA money spent on the emergency:$970 million
• Estimated amount donated to 9/11 charities:$1.4 billion
• Estimated amount of insurance paid worldwide related to 9/11:$40.2 billion
• Estimated amount of money needed to overhaul lower-Manhattan subways:$7.5 billion
• Amount of money recently granted by U.S. government to overhaul lower-Manhattan subways:$4.55 billion
• Estimated amount of money raised for funds dedicated to NYPD and FDNY families:$500 million
• Percentage of total charity money raised going to FDNY and NYPD families: 25
• Average benefit already received by each FDNY and NYPD widow:$1 million
• Percentage increase in law-school applications from 2001 to 2002: 17.9
• Percentage increase in Peace Corps applications from 2001 to 2002: 40
• Percentage increase in CIA applications from 2001 to 2002: 50
• Number of songs Clear Channel Radio considered "inappropriate" to play after 9/11: 150
• Number of mentions of 9/11 at the Oscars: 26
• Apartments in lower Manhattan eligible for asbestos cleanup: 30,000
• Number of apartments whose residents have requested cleanup and testing: 4,110
• Number of Americans who changed their 2001 holiday-travel plans from plane to train or car: 1.4 million
• Estimated number of New Yorkers suffering from post-traumatic-stress disorder as a result of 9/11: 422,000
 
http://nymag.com/news/articles/wtc/1year/numb...

Robert wrote:

<quoted text>
I do believe more have now been affected negatively by right wing extremism due to the Iraq War unjustified war than those negatively affected Sept. 11.
Next?

9/11 by the Numbers

Death, destruction, charity, salvation, war, money, real estate, spouses, babies, and other September 11 statistics.

The initial numbers are indelible: 8:46 a.m. and 9:02 a.m. Time the burning towers stood: 56 minutes and 102 minutes. Time they took to fall: 12 seconds. From there, they ripple out.
• Total number killed in attacks (official figure as of 9/5/02): 2,819
• Number of firefighters and paramedics killed: 343
• Number of NYPD officers: 23
• Number of Port Authority police officers: 37
• Number of WTC companies that lost people: 60
• Number of employees who died in Tower One: 1,402
• Number of employees who died in Tower Two: 614
• Number of employees lost at Cantor Fitzgerald: 658
• Number of U.S. troops killed in Operation Enduring Freedom: 22
• Number of nations whose citizens were killed in attacks: 115
• Ratio of men to women who died: 3:1
• Age of the greatest number who died: between 35 and 39
• Bodies found "intact": 289
• Body parts found: 19,858
• Number of families who got no remains: 1,717
• Estimated units of blood donated to the New York Blood Center: 36,000
• Total units of donated blood actually used: 258
• Number of people who lost a spouse or partner in the attacks: 1,609
• Estimated number of children who lost a parent: 3,051
• Percentage of Americans who knew someone hurt or killed in the attacks: 20
• FDNY retirements, January–July 2001: 274
• FDNY retirements, January–July 2002: 661
• Number of firefighters on leave for respiratory problems by January 2002: 300
• Number of funerals attended by Rudy Giuliani in 2001: 200
• Number of FDNY vehicles destroyed: 98
• Tons of debris removed from site: 1,506,124
• Days fires continued to burn after the attack: 99
• Jobs lost in New York owing to the attacks: 146,100
• Days the New York Stock Exchange was closed: 6
• Point drop in the Dow Jones industrial average when the NYSE reopened: 684.81
• Days after 9/11 that the U.S. began bombing Afghanistan: 26
• Total number of hate crimes reported to the Council on American-Islamic Relations nationwide since 9/11: 1,714
• Economic loss to New York in month following the attacks:$105 billion
• Estimated cost of cleanup:$600 million
• Total FEMA money spent on the emergency:$970 million
• Estimated amount donated to 9/11 charities:$1.4 billion
• Estimated amount of insurance paid worldwide related to 9/11:$40.2 billion
• Estimated amount of money needed to overhaul lower-Manhattan subways:$7.5 billion
• Amount of money recently granted by U.S. government to overhaul lower-Manhattan subways:$4.55 billion
• Estimated amount of money raised for funds dedicated to NYPD and FDNY families:$500 million
• Percentage of total charity money raised going to FDNY and NYPD families: 25
• Average benefit already received by each FDNY and NYPD widow:$1 million
• Percentage increase in law-school applications from 2001 to 2002: 17.9
• Percentage increase in Peace Corps applications from 2001 to 2002: 40
• Percentage increase in CIA applications from 2001 to 2002: 50
• Number of songs Clear Channel Radio considered "inappropriate" to play after 9/11: 150
• Number of mentions of 9/11 at the Oscars: 26
• Apartments in lower Manhattan eligible for asbestos cleanup: 30,000
• Number of apartments whose residents have requested cleanup and testing: 4,110
• Number of Americans who changed their 2001 holiday-travel plans from plane to train or car: 1.4 million
• Estimated number of New Yorkers suffering from post-traumatic-stress disorder as a result of 9/11: 422,000
 
http://nymag.com/news/articles/wtc/1year/numb...