ACLU Sues for Anti-Gay Group That Pickets at Troops' Burials

[annoyinglizardvoice]

Once again the ACLU appears to be a bunch of half-wit hypocrits for supporting people who are trying to oppress civil liberties.
Once again people worry about their rights without a thought towards their responsibilities.
Once again I am reminded that "religious fundermentalist" is a long way o saying WRONG.

Less hypocritical then repressing their liberties. I am a supporter of the ACLU and I am not a half-wit. The ACLU supports Westboro's right to protest but if those nutjob's tried to repress the rights of others the ACLU will be first in line to stop them. If you think someone's message is offensive then broadcast a better message after theirs (because you still have the right to speak it) or legally harass them the way they harass others. Since they're so close-minded they should be the easiest to troll ever. Laws should enforce our rights and our activities should enforce our responsibilities. People should have the right to protest a funeral but it is an irresponsible act that can result in people discriminating against you as much as they legally can. I'd laugh so hard if a member of the WBC died and a bunch of gay-priders were laughing at the funeral and holding signs saying "X was secretly one of us." (optionally X will go to hell he was one of us)

I should make commemorative t-shirts when the next member of that church dies.

Everybody that is so irate should go troll WBC. If enough people got enraged they could pay for a group of people to harass them as a full time job. Or pay someone to follow them around when they are in public with a sign saying "Don't listen to this ignorant, hatefilled nutjob."

I diliberately said "appears" because on my side of the pond, we mostly hear about them championing really stupid things. I'm not denying that they do good stuff aswell or have good intentions, I'm just stating that they can appear really daft.
Personally I feel that the Westoro's behaviour is a infingement of the rights of the families of the dead (in spirit if not in letter). I also feel that they are clearly insane enough to get locked up.
I like the idea of your protest suggestions.

 

[Insanum]

Personally The Westborough Bapist Church were annoying, I then watched a louis Theroux (poss typo) program about them, And they said that Princess Diana Died because of Homosexuality...

Now personally i want their church declared illegal, And i'd personally like to motolov every single one of them...and watch them slowly burn...but thats just me.

 

[chefassassin2]

It's a funeral, show some respect for a man who died so that you could picket at all.

This, I agree with.

 

[Seanchaidh]

I don't hate the idea of the ACLU, but I agree, these guys have been pissing me off. It's a funeral, show some respect for a man who died so that you could picket at all.

I don't mean to be insensitive... but while safeguarding freedom may be the intent of those who enter the military, it is very, very questionable that many of the recent deaths were in any way related to the safeguarding of our freedom, especially to picket. Our security, absolutely. Our peace of mind, sure. The freedom of people in other countries, yes. And the service of American troops is most honorable and to be held in high regard. But the freedom of American civilians is fairly secure from foreign encroachment even without the actions and blood of the extraordinary men and women of our armed services. We have a nuclear deterrent; very little can touch our freedom other than our own government.

 

[m_jim]

Probably not many. Still, it is not the government's place to censor speech, even if it is radical or insane. The task of discernment, I believe, falls on the people. Thankfully, most Americans see these people for the hatemongers that they are and ignore them accordingly.

I don't think most of America shall complain because they can't protest at funerals, was my point.
All the other protesting is just fine, but leave those who just lost a family member or friend alone, freedom to be a cock or not.

Believe me, I see what you are saying. I think that the WBC does unforgivable things by picketing funerals, but as soon as you say one sort of protest is okay while another one is not, you set a precedent (legally and societally) that opens the door for other groups to petition a banning of protests. Since the US of A has a long, rich history of protest, I would rather not open that particular door. I have a feeling that we could go round and round on this one, so hopefully we can agree to disagree.

 

[TK421]

I understand what the ACLU is trying to do [small](sometimes)[/small] but the way that they go about doing it really...irritates me.

 

[Shaoken]

My thoughts can be summed up by the following quote;

"I disagree with what you're saying but I will fight to the death to protect your right to say it."

WBC are assholes, but taking away their rights will only have negavtive consequences. So we just have to put up with them until inbreeding takes it's course.

 

[Orange Monkey]

I hate the westboro baptist church. No I LOATHE it. It is because of people like this that I am scared to act romantically with my boyfreind in public, for fear of getting lynched or something of the like. And now someone is actually acting on their behalf? The world is truelly a magnificently messed up place.

 

[Orange Monkey]

The scientologists would use alien technology but the WBC would fight back with the unfeasible power of that annoying mothers loud insulting mouth.

 

[Gerazzi]

Its the principle of the thing. Freedom of speech and all that should be for everyone. Not just for those whom you dont want to hear. These people are sick, depraved, and completely idiotic. But they have legal right (so far) to do what they do.

Its true, but sometimes people go too far. But what can you do? Its human nature, after all.

Thank god we have mods who stop this kind of irl trolling.

I am moving to Russia.

 

[Xanadu84]

Ill pay more attention if the ACLU puts any real effort into it. Sure, they have to protect their free speech, but I have a sneaky suspicion that since there representing pretty much there polar opposite, the ACLU aren't exactly going to put there back into it.