St. Joseph passes law banning funeral protests (Phelps)

[kweerwolf]

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Protesting at funerals has been banned in St. Joseph after an anti-gay group waved antimilitary signs at a soldier's funeral here and at other military funerals across the country.

A Topeka-based church run by Fred Phelps and consisting mainly of family members has picketed several funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq. The family contends American soldiers are being killed in Iraq as vengeance from God for protecting a country that harbors homosexuals.

The ordinance unanimously approved Monday by the St. Joseph City Council is similar to a proposed state measure that would bar protests at or near a funeral from an hour before a funeral service to an hour after it ends.

Republican Sen. Charlie Shields and Democratic Rep. Martin Rucker, both of St. Joseph, proposed the legislation last month after a protest during the August funeral service of Spc. Edward Myers, a St. Joseph soldier killed in Iraq.

http://www.kctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4265667

I doubt whether this law will stand up in court, but I'm glad someone is taking on Fred Phelps and his filthy little inbred clan. It's just too bad that none of these legislators were interested in doing anything when Fred was picketing "fag" funerals ... but then I guess the legislators have the same point of view as Fred when it comes to the worth of "fags" vs. good ol' 'Murican soldiers.

[PDJane]

1. Unfortunately, the US can't do

What Canada did.

Hate speech is a crime in Canada, and we kept his merry band of fools on the other side of the border, where he accused the entire country of interesting things.......because we allow same-sex marriage.

And make no mistake; the Phelps brand of free speech is hate speech. I absolutely despise this man.

[MikeStl]

2. I find their picketing of military funeral disgusting as well

Not sure if passing a law against it is the right way to go or not. Seems like something needs to be done though. It is very distressing to me as you mentioned that there was no interest in this type of legislation after all the funerals of gays he has protested. If they do pass a law will it be applied just as fairly to funerals other than military ones. Important questions.

[ddeclue]

3. It's unconstitutional but the protests are in REALLY bad taste!

[NMMNG]

4. I guess soldiers are just more important than fags

If Phelps hadn't broadened his horizons he could have gone on grandstanding at funerals until the cows came home without a single lawmaker butting in. Just goes to show where people's priorities are.

[Meldread]

5. Agreed.

While I am certain this won't stand up in court (and the entire Phelps family is nothing but Lawyers who WILL sue), and protesting at -ANY- funeral (except, perhaps, Freds) is distasteful... it is still disheartening to see action ONLY to be taken when they begin to target non-gay funerals.

[Brian_Expat]

6. Which is why we gotta stick together.

In the end, we've only got each other, as the regular sell-outs by our nominal "allies" so amply demonstrate.

[davidinalameda]

7. it's a shame that taxpayer money will be spent to defend this law

and I'm sure some more taxpayer money will end up in Fred's pockets