That said, based on the image posted, the Phelps’ group was planning on protesting the funeral of some Amish girls?

That takes appalling to a whole new level. I may not believe as the Amish do, but among those of religious affiliation, the Amish strike me as some of the most gentle, honorable, and genuinely honest and humble I’ve ever seen.

C’mon, Phelps! Don’t pick on the Amish. They make great furniture! They’re pacifists! They live subsistence lives and have so little environmental impact they’re one of the few human cultural groups actively NOT harming the land! They’ve more honestly demonstrated forgiveness than many who ascribe to a particular code in which same is held in high regard!

*sigh*

Makes me tired, some days.

I believe the technical medical term for Phelps is “batshit crazy.”

No kings,

Robert

The matter of disrupting funerals is an entirely different matter. It is a clash of rights. A family or community has the right to bury their dead without having that right being impinged on by an outside party who wants to turn their funeral into a media availability. A family doesn’t have much of a choice in burying their dead, it’s sort of a requirement of circumstances. The hate groups have the right to attempt to get attention for their hate group at another occasion or in another location, requiring them to not violate the rights of those holding a funeral does nothing to violate their free speech rights, it preserves the rights of those in mourning. They don’t have a right to hijack the funeral and turn it into a media event.

It is one of the problems of some who deny inherent rights of people and even of some others. Rights don’t exist outside of people and the people who have them sometimes violate the rights which other people have. It’s important to look logically at the situation and to take into account the reality that when rights collide circumstances impose limiting factors on some of those rights.

Let the hate group hold their disgusting event the day after or in another town. They will have the right to say what they want to. It’s not the fault of the family of the dead that the media won’t give them the attention they crave.

Post script: Phelps isn’t mad that Falwell wasn’t hateful enough per se. As I’ve said before, the issue is that Phelps is a Calvinist, Falwell was an Arminian, and Calvinists have always hated Arminians and always will.

That’s probably part of it. I think the bigger issue for Phelps though was that Falwell was willing to work with non-Fundamentalists and even non-Christians who shared his political views (e.g. Jews, Catholics, Mormons, Evangelicals, etc.) Jerry may have hated gays as much as Phelps did, but he didn’t hate other groups enough for Phelps.

Technically, what she was doing was illegal according to state law. But it’s a bad law. She does have the Constitutional right to desecrate the flag. Just like she has the right to free speech and assembly, which allows her to protest these funerals. If she wasn’t such a @*#%&, one might actually be sympathetic to her plight.

::sigh:: I agree Hermant. I hate to say anything in her favor, but it is her right. But I’m so glad she did get arrested! I soo cannot stand these people. Has anyone seen Micheal Moore’s little FU tape to them? It was great. Here it is for your viewing pleasure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33-_9nOX8KM

Also, if you want to read the truth about this sick twisted old man, Fred Phelps, go here:www.addictedtohate.com In it you will read about how he abused his wife and his family, and how half of his kids moved away, changed their names, and want nothing to do with him. Sorry, it takes a lot for me to hate anyone, but I really really can’t stand Fred Phelps. It seems the majority of America does too. One church actually had a sign that said :God loves gay people. It’s Fred Phelps he can’t stand!” Found that one amusing. Btw, he’s also got a new site: http://www.godhatessweden.com I think he should just save himself the trouble and have http://www.godhateseveryonebutfredphelps.com

To top it off, I heard the group was going to protest old Jerry Falwell’s funeral. I don’t know if they actually did, but they were going to. Guess Falwell wasn’t hateful enough for them. These people make me sick.

I found this presentation on the lie that God loves everyone.