Last week the Supreme Court dealt with the case of Albert Snyder, whose son is a fallen Marine that died while serving his, and our, country. The funeral was interrupted by a band of picketers from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, who used this fallen Marine's funeral as a way to tell everyone how they felt. The picketers bearing signs reading "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and "Fags Doom the Nation" ruined Snyder's one chance to bury his son. There were young children holding signs at this hero's funeral.
Pastor Fred W. Phelps Sr., the churches leader, and his extreme fundamentalist followers strongly believe that because America is becoming so tolerant and accepting of homosexuality that God is killing our soldiers who are over in the Middle East fighting. They protest here to show America, because they claim funerals get the most media attention that this is what happens when we are accepting to homosexual acts. How can it be legal and even right for a group of people to do this at a marine's funeral?
Imagine not only losing your son, who has yet to live a full and happy life, and having to bury him, but also having protesters picjeting outside his funeral thanking God for his death and expressing through profane language. Originally Snyder had won this case but it was appealed because of issues presented that it violates the First Amendment. The First Amendment states that we as citizens have the right to free speech, where we can protest our ideas and opinions freely without persecution. This applies to even harmful words and seemingly crazy acts to prove a point.
Is there a line that shouldn't be crossed by protesters? A line of privacy and sympathy, like what is needed in a funeral setting. Which matters more in this instant, the freedom of speech or a fathers only chance to bury his son who lost his life protecting the very rights and country that are now protecting the protesters? Burying a child is unnatural and unexpected for any parent, whouldn't this be respected and have sympathy shown for this family. Where should the lines be drawn? What matters more in this instance? What should the Supreme Court do in this instance?
First of all I think it is really irrational for people to think that God is punishing those who serve our country because of our nation's decision to become more accepting of homosexuality. If God was going to punish anyone would it not be more rational to think that he would punish those who are homosexual or those who practice homosexuality? Why would God punish those who give their life to serve our country? So why don't the protestors, protest at homosexual weddings (not that that is morally acceptable either, but it would make more sense) That whole idea does not make sense to me at all and it sort of leads me to believe that these people who are protesting are crazy.
ReplyDeleteI understand that everyone has the constitutional right to freedom of speech and therefore, technically speaking, these protesters have every right to say what they are saying where they are saying it. However, their actions and words in that particular place and time are completely immoral and uncalled for. These protestors clearly have no respect for the privacy and honor of families greifing over a lost one. It is sad to think that these people will get away with their actions because technically according to the consitution they are not doing anything wrong. I can say confidently that the protestors would be just as upset as Snyder, if their son's funeral was disrupted by angry protestors. There is a fine line between freedom of speech and immoral oral disruption and I believe it is fair to say that this case clearly crosses that line to the side of immoral oral disruption!
I think it is absolutely awful that protesters would dare go to fallen soldiers funerals and say things like "because America is becoming so tolerant and accepting of homosexuality that God is killing our soldiers who are over in the Middle East fighting." This is appalling to me that someone would do that. What if it was their child that had died? Would they really want someone outside picketing at their own child's funeral? I definitely wish that the Supreme Court could do something about it, but I do unfortunately understand that the protesters can say that they have the First Amendment right to do so. Therefore, even though I am strongly against protesters attending fallen soldiers funerals, I do not know what could be done legally. I think it is more just a common courtesy and a socially accepted concept that you allow funerals to be peaceful processions. There is a line of privacy that should not be crossed and people should have compassion for the soldiers family. The protesters claimed that they get the most media attention at these funerals, but that is absolutely not an excuse at all to protest there. If they strongly feel the need to share with the world what they believe, they can do so in many other ways, but interrupting a soldiers funeral with harmful and offensive language is wrong. That soldier put their life on the line to help our country, and rudely interrupting his or her funeral is no way to repay them for their noble duty.
ReplyDeleteThis practice of protesting at soldiers’ funerals is extremely disrespectful and insensitive to the family and friends of the deceased. Funerals are meant be a peaceful and quiet time where people can say goodbye to someone they lost. These people are completely ruining this sacred practice. Also the logic behind their protesting makes no sense at all. The idea that God is killing American soldiers because society has become more accepting of homosexuality is completely ludicrous. Soldiers are dying because they are in a war. The people they are fighting the war against are killing them, not God. I was also extremely disturbed that children were participating in the protesting. This just goes to show that people carry on their prejudices to their children, which is a shame because the children really do not know any better. I do feel as if what they are doing is illegal. I agree that these protestors do have the right of free speech, but wouldn’t there actions in these situations be considered harassment or at least disturbing the peace. Also, since funerals are types of religious ceremonies, these protestors are impeding on a person’s right to practice religion freely, which is also a right given to all Americans by the Constitution. However, I can understand if a legal suit could not be filled in these situations, but I would think that they could at least file a civil suit against the protestors for emotional distress. Overall, I think that these people's actions are disgusting, and that some sort of action, whether civil or legal, should be taken out against them.
ReplyDeleteThis article really saddens me. One to think that we are in the 21st century and people are not treated as equals. We have come so far to treat African Americans and women as equals but we have done little for homosexuals. Even though they are attracted to the same sex doesn't mean they should not be treated fairly.
ReplyDeleteAnother reason why this saddens me is that these people did not even have the common decency to let the father mourn for his son. His son died young and died while protecting OUR country. They could not even give the soldier respect for protecting us. These protesters also had signs that "God is your enemy" well I don't know about you but I thought God teaches us to love everybody. Well even if you don't love everybody you should have a little compassion and give everyone respect.
It all comes back to the golden rule. Do unto others as you would want unto you. I do not think that these protestors would like if they were burying their son or daughter and had protestors disturbing the already horrific day. These people really should think about what they are doing because if is horrible and it should be stopped.
Reading this article saddens me in the way America is becoming. It seems as if everyday I turn on the news and I see more stories about society (protesters) criticizing someone's sexual orientation. This father's chance to bury his son in peace should be considered an unalienable right [sexual orientation should never be a regarded as a factor!]. It is apalling to hear how this fallen soldier who put his "life on the line" can not even have a proper burial without protestors present. I believe that freedom of speech should not be taken into account. There are certain times, situations, and places which it would be appropriate to protest, but this is not one of them. A parent never wants to bury their child; it is one of, if not the hardest things they would have to do in their life. I don't understand how protesters criticizing these fallen soldiers because of their sexual orientation can be viewed as just. The Supreme Court is not taking drastic action needed to protect soldiers & their families rights; the only "rule" is that protesters need to be a certain number of feet away from the burial. It is also sad that these fallen soldiers who died protecting our country are viewed in the news for being ridiculed for their sexual orientation by protesters as opposed to the service they provided for our country.
ReplyDelete*Check out this article about the Supreme Court being "torn over the case of anti-gay church protest outside a soldier's funeral"
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2013092690_scotus07.html
Where is this world heading is what I'm asking myself. I am surprised to see that the court dismissed this case. I think that this is without a doubt a fair case for the court to take on. Sure, we have the First Amendment that gives everyone the right to freedom of speech, but we all also have common sense. There should be a line drawn at the point where free speech is affecting someone's burial. The right of free speech should be drawn at the point where it is deeply affecting someone's emotions. In the past months we have seen where the right of free speech has taken people -- suicide. All the bulying that has drawn people over the edge causing them to kill themselves. The right of free speech should be taken away when it is not used in order to make progress in the world.
ReplyDeleteThe first amendment states that people have t freedom of speech and the right to peaceably assemble. Is protesting at a funeral considered peaceful? Freedom of speech is a right that we all have but how can it be determined when a line is crossed. Growing up learning about freedom of speech i remember my teacher tell students that freedom of speech did not give you the right to yell fire in a crowded room if it was not true. You could not do this because you would be causing unnecessary distress and putting people in what could become a harmful situation. These protestor are like that person screaming fire in a crowded room, they are causing unnecessary distress to a family who simply wants to bury their son. A funeral may not be the same thing as a fire but the result can be similar. Shouldn't there be a line drawn when freedom of speech interferes with the well being of a another citizen. If it is the governments job to protect its citizens shouldn't it do something to prevent events like this one. These protestors have every right to protest but believe those protests should not happen such a private event like a funeral. Why didn't they hold a rally or protest somewhere else, there is no reason that justifies protesting at a funeral, let alone one of a brave soldier who died serving their country, something that these inconsiderate protestors have not done. I believe in the freedom of speech but i can also not deny that in some cases, this right granted to us by our government is hindering progress in our society.
ReplyDeleteOnce I read this article I was instantly infuriated by the actions of the protesters. The church leader, in my opinion, is an inconsiderate and irrational person. The fact that God, in his opinion, is deliberately killing off His people because they, for the most part, accept someone's sexual orientation is appalling. The fact that he and his followers disrupted a holy ritual that was dedicated to honor a hero is despicable. I am all for freedom of speech but there is a time and place for it. They disrupted a father's last chance to say goodbye to his fallen son. Burying a child is one of the most difficult challenges to deal with and this "man of God" infringed on this father's right to honor his son. This hero sacrificed his life to fight for our rights that the Supreme Court used to protect this violator's rights. I think the freedom of speech should not be protected if it is used to deliberately hurt someone. Yes, everyone does have the right to say how they feel, but I think it is another story if this speech infringes on another's rights. The fallen soldier's family did not deserve this extremely rude disruption of their son's funeral, and I think that these protestors should be punished for their despicable actions.
ReplyDeleteI looked at this article prior to it being posted here and could not help but feel anger toward the people that were picketing at a funeral. How low do people have to stoop to be recognized for such an asinine cause as the one stated. Although they have the freedom of speech it does not give them just cause to wreck a funeral for a fallen soldier who has been defending their safety for years in this war. Sometimes I feel that people take their right to free speech too far. I dont see why they have to let everyone know how they feel on this subject. I feel that they should shut their mouthes now before something bad comes of this. Think of it this way if we attacked them for something that they did that did not fit the norm of what we do and we decided to picket. Would you think that they would be okay with that? I think not. This has to stop now!
ReplyDeleteAs an avid follower of the military and a person who has tremendous respect for all current military personnel and veterans, I was infuriated. It was shocking to me to think that people would actually protest at a fallen soldier's funeral and thank god for killing him during war. The soldiers overseas are the reason that those people are free to protest today anyways. If we didn't send these soldiers overseas then our country would probably constantly be under attack. These soldiers are risking their lives and their future over there to protect our freedom and to protect our constitution and give us the freedom of speech that we have. How can those people possibly be happy that soldiers are dying? Do they really want to lose their freedom? Do they really want to take the chance of being attacked by other enemy countries? These protestors are just plain stupid. If someone in my family died serving our country and I came out of the funeral only to find protestors thanking god for killing him, I would probably explode. I wouldn't be able to contain myself and would probably start physically beating those people. I give the father of that soldier a tremendous amount of respect for not taking this action because it definitely would have been one that I would have taken. Althpugh these protestors can't legally be punished I think that they should be morally punished for their actions.
ReplyDeleteI can’t believe this actually happened! It is beyond me why people would do something so outrageous.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that "funerals get the most media attention" is the lamest excuse I have ever heard to justify their strike. As a religious group, I am very surprised they desecrated the burial ceremony whether or not the person honored was gay.
If anything, they should have respect because the person fought for our country and their right to have the church that they can express themselves freely at.
I feel very strongly for gay rights and it infuriates me whenever a gay person is discriminated against using religious principles. If these people were true to their religion, they would love all God's creatures no matter what form they take.
I understand that we should have freedom of speech, but I would prefer that if you feel strongly about a cause, whether or not you stand alone in that cause, that you present it in a more respective matter. I think that we can all agree that we are more likely to listen to someone who speaks pleasantly rather than someone who is about to tackle you.
I have never been to a funeral, so I would like to ask if there any restrictions on who is allowed to attend or be in the surrounding area during an event such as this? Do different cemeteries have different policies? Or are there none at all? If not, I believe there should be some sort of limit.
The protestor's behavior at the funeral was very inappropriate. They should have had the decency to respect the soldier's family at such an emotional time. I am almost positive that families can request private funerals, but it depends on the parish, funeral home, and cemetery. I do not see any correlation between homosexuality and God killing soldiers in the Middle East. The reasoning behind this theory is completely illogical and it is surprising that people are so narrow-minded towards such individuals.
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