Freedom of Speech, as long as no one is offended

Originally posted on 07/31/06

Ok, I know I am going to lose so "friends" over this one. C'est la vie, can't be helped.

The Westboro Baptist Church was in the news again today. This time it seems that Fred Phelps and his family were again protesting the funeral of a marine who was killed in Afghanistan, Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder. Well, it seems this time the father of the slain serviceman, Albert Snyder, has decided to sue the Westboro Baptist Church over the protest.

These people are a disgusting group of self-righteous hate-mongers and should all die in a fire. That said, however, they are acting within their rights under the first amendment. Freedom of speech and expression does not refer to only that speech and expression that is inoffensive, it refers to all speech and expression. Like it or not, when that marine took the oath to defend the constitution, he was swearing to defend these rat-bastards as well. I can't blame the father for this as he is acting out of pain. We all do things we may not ordinarily do when we are in pain. It is up to the courts to act in a logical manor (stop laughing, it could happen).

The law must protect the rights of citizens to carry out peaceful gatherings and protests. As long as they did not physically assault anyone or create a physical danger or trespass on private property, they were acting within their rights. Yes, what they did was horrendously offensive, but it is not our right to not be offended. If we had that right, I would be able to sue every asshole I saw driving around with a bumper sticker supporting George Bush. I find his policies extremely offensive and the sheep that blindly follow him even more so. But, it is not my right not to be offended nor is it yours.

There is another thing to consider. Since this group has started protesting the funerals of members of our military there has been a tremendous amount of outrage against them. While I agree the act is horrid, I have to ask where was all this outrage when they were protesting the funerals of homosexuals and AIDS victims? Where was the outrage when they protested the funeral of Matthew Shepard, a young man who was brutally murdered in 1988 for being a homosexual? Where was the outrage when they tried to get a plaque put up in a Wyoming park commemorating Mr. Shepard’s "entry into hell"?

Was he any less deserving of our sympathies because he wasn't in the military? Or was it that he was just a "fag"? Some would say that the members of our military are nobler because they chose to defend our country. There are three problems with this line of thinking. First, most people who join our military do not do so with the noble goal of defending our country. The most common reason for joining up is for college money and career advantages. There is nothing wrong with that; I tried to join up for the same reason. Second, our military, as of the moment, is not defending our nation. It is defending and enhancing the wallets and portfolios of a select few of this country's upper one percent. They are, right now, being used as a tool of the rich. Third, they are there to defend the rights of all Americans, not just those that they agree with.

Now, I'm sure some would say that I am bad mouthing the military and that is fine. It is always easier to pigeonhole someone and dismiss them than to actually think and consider a different point of view. I respect the idea of the military and what they are supposed to stand for. I do not in any way, shape or form condone the actions of the Westboro Baptist Church but I do stand up for their right to be the scum of the Earth if they so chose.

Another thing to consider is that by suing them, they get exactly what they want, attention. This is Fred Phelps wet dream. You can't buy publicity like this. The worst thing one could do to these nimrods is ignore them. They thrive on negative attention. And like all attention whores, deprive them of what they want and they will fade away.

The constitution guarantees the freedoms of all not just a select few. If we take away the rights of those we find distasteful, what happens when someone finds you distasteful?

Rant over... for now