Westboro Baptist Church Catches a Break

Nebraska's Supreme Court has overturned a lower court's ruling that kept the Westboro Baptist "Church" farther away from funerals. The Court stated (here's a link if you want to read the whole story) keeping peaceful protesters hundreds of yards away from a funeral violates their 1st Amendment rights.

Here's the thing: the protests aren't peaceful. I witnessed a Westboro protest in Kansas City in September. Although the protesters did stand and hold their signs without hitting or punching or anything (and they let their kids hold signs that said stuff like "God Hates Fags"....like a kid understands what a fag is), I also know that they yelled things like, "You are a faggot, and you will burn in hell!" That isn't peaceful. Really, it's a hate crime, plain and simple.



Here's another thing: protesting a rock concert is one thing; protesting at the funeral of a dead person who can't defend himself/herself is another thing entirely. The beauty of free speech is that it is a two-way street: Mr. Phelps can hold his "God Hates Fags" signs, and I can stand beside him with a sign that says, "Fuck That Guy." Cool. But dead people can't do that, they can't defend themselves. It's not a two-way street anymore.

I love the 1st Amendment. It's fucking awesome. I use my free speech right every single day while I yell at my television during Rachel Maddow and while I drive around in my minivan with politically-themed bumper stickers attached. I love it!! That said, it hurts a little to know that those folks can stand near to a grieving widow and call her dead husband a fag. I'm lucky enough to know a few people here in Lincoln who will surely be at every single Westoboro funeral protest within a hundred miles. They will pull their motorcycles up alongside the protesters and rev the engines til the shouts of "Faggot!" are drowned out - so that mourners don't have to hear the vile words.