A Chicago Tribune story on the Westboro Baptist Church’s funeral protests noted that the church is listed as an extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League, and has inspired new legislation in Congress to restrict protests outside national cemeteries. And there were two cautionary quotes about all the new state laws aimed at the Phelpses’:
– Eugene Volokh, a UCLA law professor and authority on First Amendment law, said, “You can’t treat speech as a breach of the peace simply because it offends people. These protests are tremendously offensive and hard to ignore. But ignoring them or counterprotesting is unfortunately the only remedy the First Amendment allows.”
– Charlie Mitchell, state legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, said that because of the damage awards the Rev. Fred Phelps could win if he prevails in court challenges, “The great irony of these bills — they are going to put the citizens of these states in the position of paying money to Fred Phelps.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Registered?
Commenting on WE Blog now requires you to be a Kansas.com member. Use the links above to register, if you haven't already, or to log in.Contact us
Follow us
Daily Archives
-
Recent Comments
- Regular on Open thread 11/23
- Regular on Open thread 11/23
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/23
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/23
- Freebird1971 on Open thread 11/23
- Freebird1971 on Open thread 11/23
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/23
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/23
- Freebird1971 on Open thread 11/23
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/23
23 Comments
Phelps is a two-bit extortionist litigator and it got him disbarred. He doesn’t care about the constitution or even gays for that matter. The Preacher schtick, well you can’t defrock him now can you?Just check out his bio: http://cjonline.com/indepth/phelps/stories/080394_phelps16.shtmlNotice he is not testing the new laws by getting arrested, instead he’s filing law suites. For damages no doubt.Look at his tactics. Standing on the flag. Pure provocation.If anyone touches him he sues the city for not protecting his rights and settles for what he can get. That’s how he makes his living. Tax dollars out of YOUR pocket.
Well said, Jim. This guy is a genius…he knows exactly what he’s doing. That’s why we need to stop media coverage of him.I think the Patriot Guard is doing a wonderful job.
The problem with Phelps and his kind is that they pull at the emotions, they play at them to the point of emotions takes over. He runs up to the edge of causing a riot then uses the law to protect and line his pockets. As sure as I am setting at this computer, the day will come that emotion rules the day. Society will strike back as he is violating society’s common sense. The law is only effective as long as society believes in it, once it no longer believes the law will fail to be effective.A case in point being what happened in a small town in Missouri when the people finally had enough of the town bully. He was killed in front of the majority of the town’s people, yet even with the Federal court threatening to jail every member of the town over eighteen. No one has came forward and told who kill him nor given any information to the local or Federal law enforcement. The law had failed and the society stopped believing in it. If this would happen to the people of Westborough church, is there anyone who will not say “Well he kept asking for it!”. They may not say it was right, but face it we all feel he is asking for it. And in a sense feel it is just since he fly in the face of what society feels is right. He is violating what common sense said is proper actions.
Freedom of speech does not cover yelling “fire” in a crowded theater, due to the expectation of a reaction that would probably cause a stampede for an exit, thus resulting in causing injury.
Or disturbing my sleep, impeding my ability to work and causing heath problems.Civil law allows compensation for emotional distress, along with exemplary damages.
This may be Phelps’ Achilles heel.
Don’t try to pass laws impeding his “Freedom of speech,” just take all his money in civil court. And I do mean “all” of it.”
Phelps can’t spend 650,000 a year traveling if he’s broke.
Fred Phelps is our own creation. He’s like a festering sore. We can’t leave him alone. Each new outrage garners exactly the response he’s looking for.Fred got disbarred for his shenannigans in the courtroom. At his age, let’s hope he gets disbarred from the human race. Soon.
Anyone else smell a Photoshop contest?
I don’t know how his “church” keeps it’s tax exempt status. Maybe that’s an angle worth exploring. Why can’t he be sued for the emotional distress he intentionally causes the families whose loved ones died? Does freedom of speech include verbal abuse and libel directed at a particular individual? Where does his right to hate speech stop and the rights of others not to be abused and harassed start? It doesn’t seem fair that his rights are more important than the rights of others not to be abused.
Phelps is ugly. Both inside and out. I don’t like him. His mom should have spanked him.
Phelps is mentally ill. Oedipus complex with accompanying psychotic features and varying degrees of paranoia.
Symptomatology: exhibitionism.
Phelps is mentally ill. Symptomatology: Oedipus complex with accompanying psychotic features of exhibitionism,driven by varying degrees of paranoia.
Sadistic, also.
Thank you, Harry!
Phelps is ugly. Both inside and out. I don’t like him. His mom should have spanked him.
She did..thats him
This guy inspires hate because he is consumed with hate. Speculations as to his motives are interesting. Clearly he has a “need” to be hated. This may be born of a need to punish himself (is he a self hating closet homosexual?) or perhaps of a need to feel that in the hatred of others he finds vindication for his own sick views. “I’m special! God loves me best and that others despise me only proves that!”
Either way, he seeks to offend.
How about a different tactic here? LAUGH AT HIM!
The patriot guard should point at Phelps and his nuts and laugh. The media should report his antics, but do so as one reports a clown.
An idea. Get some help from the gay community here. Have them stage a love-fest in front of Phelps next time he stages a protest. Not meant as a slam to our gay friends, I figure the old fart would die of appoplexy! If he had a heart attack, it would be a fine piece of PR for Gays.
Not bad X
Your “grace”?in your face!
Another tactic would be to kick fred and his families asses next time they protest. Normally im against violence towards women but i would glady use my brass knuckles on Margie or Shirley. I hold child molesters in higher esteem than the phelps church,and i hold a very low opinion of molesters. As for him suing i would love to get his church in a courtroom and let him find a jury that would be on his side. You were on a jury would you side eith phelps i didint think so
“The aptriot guard should point at Phelps and his nuts and laugh”JR, are you talking about his followers or his family jewels?!?LOLOLOLOL!
‘cuse the typo! I meant “Patriot” (with all due respect).
Dammon has discovered a new threat: The Apricot Guard.
Don’t laugh. If you’ve never been chased-down by a gaggle of angry apricots, then you don’t know what fear is all about { Help me out Damoon, I’m in big trouble }.
LOL, the Phelps gang, now THAT’S a bunch of fruits and nuts!
How about attacking him with the prune guard. If you ran all the s*** out of him there wouldn’t be anything left!
I remember several years ago when the Phelpsies picketed a Democrat ‘mini-convention’ here in Wichita. A cop asked us if he was creating a disturbance and should be dealt with. My response was “No, at least he isn’t picketing some poor family’s funeral. This is a political function, he is ‘welcome’ here”. Of course, we had a lot of fun whistling at him in his spandex and commenting about various aspects in his family history.
I don’t think he has picketed political events much since then. He knows he cannot hurt us in the way he can hurt a grieving family. He is gutless slime. (I apologize to any offended slime)