Bill Would Ban Phelps' Funeral Protests Nationwide

[davidinalameda]

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/03/031606funerals.htm

Rep. Mark Kennedy said Wednesday that he will push an amendment this week aimed at curtailing anti-gay protests held at military funerals.

Under the amendment, the Defense Department could not spend money to issue a permit authorizing a demonstration at a military funeral held at a Defense Department or Veterans Affairs cemetery.

Because it is limited to federal property, Kennedy's amendment would not have prevented the protest last month at Cpl. Andrew Kemple's funeral in Anoka, Minn., which generated widespread revulsion in the state.

But Kennedy, a Minnesota Republican who is running for Senate, said his amendment was inspired by that protest.


so Phelps is not only going to be able to sue the various states for first amendment violations but now the feds

what pisses me off is why didn't anyone do anything about Phelps when he demonstrating at gay funerals

[Warpy]

1. curtailing free speech is what Phelps is really all about

and that is why he's being such a wildly unpopular camera hog.

It would be interesting to see where the sudden infusion of cash has come from that has allowed him to go from local crank to national nuisance.

[Untermonkey]

2. Must...supress...dissent...

Can't have people running around exercising all that Free Speech now, can we?

I hope they do pass this law, and then get sued from here 'til next Christmas over First Amendment violations, hopefully with some jail time included. How many more times are we going to let some self-riteous idiot trample on our rights before we take the bastards out and shoot 'em all?

[brooklynite]

3. Isn't this the same Republican Party...

...that feels that anti-abortion protestors have an inalienable right to "interact" with patients at abortion clinics?

[Roon]

4. The best way to deal with Phelps

is to ignore him. The press was doing a good job of that until they started protesting soldiers' funerals and they put him back in the news again! Just ignore him!

[bertha katzenengel]

9. Hear, hear: IGNORE HIM.

It's not easy, but it can be done.

[cboy4]

10. YES YES, OMG how many time have I said just ignore them

and they'd all go away.

Our anger, our rage, our furor is Phelps' crack cocaine, his heroin fix, his crystal meth.

Nope, it's NOT EASY ignoring him, that's for sure.

And as much as I'd like to crack a brick over that motherfucker's head, I think he works to our advantage in at least one way:

Lots of straight folks are learning just how disgusting the devil himself (Phelps) has always been toward gay people before he decided to turn on society as a whole.

[formerrepuke]

5. The Phelpster adults are mostly all lawyers... this is what they want:

they are highly litigious- and they know THEIR rights and use the system to make sure they are protected... The rights of others aren't terribly important to them, however.

[dragonlady]

6. Wisconsin just passed a law about this

It puts some restrictions on how close the demonstrators can get, etc.

[sui generis]

7. Exactly - never mind that some of those dead soldiers are gay

but they couldn't tell you if you asked.

It really does have to be local to be most effective on all property where a funeral is being held.

Protesting a death is kind of stupid anyway. Being dead isn't like something you can change your mind about later.

[the arkansas liberal]

8. Yes, it pisses me off

that now everyone is recognizing what a complete lunatic the man is. Where were these people 10 years ago? I had a confrontation with some of the 'Church' members at Tulsa pride way back in '98 -- separated by a blockade several yards wide and guarded by several (fairly attractive ) policemen on horses...anyway: I hate to say it, but the members whom I 'debated' were extremely big, oafish, and well...stupid. They kept swearing and cursing, not acting in a Biblical way at all. I reminded them of the Bible' admonishment about self-control (one of the 'fruits of the Spirit' found in the Book of Galatians -- called temperance). I commented that they looked like they never met a pork chop they said 'no' to. "Fat Fucks" I believe is the (unfortunate) term I used. My God -- they had to be restrained. My parting shot, as I was drug away by concerned friends, was something along the line of, "...and it takes a REAL MAN to take it up the ass!" I am also a little repentant about this comment but it was fun... They were speechless. Did I mention they were stupid? They are one-note -- godhatesfags, godhatesfags -- and when challenged they folded and resorted to juvenile behavior (much like I did, you are saying, and you are right -- did I mention I was pissed off?). I agree with the post about the press ignoring this guy -- he was scheduled to come to my town and the press did not cover him. He never showed up. Interesting....