Well, today, the Supreme Court upheld the First Amendment in a case where I think it's pretty easy to conclude that the speech is absolutely vile. I, for one, am glad that the High Court voted 8-1 (Samuel Alito being the sole dissenter) that the court decided the way it did. Don't get me wrong...I disagree 1,256,894% with the content of the speech, and it sickens me to the point where I flipped off the protesters as I saw them on television holding up signs saying, "Thank God for Dead Soldiers." However, the protesters did stay the distance required by law from the funeral services, so they broke no laws (unless being a complete douchebag is against the law, and based on the fact that we give some people drivers licenses, it is clearly not). As reprehensible as I find the signs of the protesters, I would find it far worse if we as a people decided that since we did not like the content of someone's "speech," we would shut it down. The thought of that slippery slope makes me cringe, and it might even give me nightmares.
That said, I am a strict interpreter of the United States Constitution, and I wish that people in general, while they have the right to say what they want (and to a great degree, where they want), that the First Amendment is NOT a statement of your duty to be a total bastard to your neighbors. These protesters act like the free speech clause doesn't merely entitle them to protest in extremely hurtful and distasteful ways, but instead that it binds them to act in such ways. I don't see the First Amendment like that, and I would never act in such a way, because I realize that while I have the right, I do believe in the "Golden Rule."
In closing, while I'm not obligated in any way to say this, I have the right to do so, and I will exercise that right now: All those protesters can eat shit for the way they are carrying themselves. To me, they are the scum of the earth. They were when I saw them at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, and they continue to be to this day.
-FSG
WBC does a lot of other nasty stuff too. In my less Christian moments, I dream of recording their comments about how great it is to flush Qu'ran's down the toilet and free speech them throughout the Muslim world. Properly cited of course.
ReplyDeleteWBC were good friends of Saddam Hussein, and protested against America there before the war.
And as always, the problem with the 1st amendment only protecting the speech that you don't find offensive is that it makes the 1st completely toothless. And we can never really know if someone else's (admittedly abused) freedoms become my freedoms tomorrow.