The Dallas Morning News had an editorial called "It's tough to stomach, but hateful speech is still free speech" that made me really think about First Amendment rights set into full effect. They talk about the members of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. Its founder is Fred Phelps and many members are related to him. They are nationally well-known for their protests against homosexuals, Jews, Muslims, Catholics, Hindus and have even chosen to show up at U.S military funerals.
The editorial goes on to talk about how the members think that the "U.S. military deaths is God's punishment for America's intolerance of homosexuals." To make matters worse, they even showed up at Albert Snyder's son's funeral with their picket signs. His son got killed in Iraq in 2006. He ended up suing Westboro in federal court for "intentional infliction of emotional distress, intrusion upon conclusion, and civil conspiracy." Snyder actually won $10 million in trial court. That verdict got overturned by the Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. Mainly because they did not break any laws. They have the First Amendment on their side with this one.
What exactly is the First Amendment? It clearly states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." This laid out freedom of religion, of speech, of press, and of protest. It also gave the people the right to petition against the government to make them pay back for some harm they might have done.
Words do hurt no matter what the old saying about sticks and stones says. But, no matter how much the words hurt, there is a thing called freedom of speech and protest. I do not agree whatsoever what the members of Westboro did. They are not the voice for all of the United States, but let's face it, there are quite a few Americans that will agree. There is prejudice out there in every race, gender, nationality, no matter what people say, but the First Amendment will protect what you say according to this editorial. Sad but so true!
As I read your article this was something worth reading in talking about. I had read in watch the News about this so called church. To be straight forward in have the rights of “freedom of speech” May Destiny have the right to write how one must fell. First of all Westboro Baptist Church is NOT a church there just a bunch of a hundred or so family members that are mostly attorneys that have nothing better to do but to be rude and disrespectful towards people. This so called church is doing the thing they do for attention and for the money NOT for GOD. The reason for saying “so called church” is because no other church besides this one has ever been heard of protesting at family’s funerals holding signs saying “Thank God For Day Soldiers” or “Thank God For 9/11” Try look around in finding other real Christian churches in see if they do this, pretty sure this is the only church that does “hate full crime” like this. In if this church really is a Baptist Church then why are they judging others? It is clearly writing in the bible in the book of Hebrews that we shouldn’t judge anyone. So these members of this church need to stop saying things like “U.S. military deaths are God's punishment for America's intolerance of homosexuals." Because that are not God in they shouldn’t judge simple as that. In true what you wrote that “Words do hurt no matter what the old saying about sticks and stones say” Yes we should be happy for the First Amendment but we need to be more respectful in what we say and do, because we have the younger generation look up at us.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you Janee'- I read a similar article on this and critiqued it on my blog. The ugly truth is that our constitutional rights can often hurt others. I cannot fathom why people would rationalize the deaths of the people who lay their life on the line on a daily basis for them. Our soldiers are the heros of the nation regardless of your opinions of war, homosexuals or whatever other issue someone could think of. Every death is for each one of us and when people cannot respect that it really makes me sick. I completely agree with you that the first amendment does protect the protestors. According to an opinion article in the NY Times, "The problem with punishing the protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church is that it would be un-American. When it comes to free speech, our country practices a kind of tough love." The American way is to at all costs uphold the constitution and our rights as citizens. Although in other countries such as France, who is considered "free", people can be punished if certain things are said.No matter how far we progress socially and as a society, the other ugly truth is people are never going to change. There will always be someone being oppressed and some group of people unhappy with something. I love every soldier that has ever served any length of time in the military and I try to make people more aware of what these silent heros do every day for every American citizen.
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