Comments on: Court nixes $5M verdict against Phelps

By: Liam Sauer-Wooden

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 01:04:54 +0000

Ah, religion – the bane of compassion.

By: mykelb

mykelb — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:49:54 +0000

Next Stop. The Phelch’s church with signs that say “God Says to Execute Your Lying Slut Daughters – Deuteronomy 22:21″ and “Your Sons are Going to Hell for Adultery”.

By: cdnair

cdnair — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:14:59 +0000

Guys, you have two options- actually scratch that: 4.
1. Ignore them- they’ll drink that kool-aid someday
2. legally silence them. Canada and the UK have provisions from even letting them into the country, let alone spewing of their filth. Freedom of speech is important to us Canadians too- but there is a line.
These are from QAF: a line I totally side with:
3. Educate them… pfff I’ll try to hold back the laughter.
4. Shoot them. (or as ED puts it ” swerve onto the sidewalk hitting at least 100 of them for OVER 9000 points”)

1.Pick one
2.????
3. PROFIT!!!

By: Gerry Fisher

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:36:20 +0000

>They are crass SOB’s. But the right to be crass is not denied under the US Constitution.

That’s just it…they are NOT “just” being crass. They’re intentionally targeting people vulnerable to great hurt by their actions. In other words: they are intentionally hurting people. That’s usually prevented by most laws, but the courts are having trouble placing “protect the mourners from trauma on a very vulnerable day” on an equal priority with “free speech.” They should be trying to balance the two. (I think the sticking point is that speech is constitutionally protected and “not being emotionally eviscerated on the day of your child’s funeral” is not *explicitly* protected by the constitution. Maybe it ought to be.)

By: Gerry Fisher

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:32:44 +0000

The thing that bothers me in most of the court cases that support Phelps is that none of them focus at all at the intentional infliction of pain upon those attending the funeral. People who spread vicious, career-damaging rumors are held more accountable by the system than someone who targets a family on their most vulnerable day: the day they bury a dead son or daughter who served our country.

Yes, they have a right to free speech. Yes, the signs can be interpreted as being hyperbolic and not literal (though, if you interview the church members, you’ll find that the signs are literally targeting the dead soldiers). Just keep the hurtful people a reasonable amount of distance away from the grieving family so that additional pain is not inflicted upon them. I don’t think that that’s too much to ask for, and I can’t understand how “the right to grieve your child’s death without someone using it to inflict more pain” could NOT be protected by the constitution. Geez!

By: Raymond H. Clark

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:44:38 +0000

As odious as Phelps and his band of brain-dead religious thugs are, the ruling is correct. Exposing their beliefs to the light of day is the only legal way to sanitize them (like bacteria).

By: David W

David W — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:44:33 +0000

TO borrow from jessieka them: How odd not so long ago republican party would have called picketing a solders funeral as treasonouse behavior….
Wasn’t the Republicans that thought we should throw off the Bench Activist judges? Sounds like these Judges were being Activist to me.

By: Jere Mack-Clauser

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 12:51:20 +0000

The entire Phelps clan are extreme right-wing wacko nutjobs. They are so outrageous that they get publicity because of it, just like Rush Limbaugh, Anne Coulter, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, etc. On the flip side, it makes a lot of people shake their heads and say WTF? Do you know how many straight people have turned their support towards gays and lesbians because of Phelps and his minions? We chat with people on the local level concerning gay rights and we often mention people like Fred Phelps and almost everyone instantly jumps to our defense and they too call this guy an idiot. I really think that their hatred for us has the opposite effect than they planned. I am sooooo looking forward to seeing foul mouthed Shirley at the Oct 11 freedom march in Washington and getting our picture taken with her….with a huge broad smile on my face!!!

By: teachermahn

teachermahn — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 14:29:54 +0000

Under the law I can use deadly force when I feel my life is gravely threatened. As an ex military member and openly gay man, I feel my life is in grave danger. So I will be just and within the terms of the law to shoot all of them and there is NOTHING they can do. It is all about perception, you can’t judge that in court, If I really feel this way and see it this way, there is NOTHING wrong. I am just.

Too bad that I have common sense that tells me that killing people is wrong regardless of the views they hold.

It is sad that they protest a funeral that should be private for the family.

Where were they at the Ted Kennedy funeral. He was a “fag” supporter and liberal.

These people are cowards! I hope they picket a funeral I am at, then my life will be in danger and I will fight as it is my right to protect myself and my family.

BTW: Topeka Kansas area code where Phelps church is starts 666. There is your first clue.

By: jessieka

jessieka — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 08:30:00 +0000

How odd not so long ago republican party would have called picketing a solders funeral as treasonouse behavior.That could only be dreamed of liberal nutballs.
Now its the compleatly INSANE sociopath’s who dine to call themselfs both republican & christian who are darring to disrespect the sacrifice made by american’s.For a bastered war to keep the oil flowing so they can criss cross the us in there giant suv’s.
So the freaks are the only one with rights……..