Now here is a really disgusting story. As you all know, Fred Phelps and his "Westboro Baptist Church" in Kansas--which is not really a Baptist church, just a crazy cult--has been going around the country with their "God hates fags" message. They hate everybody, but mainly homosexual people.
In 2006, there was a funeral at my Catholic church, St. John's, in Westminster, Maryland, in rural Carroll County (NW of Baltimore in central Maryland). The funeral was for Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, of Westminster, who was killed in Iraq.
The insane Phelps cult came all the way from Kansas to protest at the funeral, attacking gays, attacking Catholics, attacking the military, basically attacking everybody.
Corporal Snyder's father Albert Snyder sued them. He won a $5 million verdict.
This has just been thrown out by the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on First Amendment grounds! See http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/...
I just saw this in today's newspaper sitting on the counter in my kitchen. I'm pretty much speechless. I just want to pass along this shocking news.
I'm a great advocate of the First Amendment. But I don't think it should protect these vicious cultists under these circumstances. I hope Mr. Snyder will have the steam to take this to the Supreme Court.
Updated: Here is a link to the awful court decision:
http://blogs.findlaw.com/...
Updatedx2: Just noticed that the link above requires registration if you're not already on Findlaw. Here is a better link to the decision:
http://pacer.ca4.uscourts.gov/...