Thu Aug 2, 2012, 02:00 PM

TrogL (31,274 posts)

Congress Passes Restrictions On Military Funeral Protests, Delivers Blow To Westboro Baptist Church

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/02/veterans-bill-military-funerals_n_1733080.html

Westboro Baptist Church protesters will soon be severely limited in their ability to disrupt military funerals, after Congress passed a sweeping veterans bill this week that includes restrictions on such demonstrations.

According to "The Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012," which is now headed to President Barack Obama's desk, demonstrators will no longer be allowed to picket military funerals two hours before or after a service. The bill also requires protestors to be at least 300 feet away from grieving family members.

This aspect of the legislation was introduced by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), who, at the urging of a teenage constituent, proposed new limitations on military funeral demonstrations as a response to a 2011 Supreme Court case that ruled such actions were protected under the First Amendment.

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12 replies	Author	Time	Post
Congress Passes Restrictions On Military Funeral Protests, Delivers Blow To Westboro Baptist Church (Original post)	TrogL	Aug 2012	OP
special privileges for military. too bad it leaves out civilians nt	msongs	Aug 2012	#1
GOOD!	Behind the Aegis	Aug 2012	#2
I hope ACLU contests this unconstitutonal restriction on free speech	Bragi	Aug 2012	#3
Really easy for one to say	Pab Sungenis	Aug 2012	#10
As much as I hate Westboro, since the SCOTUS said such restrictions were	joeybee12	Aug 2012	#4
Yep	MNBrewer	Aug 2012	#5
Very true...they show just how awful they are...nt	joeybee12	Aug 2012	#6
Really conflicted over this.	stevenleser	Aug 2012	#7
From my perspective, that Westboro does more good for GLBT people than harm,	MNBrewer	Aug 2012	#8
I love this law	Pab Sungenis	Aug 2012	#9
300 feet away is not so bad	dickthegrouch	Aug 2012	#11
It's About Dmaned Time!!	RetiredTrotskyite	Aug 2012	#12

Response to TrogL (Original post)

Thu Aug 2, 2012, 02:09 PM

msongs (30,517 posts)

1. special privileges for military. too bad it leaves out civilians nt

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Response to TrogL (Original post)

Thu Aug 2, 2012, 02:09 PM

Behind the Aegis (27,672 posts)

2. GOOD!

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Response to TrogL (Original post)

Thu Aug 2, 2012, 02:19 PM

Bragi (6,988 posts)

3. I hope ACLU contests this unconstitutonal restriction on free speech

I do not support this law and hope it is found to be unconstitutional. We should be more concerned about suppression of free speech than we are about whatever non-violent, protesters might say, however idiotic and even hateful they may be.

The antidote to free speech is more free speech, not suppression of free speech.

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Response to Bragi (Reply #3)

Fri Aug 3, 2012, 05:44 PM

Pab Sungenis (8,925 posts)

10. Really easy for one to say

when the free speech isn't being used to abuse them.

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Response to TrogL (Original post)

Thu Aug 2, 2012, 06:15 PM

joeybee12 (41,677 posts)

4. As much as I hate Westboro, since the SCOTUS said such restrictions were

unconstitutional, isn't this also uncosntitutional and therefore just an exercise in futility?

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Response to joeybee12 (Reply #4)

Thu Aug 2, 2012, 06:48 PM

MNBrewer (5,671 posts)

5. Yep

Personally, I love Westboro. They do so much to advance LGBT equality. Every time they show up people see how ugly homophobia is.

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Response to MNBrewer (Reply #5)

Thu Aug 2, 2012, 07:09 PM

joeybee12 (41,677 posts)

6. Very true...they show just how awful they are...nt

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Response to TrogL (Original post)

Fri Aug 3, 2012, 12:04 PM

stevenleser (13,277 posts)

7. Really conflicted over this.

Last edited Fri Aug 3, 2012, 12:05 PM USA/ET - Edit history (1)

This is different from preventing Chick-Fil-A from operating a business somewhere. People usually gloss right over this, but state and federal government have various roles in allowing businesses to operate, giving them permits, corporate charters, etc. In my humble opinion, local, state and federal governments dont exert enough influence in preventing certain businesses from operating by denying or revocation of corporate charters and such.

Preventing a protester from speaking is another issue. Nothing would please me more than to have the Westboro Baptist Church jerks stop protesting but it is impossible to ignore the pure 1st amendment issues here.

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Response to stevenleser (Reply #7)

Fri Aug 3, 2012, 04:10 PM

MNBrewer (5,671 posts)

8. From my perspective, that Westboro does more good for GLBT people than harm,

I think it's a terrible thing to ban them. However, I also have noted that hardly anyone OTHER than GLBT people even knew about Westboro before they started protesting military funerals. Once they showed up protesting funerals OTHER than GLBT people, THEN the shit hit the fan for them. On the whole, straight America doesn't really care that much about us (they wish we would shut up and go back in the closet, really). When Westboro protested "true American heroes who died in the service of their country", straight America sat up and payed attention.

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Response to TrogL (Original post)

Fri Aug 3, 2012, 05:43 PM

Pab Sungenis (8,925 posts)

9. I love this law

but sadly know it's going to get shot down as unconstitutional.

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Response to TrogL (Original post)

Sun Aug 5, 2012, 10:03 PM

dickthegrouch (1,229 posts)

11. 300 feet away is not so bad

If the 300 foot part gets struck down, presidential "exclusion zones" should be struck down at the exact same time.

If a two hour buffer zone at beginning and end gets struck down, our free-speech protests at Rmoney rallies will also have to be endured.

If it's not clear; I love the dilemma that the supremes will have backed themselves into, and I wish every bad thought possible on the Westboro baptists.

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Response to TrogL (Original post)

Mon Aug 6, 2012, 07:27 AM

RetiredTrotskyite (1,494 posts)

12. It's About Dmaned Time!!

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