I am so very glad a friend sent me this CNN story. It made my day.
Would a law forbidding political demonstrations at funerals, or perhaps allowing the families of the deceased to forbid demonstrations, be utterly unconstitutional? 'Cuz, damn it, Phelps is making me think some very ugly thoughts.
The Stones thought this was a good method of security once upon a time…
What would be wrong with it, in this case?
Now, Waverly, these are not the Hell’s Angels. They’re a biker group, not a biker gang. Really, you should know better.
… though if Altamont and the Phelpses were to meet, I would be saddened, but not upset.
Well, I don’t think the family of the deceased would necessarily want the funeral to be an occasion for violence of any sort.
I might want to know Phelps got his ass kicked, but might not want to see it happen at a family funeral.
The First Amendment guarantees the right of peaceful assembly. Thus, this right is by no means absolute, and has traditionally been somewhat regulated.
I think a case can be made that picketing someone’s funeral is an inherent disruption to peace and public order, and can be regulated or prohibited.
At the very least, a buffer zone seems fair.
They are in my screenplay… with a few nuns wearing pickelhaubes mixed in.
Waverly may be thinking that all bikers are Hell’s Angels outlaw types. There are millions of citizen bikers (many of them vets) who have no interest in busting heads. But all that chrome and leather can be very persuasive when dealing with pussies who pitch their bitch at dead people, at the expense of their grieving families.
I’ve been affiliated with a couple groups of bikers; one group leaned a bit more toward the 1% column and the other was business men and veterans. Both rode loud Harleys, wore lots of leather, and had the look that made folks sit up and take notice. Either group had the look that could chill your blood. From the looks of the article, that’s their intent.
I’m going to have to disagree. Well, technically, I do agree - this seems pretty sensible and it’d definetly be helpful to the family of the deceased. The problem is, if you set up the law so that picketing disrupts peace and public order, then that same judgement could be used to stop other, less moronic picketers, or keep them in a buffer zone, too. I don’t think however well you could write the law to make it stick to “only funerals” that it wouldn’t be taken advantage of in courts.
Not necessarily. I live in a fairly affluent town, complete with a population of weekend bikers. I don’t think there are many Hell’s Angels in designer leathers riding $30k German road bikes.
But in all seriousness, intimidation does seem to be at least a small part of the goal here, even if it’s unstated, and that escalates the situation as opposed to de-escalating it. If anything, it probably strengthens the case for the local govt. stepping in before one of these things does turn violent.
How does Phelps and the WBC get away with this? I mean the website and church “literature” more than these protests. If you set up a website godhatesjewsdotcom or godhatesblacksdotcom (with the appropriate racial slur…) you’d be shut down so fast your head would spin.
Exactly WHO would shut you down? The internet is not censored in any way… nor should it be. There are many, many hate sites on the web. I am a free speech advocate, so I have no problem with the sites, or the views of the weirdo individuals themselves. Actually, I prefer to have them out where I can see them when possible.
I am also a biker, and registered with the Patriot Guard riders, although I have not yet ridden with them, it is probably only a matter of time. Yes, I wear leathers and colors from my motorcycle association. Yes, I ride a 750+ pound Harley Davidson motorcycle, and it can be loud when I want it to be. Yes, I am also a 56 year old gray haired guy who is retired from a career in criminal justice and now working in the tourist industry in South Florida.
I have a free speech and free assembly right to attend the funerals of fallen soldiers. Within applicable vehicle laws and sound ordinances, I can go to those funerals on my motorcycle, and with my friends.
If Phelps or anyone else finds me and my friends intimidating in any way, it is their psychological issue, not due to any overt act, gesture or words from me. From what I have read and seen, etc., this would be the smallest of their psychological problems.
Until someone finds a way to LEGALLY restrain these idiots from disrupting the funerals of our fallen soldiers, the biker community will continue to get involved and step up to show support for the families. It is a very small thing to do considering the sacrifice made.
First, his twisted little family/church is full of sue-happy lawyers. Second, religion in America is given an irrational degree of respect, to the extent that criminal behavior in the name of/by religion is often ignored. The pedophila of the Catholic priesthood being a classic example, as are faith “healers”.
You want to arrest Jimmy Carter?
(I didn’t see much outrage here when Jimmah used Coretta King’s funeral as a political grandstand, not that I’d care to hear Phelps, either)
It’s nice that these patriotic bikers are going to protect the funerals of soldiers. Are they going to help out when he pickets garden-variety homosexuals’ funerals? Or does he even do that any more (he seems pretty busy calling everyone but gay people “fags” these days.)
Did Jimmy call the late Mrs. King a fag at the funeral? I’m not familiar with the details of the speech, but I kinda suspect we’re talking about two very different things, here. Coretta King, like her husband, was a political activist. It would strike me as highly unusual to not have some mention of politics at her funeral.
Speaking for myself… the answer is an unequivocable YES. I ride with both gay and straight bikers in my group and on non-group rides. From firsthand experience, I can tell you that the biker community is no more or less homophobic than the general population.
How about YOU? What are you ready to do to make a statement about Phelps and other homophobes?
To compare Carter to Phelps is so full of shit.
To say (truthfully) that the King’s were wire tapped, and Katrina did show that race relations still aren’t great is hardly the same as saying that US soldiers deserve to die, or God hate fags. I’m so sick of this disingenuous shit you Right Wingers fling for no apparent reason. Now grow the fuck up, and get off that pony named “Right-Wing Persecution Complex”.
Now back to the regularly scheduled Phelps bashing.
Let’s be clear, I didn’t like Jimmy Carter’s comments at Mrs. King’s funeral. But bringing him into this discussion isn’t fair.
It’s like comparing the rudeness of smoking in church and that of burning the church to the ground, IMHO.