[SypheDMar]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110302/ap_on_re_us/us_supreme_court_funeral_protests

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a grieving father's pain over mocking protests at his Marine son's funeral must yield to First Amendment protections for free speech. All but one justice sided with a fundamentalist church that has stirred outrage with raucous demonstrations contending God is punishing the military for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.
The 8-1 decision in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., was the latest in a line of court rulings that, as Chief Justice John Roberts said in his opinion for the court, protects "even hurtful speech on public issues to ensure that we do not stifle public debate."
The decision ended a lawsuit by Albert Snyder, who sued church members for the emotional pain they caused by showing up at his son Matthew's funeral. As they have at hundreds of other funerals, the Westboro members held signs with provocative messages, including "Thank God for dead soldiers," `'You're Going to Hell," `'God Hates the USA/Thank God for 9/11," and one that combined the U.S. Marine Corps motto, Semper Fi, with a slur against gay men.

[headdie]

so in other words freedom of speech overrides a persons right to grieve for a lost loved one

[QuantumDelta]

Is there a freedom of molotov cocktailing? :<

[Mongoose]

Hearing this ruling really bummed me out.  I mean, I know from a constitutional standpoint that the Supreme Court was correct, and that the First Amendment has to take precedence in cases like this one if it's to have any meaning at all...but goddamn, those assholes.  At the very least, the Court also stated that measures prohibiting protests within a certain radius of a funeral site are permissible.

[headdie]

Thinking about it, from the slogans and placards quoted, could there be an argument for incitement to violence?

[Nuclear1]

As much as I hate these guys, this ruling is a good yardstick for our First Amendment freedoms--if the Court will protect assholes like these, the worst of the worst, then it'll protect us.

And if the military families can take anything from the WBC, it's that the First Amendment they were told their child died for overseas is still alive and well, and the WBC is living proof of it.

[headdie]

It's times like this I hate irony

[karajorma]

Maybe we should stop thinking of this ruling in terms of what it allows the Westbro Baptists to do and instead start thinking of what it entitles us to do to them.

[Black Wolf]

Kevin Smith was having some fun with them at Sundance the other week - http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/01/sundance-2011-red-state-sparks-protests-and-media-frenzy.html

The article neglects to mention ne of his mates walking around with a "Dick Tastes Yummy" sign.

[Rodo]

The law was correctly applied, the flaw here is that law is thought to make an effect on sane people... which those protesters are clearly not.

[BrotherBryon]

Can't we classify them as a cult and disband them already.

[QuantumDelta]

It'd make a nice dry run for the other churches too.

[Sushi]

Hearing this ruling really bummed me out.  I mean, I know from a constitutional standpoint that the Supreme Court was correct, and that the First Amendment has to take precedence in cases like this one if it's to have any meaning at all...but goddamn, those assholes.  At the very least, the Court also stated that measures prohibiting protests within a certain radius of a funeral site are permissible.

This might make you feel better.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Guard_Riders

WBC may represent some of the worst of America, but these guys represent some of the best.

[Rodo]

Na, leave them as they are.
They will eventually disband themeselves out of boredom or get destroyed in a mortal clash with another group equally disturbed people.

[Nemesis6]

This is a victory for free speech, nothing more, nothing less.

[headdie]

Maybe we should stop thinking of this ruling in terms of what it allows the Westbro Baptists to do and instead start thinking of what it entitles us to do to them.

If i was in america you could count me in on the counter protest on the other side of the cemetery

[Mars]

See, the thing is, normal, healthy, people don't look up the dates and locations for service member's funerals, so the counter protests are usually pretty small.

EDIT:

I'm speaking of private funerals of course.

[Locutus of Borg]

Would the same ruling have been delivered had they been atheists?

[StarSlayer]

The way they ruled probably has to do with the fact that the First Amendment needs to be preserved, not anything to do with religious favoritism.  The WBP brand of zealotry runs counter to mainstream US Christianity which is tends more towards God & Country.  Not to mention if you've ever seen interviews with the chief justices, it becomes pretty clear they are very very competent and take their stuff extremely seriously. 

[NGTM-1R]

Would the same ruling have been delivered had they been atheists?

Absolutely.