Dems should make Westboro Baptist Church a big issue

[Onlooker]

This could be a great wedge issue. Most Americans agree that picketing funerals of soldiers and even Reagan (let alone gays), is repulsive and should not be allowed. This is a great issue with which to point out that sometimes the Constitution does not work perfectly in light of modern realities. While some people may back the right of assembly under all circumstances, I think the average person would say there has to be some limits somewhere, and certainly restricting the right to protest at funerals seems like a reasonable limit. Our founders surely would have addressed this issue if they ever conceived that people would be so cruel as Phelps and his gang. If the Dems raise this issue, I think it will cause a lot of problems for Libertarians, conservatives, and Tea Baggers.

[PeaceNikki]

1. Totally disagree.

In addition to questioning fundamental rights over a handful of assholes, why give them airtime or any acknowledgement at all? They're insignificant fuckfaces who mean nothing to anyone.

Fuck 'em. Right in the ear.

[Onlooker]

3. So, you're on the side of Scalia, Roberts, Alito, and Thomas? LOL. nt

[PeaceNikki]

5. I suppose I am on this issue

fuck off, also, too

[DemocratSinceBirth]

19. Scalia Also Said "Flag Burning Is Protected Speech"

Should we oppose him on that too.

What other amendments beside the First should we oppose to garner a few votes?


BTW, I would think you could come up with "disturbing the peace" and "disorderly conduct" statutes that would pass judicial muster and curtail the Westboro Church nonsense.

[Chan790]

24. Ginsburg and Breyer likely would go that way too.

Ginsburg is a former ACLU and WRP litigator.
Breyer is a classically-liberal jurist.

Both are historically staunch and resolute on speech protections. This is not a winner for Democrats as a policy position. You'd have emotionally-advocated the wrong position on Skokie too, I'm assuming?

Free speech protections should be as close to absolute as possible. Here I'm willing to say I'm firmly in the same camp as Scalia, Roberts, Alito, and Thomas because I'm also in the same camp as some people I respect deeply including Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Nadine Strossen and Larry Lessig. (I'd love to see the last two on SCOTUS some day.)

Edit: U not E.

[yellowcanine]

2. Constitution was 1789 and I don't see this as anything that could or should be used politically.

The Phelps gang speaks for themselves. No one supports their nonsense even if they do defend their right to protest. I am not comfortable trying to make political hay out of something like this. It is unseemly and would not show a lot of class.

[Rabrrrrrr]

4. So you want the Dems, often characterized as 'constitution shredders', to offer a platform

based on shredding the constitution?

Not so smart, that idea.

[PeaceNikki]

6. Yeah. This ^ also, too.

Dumb.

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. Thanks! Might as well stump around on a "we're gonna make all guns illegal" platform, too.

:eyes:

[PeaceNikki]

8. And Bibles, too. Oooh, don't forget the Death Panels.

I would like to serve a term on that panel.

[Rabrrrrrr]

9. and making Islam the required national religion while simultaneously making atheism the only legal

belief system based on a purely scientific, evolutionary, material objectionist viewpoint, praise be Allah.

[PeaceNikki]

11. Forced gay marriage. Mandatory abortions. Marxist reeducation camps.

:woohoo:

[Rabrrrrrr]

12. Government control of corporations. National uniforms. Pres. for Life Obama.

[PeaceNikki]

15. Hmm. Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

[Rabrrrrrr]

22. You'll be automatically subscribed and payment will be taken from your nationalized income check.

[AlinPA]

10. I'd rather link the fundamentalist republican teabaggers with the Phelps people.

[MrSlayer]

13. Why? The Phelps people are all Democrats.

Ironically, they are a family of Civil Rights lawyers. Fred Phelps ran for governor as Democrat more than once and his son Fred Jr. was a delegate and fundraiser for Al Gore.

Not a good idea.

[provis99]

16. I agree.

All we'd be doing is bringing attention to the fact that some Democrats are assholes, too.

[Onlooker]

17. So, you're defending them?

Democrats have a great and proud history of rejecting their Dixiecrats and others bigots. Nothing wrong with the Democrats urging the Phelps crowd to join the Republicans, where there's a better fit.

[PeaceNikki]

18. He's not defending them. He's simply saying it's a bad idea to shed a light on them.

It's a terrible and dumb idea and you're accusing people who doesn't agree with you of being something they aren't.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

20. The Phelps Are Welcome To Join The Republicants

But these clowns believed Jerry Falwell was too far left.

BTW, we drove the Dixiecrats out of the party or they left. We didn't take away their Constitutional rights.

[jellen]

14. Westboro church

These people probably want to take away our free speech.I only hope the supreme court is smart enough to answer this question in a Soloman -like way.

[MiniMe]

21. Nobody thinks the Westboro baptist church should be doing what they are doing

They are repulsive to the nth degree. Unfortunately, they have the right to do it, no matter how repulsive it is. If the Dems wanted to make it an issue, they should have done it with the BushCo free speech zones when protesters were fenced into a specific area away from everybody else.

[Exilednight]

23. "they should have done it with the BushCo free speech zones"

Exactly right!

In the most ironic of ways, the first amendment was designed for dumb-asses like Phelps and klan.

[LAGC]

25. I kind of like the Westboro Baptist Church.

They make Christians look like idiots.

I certainly don't support restricting their free speech rights just because I disagree with their message.

Let them shout it from the roof-tops -- only makes them look like fools, and turns people off to what they are saying.

And there's nothing stopping people from counter-protesting. Free speech/assembly works both ways, don't fuck with it.