The Supreme Court ruled in the Westboro Baptist Church's favor, allowing them to spew hate everywhere they go.
A Kansas church that attracted nationwide attention for its angry, anti-gay protests at the funerals of U.S. military members has won its appeal at the Supreme Court, an issue testing the competing constitutional limits of free speech and privacy.Okay, so I have the right to throw eggs and hot water on them too. I'm just voicing my broad-based message.
The justices by a 8-1 vote on Wednesday said members of the Westboro Baptist Church had a right to promote what they call a broad-based message on public matters such as wars.
The father of a fallen Marine had sued the small church, saying those protests amounted to targeted harassment and an intentional infliction of emotional distress.
"Speech is powerful. It can stir people to action, move them to tears of both joy and sorrow, and– as it did here– inflict great pain," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote. "On the facts before us, we cannot react to that pain by punishing the speaker."
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Well, throwing eggs or hot water can be viewed as assault.
ReplyDeleteWhile I find them, and their pickets, deplorable, it is Free Speech; we allow the KKK to march in parades; we allow preachers to say gays are evil.
It's Free Speech, and when we start denying it to people because we find what they say reprehnsible, how are we to feel if our freedom to speak is denied us?
I sure hope they know that free speech has consequences. If I had a lover that died and these assholes came by with their dumb signs, I would open fire on them.
ReplyDelete