Monday, April 5, 2010

Supreme Court in Action: First amendment


The Supreme Court often hears cases that illicit strong opinions on each side. Often times, the court is asked to hear cases that are ruled on by one of the federal Appellate Courts. The most recent case that has stirred controversy is the case involving members of the Westboro Baptist Church protesting at fallen soldiers funerals. Please read the following article on the extent of first amendment rights and answer the following question. Should Americans freedom of speech and expression extend to protesting at soldiers' funerals? Is this going to far or do these extremists have the right to say what they choose at these service funerals?



http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/us/09scotus.html?scp=1&sq=westboro%20baptist%20church&st=cse







51 comments:

j.epstein said...

I think that there should be absolutely no exception for the Freedom of Speech right. These people who chose to protest should face no consequences for what they did. I don't necessarily agree with what they did, but breaking the Bill of Rights now will lead to many other issues. For example if these people are arrested, then that will tell many other people that the Bill of Rights isn't truly protecting our rights, and people should always have that security. Also, if it is ignored now, then there may be no end, if we don't keep strict to the Bill of Rights then over time it will lead to disaster. I don't think that this being at a soldier's funeral should change the outcome at all, I agree it is very disrespectful, but I think that every human and their family should get the complete respect that a soldier would get.

j.mcgarity said...

I hold that however disturbing these are, they should not be infringed upon. the people still have their rights to free speech, though the constitution says nothing about states restrcting free speech, and any power not given to the government shall be given to the next highest power, all the way down to the people.
This does anger me that these people would do this at the funeral of a loyal american soldier who fought for those people's rights, and I think that there should be some punishment or damages.

g.jeong said...

I personally think that there should be a limitation of "freedom of speech". Obviously, disturbing a funeral service of a solider crosses the line. I realize that the first amendment gives the citizens the right to freedom of speech;however, that doesn't mean that people can protest and picket wherever they want. People are just abusing their freedom and being disrespectful.

I believe that the protesters should be punished for their action. By punishing them, they will learn when it is necessary to use their "freedom of speech". If they are not punished for their disrespectful acts, people will simply think that it's okay to protest wherever they want. For example, in the middle of the president's speech.
So I believe that the protesters should be punished for their actions.

vchen said...

First of all, it doesn't make too much sense that the anti-gay protesters start making a ruckus at the funeral of a bunch of dead soldiers. I can think of a few better places to protest if they're anti-gay. The fact that they're disrespecting the American soldiers is going a bit too far, but the 1st Amendment does give them the right to do so. If complaining in such a place is illegal, then the 1st Amendment should've been more specific and set limitations to how far one can defend oneself with that amendment.
The freedom of speech allows the protesters to do what they want, and honestly, there probably aren't very many people who think that doing this action is amazing. In my opinion, the military guys and the soldiers' families can just ignore the protesters until they go away. Under the first amendment, these anti-gay people have the right to protest in such an area.

Aflynn said...

These people have every right to protest. No matter how affending, disrespectful, or unnecessary the act may be! As long as this isn't causing physical harm to anyone, they are protected under the first amendment of the Bill of Rights to voice their opinions.
I disagree to their point of view, but im sure they disagree with mine too. just like we have the right to say they are "wrong", they have every right to protest.

k.headrick said...
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k.headrick said...

Although I do not agree with what the extremists of the church protested at the funerals of people that have died to keep our country safe, I do believe that they did not violate the right of free speech and that there is no constitutional basis for the charges against them. Free speech is an important right in American society, and it extends to all its citizens, even extremists. If exceptions are made for this right, then what is to stop the government from violating other rights?

Many people do not agree with this protesting but the ruling of the court should not be influenced by opinion, only constitutional rights. One of the main purposes of the constitution is to prevent bias and allow rulings of the court to be impartial, if the constitution is disregarded in certain cases then the founding document of our country is not accomplishing its purpose. I believe that the extremists of the church were wrong in their method of protesting but I don't think they should suffer any consequences because they are protected by the right of free speech.
Kira Headrick

p.lindgren said...
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p.lindgren said...

I believe that extremists have the right to express their opinion under the Constitution. The Freedom of Speech clause protects our rights to say what we want.

Although i do not believe where these people protested was all that great of an idea it does not say in the Constitution where you can and cannot protest and speak your mind. These people should be protected under the Constitution but will hopefully think of a more appropriate place to protest than at a soldier who fought for our freedom's funeral if they choose to protest in the future.

jen forrister said...

I believe that, even though I disagree with the protesters who chose to protest at soldiers' funerals, there is no way to limit freedom of speech. In this country, we have freedom of speech rights that remain in place in almost any circumstance. I do think that the families of the soldiers also deserve a right to privacy, to grieve without protesters swarming the funeral, but putting limitations in place for certain issues wouldn't work.

If we started to limit free speech in some ways, such as in this situation, then other situations would arise in which people think they have the right to free speech, but others would oppose by saying the limitations put in place apply to that situation as well. This could lead to the whole Constitution getting revised, or worse, ignored, which would make for a terrible outcome. Although I think what the protesters are doing is completely wrong and inconsiderate, i think it would only cause chaos to limit freedom of speech.

Daniel Shang said...

I believe that these anti-gay protesters have crossed the line by protesting at the funerals of deceased soldiers with messages like “Thank God for dead soldiers” and that they cannot justify their protests with the 1st Amendment. Although the 1st Amendment guarantees the right to speech, in certain cases it doesn’t apply to its fullest extent like using foul language in public schools or other public settings. I believe this is also one of those cases. From a moral standpoint, your sibling/son/daughter has just died serving their country, and while you’re holding a service to honor them, some random people arrive and say that your sibling/son/daughter deserved it. That is uncalled for. These protestors are dishonoring the soldiers who fight for their (ours, too) freedom everyday, and that is ungrateful and wrong. I do support the protestors’ right to speech, but at a funeral for a deceased soldier is definitely not the right place.

From a Constitutional standpoint, the protestors violated the deceased marine’s father’s right to privacy because a funeral is a private service between relatives and friends, not random people. The father had a right to not be disturbed, and when the protestors held up their offensive signs, they violated his right. In addition, protests are required to be peaceful, and no one should be hurt in the process. However, during this protest, the father most definitely was hurt emotionally, as is expected when strangers blatantly disrespect your deceased loved one. Based on the current limitations of the 1st Amendment, the right to privacy, and the peaceful nature of most protests, I believe that the protestors are crossing a line and are not allowed to demonstrate in this particular setting by the 1st Amendment.

kchenL said...
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kchenL said...

I believe that the people protesting the funerals have achieved the highest level of disrespect to the soldiers that fight for those people's rights.
I think that they people protesting should be punished, it is disrespectful and if we let this slide over our heads. What will happen next? We need to set an example to show that this is not okay. The first amendment of the Constitution lets them protest. But I still think that they should be punished. I am livid by the fact that these people would protest funerals for those who gave their lives for the benefit of the country. Everybody has to treat soldiers like they are any other person. What if the protesters actually put on the shoes on the family who lost their loved one in the war. What if they weren't able to have a funeral for their loved ones. Again, I am irate with the protester's actions.

t.pfromer said...

Though I believe what these protestors were saying was truely despicable, they should still have the freedom of speech. If we were to, for example, arrest these protestors, we would we sending a wrong message. That message being that if the majority of Americans do not believe what you think is right, you will be arrested. It would make America look semi-communist.
However, funerals, in general, are very sad and the families of the dead one(s) are going through a difficult time. I do not think protesting for whatever reason by the families of the deceased is the proper way do say what you want to say. However, the first admendment secures their right too.

tfratkin said...

I personally believe that these extremists in this extenuating circumstance do not have the right to do what they are doing. Is this preventing these extremists their right of the First Amendment? Most definately. However, in extenuating circumstances rules need to be broken, even if this is the rule that some say shaped our country. In order for our country to continue its path, things may have to be changed. Not allowing change will not make this country travel far on the right road.

What these extremists are doing are extremely disrespectful and should absolutely not be allowed. It is fundamentally wrong what they are doing and although not allowing it will go against the First Amendment, doing the right thing usually involves change and being different. Protestors, Extremists or any people of our country should not be able to do terrible and extreme disrespectful things and then defend their actions by the First Amendment. In the end, I strongly believe that what the protestors did went way too far, and that poeple doing terrible and disrespectful things need to learn that they can't do whatever they want just because of the First Amendment.
-Tom Fratkin

Cmocek said...

I think what the extremists are doing in this cituation is extremely wrong and they should be punished for there actions. Although yes if you look at the first amendment directly stoping them from protesting would be a violation of the first amendment, what they did is rude, stupid, cruel and they should be punished for it. When the constitution was made and they gave people freedom of speech they did not intend for them to go to such extremes as this. To protest at a funeral is an awful thing to do, expecially a soldiers funeral. If they really wanted to protest they should have done it in a different area NOT the funeral. There definatley should be a punishment for these people and a new law made making protesting at funerals illegal.

ikalra said...

I believe that even though the first amendment protects peoples rights to freedom of speech and protest are very important and should not have any clause that says "except when" morally I would have to say that it is plain disrespectful. I believe that the people should at least be moved away from the funeral because of the people who attend the funeral have a right to privacy (IV amendment) and that would help with the arguments because going only on the constitution you can say that they aren't allowed to protest it. So if you use the fourth amendment of the people at the funeral as a loop-hole in order to get the protesters away that is what people should be doing. I also believe that you can protest the war but never protest the soldiers because they don't have a say for "oh I don't want to fight in this war so I don't think I will" and its a persons funeral...seriously would you like someone saying that at a funeral of someones that meant a lot to you? So besides the fact that it is an extremely disrespectful thing to do, it can also be stopped by using the right to privacy which I think all funerals have a right to be respected in death. That is how I think the constitution contradicts itself in order to prevent things like this from happening to good people.

dgurkowski said...

I personally believe that the person who these protest are directed at should have the right of a private funeral without disruption by these protestors. Although what the protestors ways of bringing their point across might seem a bit over the top they should still have the right to say what they feel, just somewhere else. Certain places such as a funeral, a marriage, or someplace or thing involving someones personals issues should also have the right to kick out these protestors. But the protestors should still be allowed to protest outside of a certain boundary.

m.lindgren said...

The guaranteed American right of Freedom of Speech has been upheld without restrictions in the case of people disrespecting soldiers at a solemn funeral. The protesting at fallen soldier's funerals is constitutionally protected, because it's not causing injury to anyone. Although these protests may be causing emotional distress to the soldier's family members, it does not cause any injuries, which would essentially violate the Bill of Rights. Therefore, the protesters have the constitutional right to protest in such an area regardless the perception of disrespect arising out of their actions.

c.russ said...

What these people have decided to do, protest at the funeral of soldiers, is morally wrong and extremely disrespectful. Of all the places they should be protesting, the funeral of a soldier is not the right place to choose.

Even though it is disrespectful and wrong and they should be protesting at a funeral, the first amendment directly gives them freedom of expression, so the constitution justifies their actions. They have broken no rules that would make their actions illegal. Thus, the protestors have not committed a crime.

If the cemetery is privately owned property, there could be trespassing laws that have been broken, but another kind of crime has not been committed.

rdivine said...

I believe that even though these protesters were saying hurtful things and messages to the soldier's family they have every right to express how they feel. Every person has the freedom of expression and no matter what they are saying they are guaranteed that. The supreme court ruling was just but I think that there should be some limits as to how far people can take the freedom of expression to. The protesters should not have written those signs just because he was a homosexual. Even though what they did was wrong they have every right to freedom of expression.

ewinegardner said...

I think that even though these protester's are absolutely crazy and completely in the wrong that they do have they do have the right to Freedom of Speech and I don't think the Supreme Court can make any exceptions to that. I feel like the best way to deal with this issue is just to ignore these losers and don't give them any attention and hopefully they will stop.

rwu said...

Although the posters obviously went to far especially since it was at fallen soldiers funeral, the first Amendment does give those soldiers that right. Congress probably did not know events like these would happen back then, so the Amendment of course is not specifically towards this issue. So therefore, the freedom of speech clause does result in extending the boundaries to this issue. It is their choice to say what they want, although they should think of proper respect first.
The 1st Amendment gives these citizens that right to say what they want although downright rude.

b.artinger said...

First off I'd like to say that I believe in the first amendment. Freedom of speech and expression is what allows people to say what they believe, with out their opinions being contradicted by the government. However, like in a school, the 1st amendment should be limited when it comes to invading on private matters such as a funeral. The soldiers family was trying to say good by to their loved one, and members of the WBC came and trampled all over the memory of him. It disgusts me to think that these people are so desperate to get there message across that they would go so far as to protest at a man's funeral. I hope the Supreme Court will take action to stop the WBC from invading people's privacy.

k.chend said...

The signs at the funeral may have caused the father emotional stress, but they did not violate the First Amendment. Even though the signs took it way too far, if the protestors are punished, then an exception must be made to the Freedom of Speech right. I personally think that they should not be punished but should be excluded from society to keep others from protesting in such a unrespectful manner. I still believe however that everyone gets the right to Freedom of Speech.

a.hickey said...

With my right to freedom of speech, I can freely say that I feel anyone should have the right to express whatever they want. All though there is an exception, if freedom of speech is hurting anyone else then it is not legal. I disagree completely with what the church was protesting about, and it made no sense to be protesting at a private funeral, when people are simply trying to say one more goodbye to a loved one. If they wanted to get a message across that the war is not okay, then private ceremonies are not the place to do so, and will not get them results. That was just being careless and extreme.

I also believe that their protesting could legitimately be argued as freedom of speech which hurt someone. The father of the deceased veteran said that their protesting caused emotional stress in his time of grieving, therefore forever ruining his image of his last goodbye to his son. I went to the Body Works exhibit at the Science Museum in Denver, and when I was there, I read that it has been proven, if maybe not scientifically that one can die from grief. Grieving equals depression, which IS a scientifically proven mental disorder, and so this also brings in the concept of science vs. fate... I feel that yes, these people definitely hurt someone else, were protesting in the wrong place, and all though they have the freedom of speech they should protest elsewhere and not in a private ceremony.

k.rosmarin said...

Protesting at a soldier's funeral is completely disrespectful and rude, but it is also allowed. The first amendment of the Bill of Rights is freedom of speech. Protesting is a form of freedom of speech. Of course I believe that protesting at a soldier's funeral is utterly wrong, but it is also in one's rights to do so.

The Bill of Rights already contains the freedom of speech amendment, so we can't just take it out. And we can't make freedom limited and have rules as to when a person can have freedom of speech. If the protesters were punished, then people wouldn't take laws seriously. If an amendment doesn't apply then why should a law?

I think that if no one is being physically hurt by a protest, then people should be allowed to express what they believe.

KHunt said...

Based only on the constitution and the First Amendment, I don't think the protesters are doing anything wrong. They have the right to protest, and their freedom of speech guarantees that they can say what they think without retribution. The protesters have every right to go to every military funeral in the country so that they get their message across, if that's what they choose to do.

However, I don't believe that it is morally right. The protesters may not agree with the war, or other things about the military. But it is simply disrespectful to the memories of these people to say that what they were doing is wrong. The fought for what the believed in, just like these protesters are doing, though they had different ways of going about it. So, on the whole, I believe that the protesters shouldn't protest at funerals out of compassion for the families of the dead. They should protest somewhere else, like in the capitol, where the people who see them might actually change the way this country does things.

s.harvey said...

Even though these people decided to protest at the funeral of soldiers is morally wrong and extremely disrespectful, the first amendment of the constitution gives these protesters the right and freedom to express their beliefs. Since this cemetery is not private land there are no trespassing violations so these protesters have not broken any laws and have not committed a crime. Although the actions of these protestors is legal, of all the places they could protest, this funeral owas not the right place to choose.

m.turner said...

It think that the people who protested had gone overboard but they did follow everything the Freedom of Speech states. They did not hurt anyone physically and they were just stating their opinions. Although it may have come across as disrespectful they did nothing wrong according to their right. I personally do not approve or agree with what they did. When they wrote the Bill of Rights I don't think that they thought of all this and many people for many years have followed the rights. If they were to have arrested them I think it would be wrong because according to the Bill of Rights they were just stating what they beleive. The way that they went about it was not okay, the family lost someone special and it was very disrespectful to ruin their time with their son. Even though he is dead, it was his funeral and you are suppose to be respectful at those.

E. Pancost said...

The First Amendment does apply to this demenstration, but the people who are mourning need to be left alone. These people have just lost a loved one and these people had to instigate a fight. They had abused the First Amendment Right, morally, to far. If these people just lost a friend who happened to be homosexual, and people were holding anti-homosexual signs outside the funeral, then those people would want to press charges, but if they do it it's OKAY. We don't have to Infringe apon the 1st Amendment, but just create a right to a peaceful, protestless funeral, and we should have some sort of right to privacy for these greiving families.
We don't have to go around the Constitution, but amend it.

t.meyers said...

I think that what these protesters did was out of line and completely unnecessary and disrespectful however I do think that they have to the right to freedom of expression and should be able to voice their opinions.

For them to be arrested would be unconstitutional and wouldn't be the right thing to do even though by what they did, they hurt someone in the process.

k.mcgill said...

Even though it is wrong to disturb a funeral, i believe the Freedom of Speech should always apply. In the constitution, it does not say that you cant do this. AS long as doesnt get too extreme i think its completely fine. These people are just expressing their opinions just like we all would do and its ok. I also think that the first ammendment shouldnt be taken too far though.

Andy Wang said...

Yes, for a family's son to be killed in a war is tramatic and emotional. As for the church protesting that 'his son' deserved the death, they get their free speech. However when they physically impact the victim's family, that is when they have to stop. They don't even have affiliation with the victim's family, and though they have their freedom of speech, they cannot do harm to the family.

I am mostly half and half on this issue. One, the church has crossed the line with their slogan. If they were doing to my son, who died fighting for a cause, I will be extremely disappointed. However, the church has their freedom of speech from the first amendment. Doing harm to the 1st amendment would lead to future disputes.

jfu said...

Although these people have the right to freedom of speech, there are certain limitations that already exist, like hate speeches. The people are going through the already traumatizing experience of losing a loved one, and should not also have to try to deal with the hateful words of protestors at the funeral. These people attending the funeral are entitled to their right to privacy. The protestors are being extremely disrespectful to the family of the soldier and are disruptive. Though they may not agree with the war, the protestors need to recognize that a funeral is not an appropriate place to express their views.

SReaves said...

I think that this case has two sides to it; one, I think that it is totally and utterly wrong for people to come protest at a soldiers funeral, where this man has been working for his country and fighting for it. With that they also are protesting about his family members which is really disrespectful and they should get consequences for their actions. On the other they also have the right to freedom of speech/ the first Amendment. Funerals are already very sad for people and other citizens do not need to go around protesting, especially if the person who has passed away is a soldier. Police and authorities also should not arrest these protesters because then this would send out a bad message that American citizens can not say what they want to say or have freedom of speech.
All and all, officials should find an agreement that is between not protesting at funerals (due to the sadness without protesting), but not make a law about not being able to have freedom of speech/arresting these protesters.

l.halpern said...

I believe that what the protesters did was wrong. Yes, they have the freedom of speech but, the way abuse it by holding up those signs as people's loved ones funeral is disrespectful. Of course there is no real law against intruding on a funeral but they should be some concequience. The protesters are being unreasonable, they think just because this man was a soldier they can do that. What if someone held up an insulting sign at one of their friends or families funeral? Soliders are the same as everyone else and they're
act was ill mannered.
The freedom of speech law in the Bill of Rights is good but can easily be abused. This story of example is the perfect excuse. You can go around saying all you want but that isn't apart of our cultural norms. It saying these things is illegal, in an informal manner.

K.Xie said...

I don't agree with the people protesting at funerals of people that died fighting for their rights. Freedom of speech and expression are probably some of the most important things we have, but there is a "too far". Telling a father whos just lost a son that god hates his son is going too far. However, punishing them wouldn't be a good idea. If they're punished, people will start to question if they really are free to express their own opinions, and more problems will arise. I'm kind of on the fence with this, punish and set an example, or let it go.


But this is also Shirley Phelps-Roper's church...the same church that protests AIDS funerals.

Kevin Xie, p6

Anonymous said...

The acts that these people are doing is disgusting, they should not disgrace themselves and protest at this marines' funeral. However I do believe that they do have a freedom of speech and expression. It would be unfortunately unconstitutional to with hold these people from protesting. They did follow local laws with their protest and therefore did nothing illegal. This act by the Westboro Baptist Church was extremely despicable and immoral.

dsherwood said...

This is very hard decision because while I want to say that protesting at a funeral is wrong, the Constitution states that they are allowed to protest. However, I agree with g.jeong that there should be limitations on protests, because protesting at funeral is very disrespectful let alone a funeral of a person that has died for this country. The article talks about how the soldier's father felt sick and very angry just thinking about the protests, and I don't blame him. If your son had just died and people are saying that "God wants him to die" you would feel terrible. That's why this is clearly crossing the line.

Overall, I understand that these people have the freedom of speech and expression, and even though I do not agree with them, they have the right to do so. However, this right should not apply to funerals of any kind. Although it may be a peaceful protest in some sense, its location and overall disrespect for our military makes it less peaceful and wrong.

lhill said...

Constitutionally, the protester have every right to protest at a lost soldier's funeral. The first amendment states that all citizens have the right to free speech. It does not restrict the place or time. It merely generalizes the freedom. The protesters have a constitutional right to protest their beliefs at a funeral.
However, there is a time and place for everything. Although it is written in the Constitution that the everyone has the freedom of speech and self expression, it is morally wrong to invade a family's mourning of their lost loved ones. That time is for the deceased's friends and family to remember and celebrate their life and the good deeds they have done. The protesters are crossing a boundary of ethics when they intrude like this. They are not honoring the lives of their country's defenders.
All in all, the protesters do have a right to express themselves. They are just inconsiderate of the dead soldiers and their families.

i.brache said...

i think that what those men did was very wrong. They went to a soldiers funeral and held up signs against him. Imagine having that at a family members funeral, or even your own. This solider stood up for his country and should not be protested against. But, i do not think that the protesters should face any consequences with the law.
I think that society will give them their own consequences, but going along with our 1st amendment they should be able to say how they feel. Without freedom of speech, America isnt even America anymore. If we put boundaries on this, it will only get worse. We want to be known for freedom.

bkrahenbuhl said...

Even though these signs are completely distasteful and wrong, the constitution clearly says that this is okay. If the court rules with the father, that is clearly discriminating on these people because of their views. In today's America, this just can't happen.
It is bad that the father has suffered emotional distress, and what these people did is horrible, but they shouldn't be punished at all. Even giving a small penalty is discrimination. In this case, the first amendment is clearly on the protesters' side.

PBrunsgaard said...

Based solely on the constitution, the protesters at the funeral do have the right to display their opinions and have the freedom of speech. As un-ethical as it was, there was nothing and no one that had the authority to tell them they are not allowed to protest.
The burial of a person should be a sacred event to remember the person and should not be used to protest. There is nothing that is written down in writing saying that it is illegal, but is it morally right in our culture? Definitely not.

b.knud-hansen said...

Even though it may not be the right thing to do it is a right in the constitution letting people have the freedom of speech. if you start to restrict in these cases it can get more and more restricted as time goes on. As long as the protesters do so none violently and disruptively i think they should have no consequences.
On the other hand those people are disturbing someone's funeral which can be very touching.
So i believe that if a protester goes to a funeral and starts protesting at it and disrupting the ceremony that should be illegal.Although if they protest on the side of the street then that is exercising their freedom of speech.

E.Kronenberg said...

If i was the father of this fallen soldier and i had to watch protestores at my sons funeral talking badly about him bacause he was serving our country, their country, i would be infuriated. The fact that these people thought this was a good idea is rediculous. They need to use some common sense and realize they're doing something innapropriate, and that makes them look like a complete jerk.
Although i completely disagree with what these people did, I would not say it is against the constitution. As much as that sucks I believe that somehow this should be changed.

s.codrescu said...

I believe that the actions taken by these protestors are protected by the constitution. The first amendment grants freedom of speech with no restrictions. Protesting at a funeral should be allowed as it is excersizing these rights. If these rights are infringed upon or this case determines that freedom of speech is not unlimited in certain circumstances, a gray area is introduced around what is meant by the constuitution, subjecting issues such as these to be decided around the views and discression of the judges, instead of solely around the interpretaion of the constitution.

Mdoliner said...

The First Amendment clearly states a person's freedom of speech and the right to protest. Even though, in my opinion, what these people are doing is wrong. The Constitution applies to all American Citizens. These protesters have every right to protest their political views. So yes, the freedom of speech/ the right to protest does apply to these people, as close-minded as they may be, they are American Citizens. This is what makes America what it is all about , freedom to whoever wants it.

j.vanzeghbroeck said...

 
The first amendment is first for a reason. It is one of the most important right that we have in this country. It was put in place so that we have freedom and aren’t controlled by the government. There shouldn’t be any exceptions to this right. If there are then the government gets more control than they already have. Some cases get a little personal like the protest at the military memorial. These get a little touchy because of the fact that it involves protest against people who are dyeing for our country. We however shouldn’t make an exception for this case. If we do then we might start making more and more exceptions and then the first amendment becomes weak. They should also have this right because a man burned the American flag in protest and wasn’t charged of anything because of the first amendment. The first amendment is very important and to make sure it stays as powerful then we have to not allow exceptions.

Alison Lindsay said...

As absolutely disgusting as this is. Sadly, there is nothing we can do about it, according to the constitution. If we were to punish these protesters, it would be using our opinion, over the law. The First amendment says freedom of speech, so therefore no matter how twisted their protesting is, we have to give it to them just like any other citizen. So, unless they start to cause physical harm, there are no charges we can press.

pdiller said...

Although the freedom of speech right in the constitution states that people such as these church members do have the right to protest, I believe that it is wrong in the environment which it was done. They knew the law well enough not to get arrested while they harassed a family that was laying their loved one to rest, a loved one that gave his life for our country's freedom.

While our constitution protects the church members' rights to protest, it does not seem right that a fallen soldier's family should have to experience such ugly emotions from people who purposely want to hurt them. I really hope the Supreme Court decides in favor of the father of the fallen soldier and that in the future, people such as these church members should not be allowed to protest at funerals.

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