I don't know about Phelps. THere's not enough info here to tell me what he loost, what you're celebrating. Tell me more. Add it to your article.

by Rob Kall (953 articles, 4177 quicklinks, 374 diaries, 2087 comments [45 recommended, 3 rejected]) on Thursday, Nov 1, 2007 at 6:10:36 PM

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What Phelps is doing is repulsive.  It is similar in many ways to what people are doing in auditoriums all over this country and even in congressional hearing rooms.  People with some kind of beef or agenda are intruding on an event and trying to take it over for their own political purposes.  People did not go to a funeral or to hear a speaker to listen to some one continually  interrupt or try to make the event about them or their particular cause.

I think that the interrupters have a right to speak in most cases but the people at the event have rights too.  Where does the line get drawn?  Hard to say. 

I think that there should be a common sense line drawn of some kind.  Say, let the public event organizers come up with the rules of conduct and let potential attendees know what they are.  Seriously disobey them and you are disturbing the peace and can be arrested.   If you do not like the rules do not go to event.   There almost can't be one rule fits all.   A tough call for anyone who thinks the First Amendment is sacred.  

Whatever happened to good manners?

by Mad Jayhawk (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 652 comments [56 recommended, 3 rejected]) on Thursday, Nov 1, 2007 at 9:07:54 PM

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   Rob Kall, I am surprised you don't know about the Reverend Fred Phelps.  Phelps  and the members of his Baptist Church, which consists primarily of the members of his extended family, first became known for picketing the funerals of people who had died from AIDS, carrying signs saying "God Hates Fags," etc.  After Matthew Shepherd's murder, the website of his Church had a picture of Shepherd in the flames of hell.  In the last year or so, they have started picketing the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq, saying their deaths are God's punishment of the U.S. for tolerating homosexuality.

   I doubt that even most fundamentalist Christians support Phelps for, even though he holds up for public view Christianity in all its raw ugliness, even fundamentalist Christians do not want to see the full despicability of their own religion.  After all, when they burned us at the stake, I am sure some of them said it hurt them more than it did us!

   Of course, Phelps is about as despicable as you can get and my contempt and hate for him is made even stronger since I am Gay and thus one of the targets of his attacks.  But I too am distressed by the successful lawsuit against him because it is impossible to demarcate a class of speech set off for banning and leave the remaining areas of speech safe.  Someone is bound toe find some other topic of speech odious enough for outlawing.  I am sure that Phelps would find my speaking, writing and demonstrating for Gay Rights just as despicable as I find his picketing the funerals of Gays who have died of AIDS.  In fact, he is picketing the funerals of service  members and calling it God's punishment for the state's not banning my and other Gays speaking in favor of Gay Rights.

   I can accept the restriction of requiring Phelps and his supporters to picket a certain distance from the funeral to spare the bereaved additional distress.  But, although I am sure the father of the deceased service man was hurt and angered by Phelps picketing his son's funeral, I doubt he suffered 11 million dollars woth of pain.

   If I can prohibit someone from displaying a swastika or a noose, they can prohibit me from displaying a pink triangle.

Robert Halfhill   rhalfhill@juno.com 

by rhalfhill (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 325 comments) on Friday, Nov 2, 2007 at 2:35:00 AM

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