The Bigsibling Blog

Fred Phelps was on the witness stand in a civil trial involving his cult. Phelps was asked if he had considered whether children would see a sign his cult members love to brandish. The sign reads “Semper Fi Fags” and contains the drawing of two stick figures appearing to engage in homosexual act.

“No, it’s an irrelevancy,” Phelps Said.
[U.S. District Judge] Bennet then interjected sharply.
“Just answer the question, sir. Don’t determine what’s relevant or not relevant. You just answer the question,” Bennet said.

Any takers on which side of this trial the judge is leaning towards? Phelps, the Al-Qeada loving ‘minister’ of the ficticiously named “Westboro Baptist Church” here in Topeka is the driving force behind several states, and even the feds, creating laws limiting the time and place of funeral protesters. The cult is being sued for unspecified damages for invasion of privacy and intent to inflict emotional distress.

Believe me, I’m all about the First Amendment and the right to free speech. I don’t agree with the “time and place” laws limiting where and when one is allowed to exercise their free speech rights. While I don’t agree with the Phelps cult’s message any more than I agree with the implementation Sharia Law, I do support their right to spread their message. It is the same right that gives the rest of the ability to counter the message, and spread our own messages, no matter how distasteful.

That being said, I believe this civil lawsuit is the way to go about reining in this bigoted cult. While people have a right to free speech, unhindered by the government, there is nothing that says their speech can’t cause them hardship in the civil arena. Now, since I’m still a few hours short of my law degree, I don’t know if that whole “invasion of privacy” thing will stick, but certain the “intent to inflict emotional distress” not only holds water, but holds gallons – perhaps hundreds of gallons – of it. The signs the Phelps cult uses to get their message across are designed for the express purpose of getting people angry. I think they are just laying in wait, hoping for the day when someone walks up and clocks one of them right in the kisser. They’d have a field day with that lawsuit.

I am holding out hope that this lawsuit will go badly for the Phelps cult. And that the jury awards the grieving Mr. Snyder enough coinage to force them to sell off their compound and hold their meetings in a trailer court.

source

You can read more about the Phelps Cult history here.

Technorati Tags: Phelps Cut, Westboro Baptist Church, Marines, Lance Cpl Snyder

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